Incumbent treasurer will face competition this fall; city clerk also seeks reelection

Laguna Beach’s treasurer and city clerk recently announced they will seek reelection when voters hit the polls in November.

City Treasurer Laura Parisi and City Clerk Lisette Chel-Walker are each eying additional four-year terms after working a collective 50 years for Laguna.

Parisi, a certified public accountant who began as treasurer 17 years ago, has a competitor in the race — Anne McGraw, a local bookkeeper.

Parisi, a state-certified municipal treasurer who also chairs the League of California Cities’ revenue and taxation committee, manages and selects the city’s investments, tracks city funds and audits transient occupancy tax collected from Laguna’s hotels.

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Laguna’s investments have grown from $26 million when Parisi started in 1999 to $87 million, the Coastline Pilot reported earlier this year.

The City Council appointed Parisi in 1999 to succeed Susan Morse, who retired. The following year Parisi ran unopposed in the election.

“I have the education, experience and a proven ability to navigate turbulent economic times,” Parisi said.

McGraw, who moved to Laguna in 1992, has more than two dozen clients as a bookkeeper, including the Laguna Food Pantry and is also a volunteer treasurer of the Woman’s Club of Laguna Beach.

McGraw said she first thought about running for the position a year ago.

“It’s an extension of what I’m doing already,” McGraw said, adding in a follow-up email that she would treat the role of treasurer as she does clients, “with care, accuracy and efficiency.”

Chel-Walker has worked for the city for 33 years.

She began as a cashier in the police department in 1983, handling all parking complaints and payments, and eventually oversaw the department’s parking system.

In 2008, Chel-Walker was appointed deputy city clerk and in 2012 was elected to replace Martha Anderson, who retired.

Chel-Walker, who earned her Certified Municipal Clerk status from the International Institute of Municipal Clerks in 2010, is working toward Master Municipal Clerk status.

“My primary motive for running for city clerk is that I love working with the public, I love the city of Laguna and I enjoy what I do,” Chel-Walker said in a statement.

Candidates can begin pulling nomination papers for elected offices Monday. They must turn in completed forms, with at least 20 valid signatures, by Aug. 12 to be eligible for the ballot.

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Bryce Alderton, bryce.alderton@latimes.com

Twitter: @AldertonBryce