3 Vie for Vacant Redondo Beach Council Seat

For the second time in a year, voters next week will elect a new city council member in central Redondo Beach, an area that candidates say has been inadequately represented and forced to take a back seat to the rest of the city.

The three candidates vying for the District 3 seat in the March 8 special election--attorney Steve Colin, 30; union business representative William R. (Bill) Mona, 54, and pension investor William Brad Parton, 27--promised they will bring the area its fair share of city money and attention.

The council seat has been vacant since November, when council member Marcia Martin resigned the post to pursue a new career as an Orange County sheriff’s deputy. The next councilman from the primarily residential district, which lies in a narrow swath between Torrance and Hermosa Beach, will serve the remaining three years of Martin’s term.

Of the three candidates seeking to replace Martin, only Colin ran against her last year. He lost by five votes. This time around, Colin faces two newcomers. If none of the candidates receives a majority of the vote, a runoff election will be held May 10.

The issues--traffic, district leadership, financial help for businesses and improving Dominguez Park--have not changed much in the past year.

Agreement on Traffic

All three agree the park needs to be upgraded and traffic congestion must be eased.

Parton said that synchronizing traffic lights and re-striping some intersections to include left-turn lanes would help traffic flow better along heavily traveled Inglewood Avenue and 190th Street.

Mona said traffic congestion should be relieved but had no specific suggestions on how to accomplish that.

Colin suggested that traffic should be directed away from Inglewood Avenue and other residential streets and onto the more commercial streets like Hawthorne Boulevard and Pacific Coast Highway.

He said residents are concerned about both the amount and flow of traffic. Colin proposed that the Police Department reallocate some of its resources to bolster enforcement of traffic laws.

Mona said he would like the Police Department to reallocate some of its weekend staff “to suppress the gangs down at the pier.” Although the pier lies outside the district, he said that would be his “No. 1 top priority” if elected.

Parton is the only candidate who said Redondo Beach should hire more police officers. He said he has heard many complaints about drug dealing in the district.

But council members also must deal with citywide issues.

After January’s storm caused $17 million damage to King Harbor, including $3 million damage to public property, restoring the popular commercial and recreational area is one of the biggest issues facing the city.

Parton said he is against any kind of financial assistance to private businesses, except possibly “very limited” help to storm-damaged King Harbor businesses.

Mona said the city should provide financial assistance to harbor businesses and consider placing a bond issue before the voters to help upgrade other private businesses.

Colin said the city should help harbor businesses because they generate taxes to the city. “It works both ways,” he said. “We give a little, they give a little and if they’re going to benefit, the residents should benefit.”

For example, Colin said, the harbor should be made more accessible to the public by the addition of a boat launching ramp.

Colin pointed out that financial assistance programs already are being offered to private businesses citywide. “They just need to take advantage of it,” he said. “There needs to be an outreach program” to let business owners know about available assistance, he added.

Each candidate has a favorite district cause.

Mona said he wants to see more police-sponsored drug awareness programs in the schools.

Parton said a park should be created at the end of Lilienthal Lane, which was once considered for a through street, but now is “an eyesore.”

Colin said he would like to get more district residents on city commissions. And, regardless of whether he is elected, he said he will push for adoption of an ocean-view protection ordinance by the council or the voters.

Since there are no hotly contested issues, the race has become one of personalities.

Colin argued that if his opponents were really committed to helping the district, they would have run for council last year. He also said that Parton and Mona seldom spoke out about district issues until Martin resigned.

“Now that the seat is vacant, they’ve become very concerned with the district, but prior to the vacancy, they weren’t so concerned,” Colin said.

He points to his involvement in local politics as proof of his commitment to the district and the city. He said he regularly attended council meetings for years and fought to get them televised.

Colin also successfully campaigned against the proposed widening of Flagler Lane three years ago and tried unsuccessfully to get a campaign contribution limitation initiative on the ballot. He serves on a committee revising the city’s noise ordinance and until recently spent four years on the Public Improvement Commission, including one year as chairman.

He is endorsed by Mayor Barbara J. Doerr, who currently has no allies on the five-member council.

Colin said he will spend about $5,000 on his campaign for the job, which pays $525 a month. A lifelong resident of the district, he is single, has no children and graduated from USC with a bachelor’s degree in public administration and from the University of California, Davis, School of Law.

Parton said Colin tends to look primarily at the negative sides of issues instead of working with others to solve problems.

In response to Colin’s charge that he has not demonstrated a commitment to public service, Parton said he has been a member of the Recreation and Parks Commission for 1 1/2 years, is a member of the Manhattan Beach Lion’s Club and is involved in area youth programs.

Although Parton has lived in the city for five years, he moved into the district six months ago and would not have been eligible to run for the seat last year.

Parton said he plans to spend about $3,000 on his campaign. He is single and has no children. He graduated from San Diego State and majored in business administration. With two partners, Parton owns a financial services company, which invests retirement and pension funds.

Mona said he did not run against Martin because he worked with her at the Redondo Beach Police Department before her election. He has been a volunteer reserve officer for 13 years, served on the temporary Charter Review and Vandalism committees and was involved with Little League teams, the Cub Scouts and local parent-teacher associations.

“I’m a person that likes to get involved,” he said. “I started out with small committees in the city and I think it’s time to step up to the City Council seat.”

Mona, who has lived in the district for 17 years, is married, has two children and a high school degree. He said he did not seek nor get the endorsements from any council members and does not consider himself allied with any of the elected officials. He said he plans to spend about $8,400 on the race.

Colin charged that Mona is “lying” about his political support. “He’s the hand-picked candidate” of Councilmen Archie Snow and Ronald Cawdrey, Colin said.

Cawdrey said Mona has not asked for his endorsement, but said he advised both Mona and Parton because they went to him with questions.

Parton said he went to lunch with Snow and Mona at the beginning of the campaign and Snow told him he was backing Mona.

Snow could not be reached for comment.

THE CANDIDATES Steve Colin

Age: 30

Occupation: Attorney

Resident: 30 years

Community involvement: 4 years on Public Improvement Commission, including a year as chairman; member of Noise Ordinance Committee, worked on local political issues.

William R. (Bill) Mona

Age: 54

Occupation: Business representative for United Food and Commercial Workers Union, Local 770.

Resident: 17 years

Community involvement: Volunteer police reserve, member of temporary Charter Review and Vandalism committees.

William Brad Parton

Age: 27

Occupation: Pension and retirement investor

Resident: 5 years in city, 6 months in district

Community involvement: 1 1/2 years on Recreation and Parks Commission, member of Manhattan Beach Lion’s Club, works with area youth programs.