Council Candidates Focus on Bond Sale, City’s Quality of Life

Quality of life issues mark the campaigns of six candidates vying for two seats on the City Council in the Nov. 3 election. Mayor Don Bankhead and Councilwoman Jan M. Flory are fighting for second terms to continue the work they have begun.

Four newcomers are challenging the incumbents, criticizing past City Council decisions and advocating change. The candidates include businessman Bernhardt Arnold, legal secretary Pat Shuff, accountant Snow Hume and retired nurse Barbara Marr.

The greatest debate revolves around a $20-million bond plan approved by the City Council earlier this year.

Funds from the bond sale will pay for the expansion of police headquarters and the children’s section of the city’s main library. Other projects include improvements to Hillcrest Park, construction of a museum plaza downtown and reconstruction of sidewalks and roads.

Bankhead and Flory, who voted for the bonds in June, have pledged to ensure that the money is spent properly and that the projects go smoothly.

Hume and Marr have said the bonds should never have been approved without a citywide vote. The two candidates said they are concerned the bonds will create future taxes and budget strains.

Shuff contends that the list of projects is much like a Christmas wish list, which, although nice, will probably cost the taxpayers more in the long run.

The candidates also are divided on the issue of tax-subsidized housing. These housing projects have received financial assistance from Fullerton and its redevelopment agency and do not pay property taxes. The projects include apartment complexes that offer affordable rents for people with low incomes.

Bankhead and Flory in April opposed proposals requiring city-subsidized housing projects to pay property taxes, saying each project should be considered as it comes.

Shuff said she is against these projects altogether because they create overcrowded schools, increase public safety problems and bring property values down. Marr said she would prefer a voucher system for low-income families so they could live anywhere in the city, not just in specific housing projects.

Arnold could not be reached for comment and declined to submit a candidate statement.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Running in Fullerton

Here are the six candidates vying for two seats on the Fullerton City Council in the Nov. 3 election:

Bernhardt Arnold

No candidate statement filed

*

Don Bankhead

Age: 66

Occupation: Mayor; retired police captain

Background: Bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and master’s in public administration, Cal State Fullerton; former police captain, Fullerton Police Department; City Council member, 10 years; Fullerton resident since 1957

Issues: Ensure public safety by maintaining level of service, equipment and expansion of Police Department; maintenance and upkeep of city’s infrastructure on a scheduled basis; maintaining and improving public facilities, such as the library and parks

*

Jan M. Flory

Age: 54

Occupation: Attorney, incumbent

Background: Bachelor’s degree in communications, Cal State Fullerton; law degree, Western State University; council member, four years; licensed real estate broker, 15 years; former planning commissioner and community services commissioner; Fullerton resident for 28 years

Issues: Stabilization of city revenues; ensuring $20-million bond is properly funded and library, park and downtown plaza projects are completed on time; pay closer attention to needed maintenance of parks and trails that was postponed due to the recession

*

Snow Hume

Age: 41

Occupation: Certified public accountant

Background: Bachelor’s

degree in religious studies, Yale University; postgraduate studies in accounting and finance; founded recall campaign in 1993 that led to the utility tax repeal; Fullerton resident for 27 years

Issues: Stop dishonest partisan maneuvering in the election; stop “wild spending decisions,” such as the $20-million bond issue; prevent poor choices reducing the quality of life, such as tax-subsidized housing projects

*

Barbara Marr

Age: Declined to state

Occupation: Retired nurse

Background: Community activist; court-appointed special advocate for abused children; member, Order of the Eastern Star (women’s affiliation of the Masonic order); member, Committees of Correspondence of Orange County; Fullerton resident since 1974

Issues: Favors voucher system for subsidized housing rather than tax-subsidized housing projects; opposes “unwholesome” businesses--such as tattoo and massage parlors--in retail area; opposes new subsidies for new businesses

*

Pat Shuff

Age: 57

Occupation: Certified professional legal secretary

Background: PTA; leader, troop organizer and neighborhood chairwoman, Girl Scouts; volunteer in church and youth activities; Fullerton resident for 26 years

Issues: Opposes tax-subsidized rentals, which she says depress property values; maintaining and repairing city’s infrastructure, roads and sidewalks; maintaining city’s amenities, such as parks, libraries and museums

Source: Individual candidates; Researched by CHRISTINE CASTRO / For The Times