Second Round of Candidates Appear Before City Council

The City Council of Rancho Santa Margarita met at its regularly scheduled meeting on Wednesday and conducted highly irregular business. Mayor Tony Beall, Jerry Holloway and Steve Baric interviewed the last six of 12 candidates for the vacant seat of Gary Thompson, who resigned March 3. 

There was an original applicant pool of 21.

With Thompson in the back row of council chambers and Beall on the dais instead of rookie Councilman Jesse Petrilla—he returned to his training with the California National Guard in Fort Knox, KY—the interview session had a far different feel from the one conducted April 7 at the special meeting conducted in Beall's absence.

One candidate, interviewed in the first group of six, said the session Wednesday included questions that seemed more relevant to the task of finding an interim councilman who will serve until November 2012.

No one asked the question that Petrilla did of every candidate—to define government—yet there were questions that asked about regret for , the completion of the 241 toll road, and potential cronyism that has been been alleged by an Orange County Register columnist.

Every candidate Wednesday referenced the lack of cohesion among this group of councilmen as compared to those in the past.

Petrilla will receive a DVD of the six interviews, just as Beall had, and will be included via teleconference in a special meeting that is being called for Sunday, 7 p.m., in which further questions may be asked of the candidates and discussion about them will take place.

That discussion will almost certainly include former mayor Carol Gamble and planning commissioner Brad McGirr. Both articulated their qualifications persuasively on Wednesday.

Although the format was similar to the first round of interviews—two questions with follow-ups, an opening statement and a closing statement—the councilmen didn't appear to shortchange themselves in learning what they could about the candidates.

Interestingly, the post-interview session of the council meeting included discussion about the city budget—budget management was one of the key components of the interview process for the applicants—but only eight of the 12 candidates overall sat through that item on the agenda: Jim Eakin, Carol Gamble, Larry McCook, Kathleen Roach, Mike Safranski and, from the first group of interviewees, Curt Stanley, Kenney Hrabik and Peter Whittingham.

The applicants are listed in the order of their appearance before the council.

Brad McGirr, RSM—Attorney and current member of the Planning Commission as an appointment of Beall.

• Pro: Wants to bring businesses to the city that bring jobs to the community, and modify the zoning of the business parks to make it happen: “You have to increase revenue to the city, but you have to supply jobs.”
• Con: Mentioned that the council didn’t need a third attorney on the dais but pointed out that he didn’t wear his occupation on his sleeve.
• Lasting Impression: An outstanding candidate who was well-reasoned, articulate and polished who was involved in the community, involved in government, involved in turning back the proposed El Toro Airport.

Jim Eakin, Trabuco Canyon—Software engineer and businessman is on the Planning Commission as Holloway’s appointment.

• Pro: Has a lot of experience, especially with homeowners associations, which would add an interesting element to the dais.
• Con: When it came to annexation, in front of a council that has made clear that it’s opposed to it, candidly said, “I’m not adamantly for or against the project.” If he wants to get appointed, he should be the latter.
• Lasting Impression:  Didn’t rely on the go-to response. Challenged the city to determine what kind of town it wants to be: “We have a Kohl’s, but not a Nordstrom. Do we want a Big Lots and a 99 Cent store? I don’t want to pursue businesses just for the sake of doing it. Let’s see first how it fits into the role of the town.”

Carol A. Gamble, RSM—Consultant and civil engineer is the city's former mayor elected to the original City Council who was directly involved in the incorporation of Rancho Santa Margarita.

• Pro: Inextricably linked to the history of RSM. Her engineering firm conducts business elsewhere, yet she chooses to keep it in town at greater expense. Also effectively took on and dismissed the notion of cronyism that has been suggested by the Orange County Register: She doesn’t see the other councilmen socially.
• Con: Describing her toughest decision, got understandably emotional when she told the story of leaving the side of her father in the hospital so she could go to a council meeting simply so there could be a quorum. It might be perceived a sign of weakness, but it also showed her commitment to the position.
• Lasting Impression: There was little that didn’t go right. Played on Baric’s and Petrilla’s repeated statements of the past two months about respecting the voice of the residents: Gamble drove home that residents chose in the November election to have three experienced and two new council members and that she was the singular candidate who could maintain that balance.

Lawrence “Larry” McCook, RSM—Retired business executive who garnered more than 4,300 votes during a six-week campaign for the council in 2010.

• Pro: His experience in the corporate world is intriguing, and he promises that he can bring business to the community. “Create business here and create jobs. … I have the innate ability to get into boardrooms.” Who wouldn’t want someone like that on the team?
• Con: A lack of anecdotal material failed to provide the kind of illustrative example of what he could do for the community once he was in office.
• Lasting Impression: There is no question that McCook is passionate about the community and wanting to serve—and the council would be wise to try to leverage his skills and contacts—but all you have is his word. There was no clear piecing together of support to make his case.

Kathleen A. Roach, RSM—Worked 15 years in municipal government, including seven as the assistant to the city manager in Rancho Santa Margarita.

• Pro: Has been on the inside of the city as a staff member for seven years, so she is intimately aware of how Rancho Santa Margarita operates.
• Con: There was nothing that made her stand apart from the others, and her primary message was that the city was well run already: “What I see for Rancho in the future is a city pretty much like it is today.”
• Lasting Impression: Delivered a great line about her vision for the city: “Attracting industries that can pay their employees so they can afford to live here in Rancho Santa Margarita. The original vision was to live, work and play here.”

Michael F. Safranski, RSM—Senior director of facilities and security for Emulex Corp., board president of the Trabuco Canyon Water District and Trabuco Highlands Community Association.

• Pro: Has experience setting policy, working with budgets, and presented a real team attitude; pointed out that it would take the group of council members, not just one of them, to succeed.
• Con: When describing the worst business decision he had made, referred to a recent incident in which he “got suckered into this agreement” and broke with his normal style of communicating changes to his superior.
• Lasting Impression: Came across as likable. “The bottom line is that I bring the right skills and the right tools at the right time,” Safranski said. “I have no hidden agenda, no axes to grind.” That's a definite plus.