Departing Director Assesses His Achievements, Disappointments
Question: You have been accused of foot-dragging on redevelopment, especially in the downtown area. People say that because of you, everything has taken longer than expected and business is bad. How do you plead?
Answer: It’s not true. Anybody who takes the risk of investing in something that is not a sure thing has to expect that there is a possibility that their expectations won’t materialize fully. It’s wrong to point blame for that. The only problem with the redevelopment project is that it isn’t done yet. We’re looking at a completed downtown that may happen 10 to 15 years in the future and the average citizen isn’t aware of the kind of planning that must go in. We are making a multimillion-dollar investment and we can’t be any more foolish with public money than (private investors) can be with private money. We feel that it’s awfully important with the valuable resources of land we have that it not be wasted and not be used incorrectly. As frustrating as it is to individuals, that’s the reality of how redevelopment works. I wish all these things were in force today, but the reality is that downtown is developing at a certain pace.
Q: But don’t you feel some responsibility for all the new businesses that have come on line in the last two years expecting to be part of a downtown resurgence that hasn’t yet happened?
A: One of the joys of the free enterprise system is that people have the right to fail. Ninety percent of all new businesses fail. We have all kinds of programs to help, but there are some people who simply aren’t as good in business as others and their right to fail is nobody else’s fault. I don’t think it’s the job of government to protect those individuals from the natural consequences of the economy.
Q: So you believe that the city’s downtown redevelopment is still healthy and proceeding according to plan?
A: Yes. When I first came here, the city was in the mode of doing everything it could to attract investors. Today we are in the position of literally having to choose between highly qualified investors who are falling all over each other to invest in downtown Long Beach. But that means we have to sift them out for those who are the most sincere, most qualified and the best people to invest. This belongs to the city, so the city has to be vigilant in making sure that what is developed here is in everybody’s interest and not just the interests of the developers. We could open the doors and say ‘Build whatever you want,’ and you would see construction going on like never before, but what you would have is a hodgepodge of development and five years from now, people would be saying, ‘Why did the city ever let them do that?’
Q: What do you consider the most important accomplishments of your tenure here?
A: Shoreline Square, Landmark Square, the Pike property project and the downtown theater complex on which we’re about to take bids. I also feel that the resurgence of Pine Avenue has a lot to do with my initiatives such as the business loan program, technical assistance programs and the high priority placed by the Redevelopment Agency on the rejuvenation of Pine. Elsewhere, the (proposed) auto mall project is one that many people said couldn’t be done, and I was instrumental in developing the housing development fund and housing development program. At the Long Beach Airport, I was instrumental in attracting some high-quality commercial development. Also, the West Long Beach industrial redevelopment project--a little-noticed but important part of Long Beach.
Q: Any major disappointments?
A: I would like everything to have happened faster. I also would like to have completed two condo projects on Ocean Boulevard that got bogged down by financial and technical problems.
Q: What still needs to be done?
A: We really need to deal with the problem of inadequate retail service. Long Beach is still a major exporter of retail sales and that is a major challenge for future years. Also, we must begin meeting the housing needs of the city. Prices are escalating rapidly and exactly how and where the needs of all income segments are to be met is a significant issue.
Q: Any advice for your successor?
A: Take advantage of the ground work that has been done, move ahead with all of the many projects in process or about to begin and always keep sight of the ultimate goal of an ideal city so that inappropriate compromises don’t come back to haunt the community in the future. That’s not to say go slow, it’s to say go carefully.
Q: What are your thoughts as you leave this city behind to accept the challenges of your new job as assistant city manager of Fremont? Is Long Beach significantly different from the way you found it?
A: Long Beach is a more economically vital, attractive, interesting and exciting city. I played a role in helping make that happen. It’s on its way to becoming an absolutely first-class international city. I believe it will happen even more now than I ever did. I see the commitment to that on the part of public officials, citizens, developers, businesses and others. Before, it was a dream, now I think we’re seeing signs of the reality, and when you can see signs of the reality you can believe it’s going to happen.
