Petrilla Returns to Council Minus the Drama

Nearly four months of training to become a tank platoon leader—the key word being leader—may have had an impact on Rancho Santa Margarita City Councilman Jesse Petrilla.

A less excitable, seemingly more focused councilman took his spot on the dais Wednesday after his graduation from the Army Armor Basic Officer Leader course in Fort Knox, KY.

About 48 hours after touchdown in Orange County—after service in the California Army National Guard—Petrilla was at City Hall, first attending the fete for retired Councilman Gary Thompson and then for his first regularly scheduled council meeting since Feb. 9.

Although Petrilla spoke afterward to Councilwoman Carol Gamble—she thought they had met only once previously, in November—he didn't stick around long enough to discuss with media his first night back. However, his performance before the council was in stark contrast to his last appearance in a meeting, in which he appeared via conference call.

When the opportunity arose to name a mayor pro tem to replace Thompson, Petrilla parroted the opinions of Mayor Tony Beall and Steve Baric in delaying any kind of decision that would require the council to choose sides.

Clearly, avoiding the game of politics—played to excess at the time Petrilla left—was on several council members' minds.

Beall said his goal, especially in the first meeting of a full council in four months, was "to avoid unnecessary politics at this time and focus on working together. ... There's no compelling reason for us to deal with this matter tonight. ... I'm hesitant to open up this can of worms."

Baric, who recognized "a somewhat contentious appointment process" of Gamble—and he could also have been referring to discussion of temporarily replacing Petrilla in his absence—said the most practical tack was "focusing on the issues that are important to the citizens, develop positive relationships on the council. There's plenty of time to determine who the next mayor pro tem is."

That's when Petrilla delivered a line he seemed to have given some previous thought: "The time for politics is over. It's been long over. The time for governing is here. We're a council, we're one team with one fight, we have have one mission, and that's to govern this city. I don't think this is a pressing issue."

He sided with the majority. He appeared to be putting the council's wishes up front.

In truth, had the council gone forward with the request by Jerry Holloway, Petrilla may have been in the center of a mayor pro tem discussion.

In March, Beall to the 27-year-old and said he would recommend Petrilla as Thompson's successor as the city's second in command. However, a flood has since passed under that bridge that called into question Petrilla's maturity.

Most notably, during during his absence, he refused to follow directions while trying to name a successor to Thompson in a move that exasperated his colleagues and made the audience shake its collective head in frustration.

from the decision-making process shortly thereafter, citing the amount of time his training was taking.

Because his teleconference disaster was the last image anyone had of him while doing city business, his performance from the dais on Wednesday was worth watching closely.

He could have come out swinging, as he did in his , exactly six months earlier, trying to make his points and prove himself to constituents.

He instead chose to avoid that has typically surrounded him—Jesse being Jesse.

It was a mature attitude. 

Maybe he was exercising damage control. Or maybe it's a turning point, a growth spurt.

Actions matter more than words, and he has plenty of time to prove his mettle. Even if his words did seem rehearsed, for one night Petrilla got it right, and it has been a long time since that has happened.

When he had an open floor to address his colleagues and the smattering of attendees, he reiterated his earlier thought: "It's good to be back. A lot has transpired; staff has done a tremendous job of bringing me up to speed. The time for politics is long over. It's time to get back to business, time to govern. I'm proud to be a part of a five-member council."

Petrilla closed by recommending that the city staff look into the feasability of a child safety fair. That's safe, and it complements the recent move to ban sex offenders from city parks.

He still owes his colleagues, and the community he represents, some answers to questions that have hung over them for months. He has credibility issues. But maybe he is turning the corner.

"It's a great sign for any true leader to put aside personal politics and focus on the people that elected you to serve for them," Beall said of Petrilla's first night back. "I think it bodes well for the future that there was a consensus at tonight's meeting, that the focus of this council will be on doing the work of the people and the desire to avoid at every opportunity all  unnecessary politics.

"That type of approach would be consistent with the manner in which business had been done in this city since the day we incorporated in 2000. So I'm thrilled with the performance of our council tonight and look forward to the future."

After six months of drama, that is actually saying something.