Candidates Debate Covina City Hall’s Fate

Should City Hall be rebuilt? And how can Covina progress while retaining its small-town atmosphere?

Those are two of the key questions that seven candidates running for three seats on the City Council are trying to answer before the April 12 election.

At a candidates forum Monday at the Joslyn Senior Center, most of the candidates supported rebuilding or at least renovating the 58-year-old City Hall. And most of the candidates emphasized the importance of expanding the city’s downtown while doing the least damage to neighborhoods.

Hugh S. Jenings has a vision of twin high-rise towers. One tower would contain City Hall and posh condominiums, and the other would house a complex of elite stores--”like the ones on Rodeo Drive” in Beverly Hills.

“Instead of going to New York or London to shop, people will come to Covina,” said the 66-year-old retired investment banker.

Deal With Developer

Under Jenings’ plan, the city would give a developer the two blocks where City Hall, the library and police station now stand. In return, the developer would build a new civic center at no cost to the city, and the city would pay a minimal fee for a long-range lease.

The City Council has approved construction of a new city hall, but has not found a developer.

At the forum, the candidates said it could cost $4 million to $8 million to build a new city hall and $2 million to $4 million to renovate the old building.

But candidate John Rose said the proposal to renovate City Hall is not feasible because the building is structurally unsound. “I’m afraid of that building,” the 40-year-old administrator said. “I’m afraid of the liability. We need a new city hall.”

‘A Tenant in Our Own City’

But Rose objected to Jenings’ proposal. “I’m not in favor of giving public funds to a developer and making us a tenant in our own city.”

Also favoring the construction of a new city hall is candidate Chris Lancaster, 29, son of Assemblyman Bill Lancaster (R-Covina).

But candidates Thomas O’Leary, Chris Limahelu and Gary Coffee are not convinced that Covina needs a new city hall.

O’Leary said he supports a new building “in the abstract.” But the 29-year-old attorney said he did not want to take a stand on the issue until he knows how much it would cost.

Coffey, a 42-year-old firefighter, said residents should decide the issue at the ballot box.

Limahelu, a 37-year-old businessman, said a new city hall should be built “only if it is necessary.”

Renovation ‘Futile’

Although renovation was suggested by some candidates, incumbent Charles Colver, who has been on the council for 14 years, said such an effort would be futile.

“Trying to refurbish that old dinosaur we have down there would be like trying to pour water down a boot with no bottom in it,” said the 67-year-old U.S. Forest Service manager.

The other major issue at the forum, which was sponsored by the League of Women Voters in the East San Gabriel Valley, the Covina Coordinating Council and the Covina Women’s Club, was how the city could move ahead economically and still retain the atmosphere of a quiet residential town.

“I’ve watched as the traditional business districts have declined in the community and businesses have encroached into our neighborhoods,” Coffey told the audience of more than 100. “We need to keep our peaceful residential neighborhoods. We like to keep the small-town atmosphere.”

$52-Million Debt

Coffey also criticized the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) for running up a $52-million debt during its 14 years of operation.

But Colver, who as a councilman also serves as a member of the agency, said: “It takes money to make money. Of course there’s a debt created, but that’s necessary.”

Colver said that redevelopment projects eventually pay for themselves through increased sales and property tax and added, “The CRA has been a godsend to this community.” If the community did not have a redevelopment authority, the city would be 10 years behind economically, Colver said.

Lancaster said he wants to “maintain a balance between commercial, industrial and residential (zones).”

Rose added: “We have to be sure we are tailoring our municipal services to match development and not curtail development.”

All the candidates agreed that because Mayor Larry Straight and Councilman Jerry Edgar have decided not to run for office again, the election is crucial. They urged Covina residents to vote.

Individual Concerns

In addition to the city hall and redevelopment issues, candidates expressed individual concerns.

Rose railed against the availability of pornography in news racks in the city.

Jenings said Covina should take control of the Covina Irrigation Co., which provides water for residents.

O’Leary said he was against a proposal by the San Gabriel Fire Authority, which serves Covina and West Covina, to move Fire Station No. 2 from Covina to West Covina in the future. But Colver said such a move hasn’t even been contemplated by the council.

Lancaster said he would try to ensure that Covina gets its fair share of money from a $300-million state bond issue for road improvements.

City Clerk Frieda C. Richardson and Treasurer Alburt F. Bragins are running unopposed.