Commentary: Why I support Egly, Whalen for City Council

It is election time again, and we have an opportunity to fill two City Council seats with qualified candidates. We have five candidates running for the council this year. Many people have asked me who I am supporting and why. My answer is Bob Whalen and Jane Egly.

Whalen has been quietly involved in Laguna for many years, making a difference with his volunteer work all over town.

When his boys were younger, he coached Little League teams. Whalen was then elected to the Laguna Beach Unified School District School board and served for nine years. Thanks to Whalen and many other great people around Laguna, our schools are providing a superior education for our kids.

When our Boys & Girls Club needed help, Whalen joined the board and served as its president. Whalen is currently the chair of the Planning Commission and I have appreciated his thoughtful decision making and approach to issues affecting our city. But one of his best strengths is his expertise in public finance.

As budgets and finance related problems continue to be of concern in many California cities, we need his knowledge and experience on our council. I firmly believe Whalen’s commitment to the entire community and with no association to groups or organizations that try to influence decision making, means that he will be clear headed on issues that come before the council.

If you watch the City Council meetings, you know that Egly is a very logical and fair-minded person. She always looks out for the best interests of the entire community. She is not swayed by special interest groups around town that try to push a particular position that is not good for all of Laguna.

Egly has represented the city as mayor this year with pride and dignity. Egly was instrumental in bringing Mission Hospital to Laguna and she is passionate about finding ways to make sure we are not 100% dependent on outside water sources.

I know you have seen Egly’s campaign bag signs around town. She is serious about recycling, and even her signs are recyclable. Egly is a big advocate for a solid infrastructure, which is very important to our City.

For the past few years, she has been working on the Complete Streets initiative to encourage people to use their cars less and to make it bicycle and pedestrian friendly. Egly has also been working on a solution for a trail between Arch Beach Heights and Top of the World. Most of all, she supports a balanced budget and keeps a sharp eye on city finances.

Whalen and Egly are the right leaders for Laguna. Join me in supporting them for City Council.

KELLY BOYD is on the Laguna Beach City Council.