BUENA PARK : Candidates Focus on City’s Fiscal Woes

The city’s ailing budget is taking center stage this election among the eight candidates vying for a spot on the City Council.

Six challengers and two incumbents are squaring off for three open seats. Councilman Kenneth B. Jones is not seeking reelection.

Although they disagree on how, all candidates list getting the city back on sound financial footing as their top priority. During the past two years the city has begun the new budget season with a deficit and projections show the picture only getting worse.

According to official figures, by the 1993-94 budget year the city could be in debt by as much as $4 million. To help close the gap, the City Council has increased the local bed tax and implemented some “fee for service” measures, the most recent being a paramedic assessment fee. While some candidates propose internal belt tightening, others are looking for outside resources. Once again the idea of an amusement tax, which would add an additional tax on local attractions, is being offered as a means to cure the budget woes.

Candidates Arthur Brown and Max R. Schulman are coming out in favor of the often controversial amusement tax suggestion. “It is a ready source of revenue that hasn’t been tapped into,” said Brown, a retired deputy sheriff. “What else is there?” said Schulman, who making his third attempt for a seat on the council.

It is not the first time the proposal has been suggested. Although it has been studied, prior councils have never taken action on it. The exact terms are not known, but the general concept is to tax people attending events that require any type of admission fee. This percentage would go directly to city coffers.

Stuart Zanville, head of public relations for Knott’s Berry Farm, the city’s biggest attraction, said it would place an unfair burden on the park’s ability to compete. “A tax like that would have to be passed on to the consumer as a price increase . . . putting us at a disadvantage with other parks.” He added that the park already pays more than $1 million in sales tax and fees to the city.

Calling it “biting the hand that feeds us,” several of the other candidates firmly oppose the tax, including incumbent Donna L. Chessen.

“I would rather see us increasing tourism and bringing businesses into the city,” she said. Chessen suggests tapping into grants and other monies made available and also supports implementing a “fee for services” policy.

Incumbent Rhonda J. McCune, the city’s first female mayor, said she has been open to looking at the suggestion but does not support it at this time. If implemented, it could affect development of the Entertainment Corridor project, she said.

For the past few years, the city has been busy luring attractions to the corridor along a one-mile stretch of Beach Boulevard. Several businesses have opened and others are planned for the near future.

Also not willing to disturb the redevelopment plan is candidate Larry Wieck. He suggests several internal changes to help the budget including cutting back on the number of outside contractors hired. He also wants to make the Recreation Department self-sustaining. The remaining candidates, Robert Roefs, Alfred Whitmore and Gerald N. Sigler call for long-term planning and study of the situation. Sigler, a member of the Planning Commission, said there are many wasteful practices that could be eliminated. “I don’t think we should spend money on projects, then wait before they are approved,” Sigler said.

BUENA PARK CITY COUNCIL

These are the candidates running for three seats on the Buena Park City Council in the Nov. 6 election. Incumbent Kenneth B. Jones is not seeking reelection.

Arthur Brown

Age: 53

Occupation: Retired sheriff’s deputy.

Background: Served as chairman of Crime Prevention Committee; served five years as trustee of the Savanna School District Board of Trustees; ran for state Assembly in 1988; member of the endowment board for California Pools for the Handicapped.

Issues: Advocates raising revenue with an admissions tax on local attractions; opposes “service fees”; favors increasing the benefits package of city employees; favors establishment of a Fine Arts Center.

Donna L. Chessen

Age: 53

Occupation: Incumbent; office manager.

Background: Council member since 1985; instrumental in bringing LPGA tournament to the city; member of Orange County Harbors, Beaches and Parks Committee; chairwoman of the Arterial Highway Financing Program; member of Transportation Strategy 21 Committee.

Issues: Favors promoting tourism; believes in following through on major development projects, including the possibility of a convention center; advocates raising money through grants; favors “fee for services.”

Rhonda J. McCune

Age: 44

Occupation: Incumbent; commercial appraiser.

Background: Bachelor’s degree in finance-business administration from Cal State Fullerton; first female mayor of Buena Park; former planning commissioner; member of the board of directors of the Boys Club.

Issues: Advocates rejuvenating Buena Park Mall and finishing established redevelopment areas; advocates stronger code enforcement; favors using contractors for services; favors continuation of infrastructure improvements.

Robert Roefs

Age: 55

Occupation: Business manager.

Background: Past president of the Exchange Club; member of the Parks and Recreation Commission; member of the Bicentennial Committee.

Issues: Advocates long-term financial planning; favors completion of the Entertainment Corridor; wants higher visibility for local businesses; advocates more children’s programs and more housing for senior citizens.

Max R. Schulman

Age: 55

Occupation: Businessman.

Background: Former member of the Transportation Commission; served 10 years as a member of the Centralia School District Board of Trustees; operations manager for the annual Silverado Days Festival.

Issues: Advocates balancing the budget with an admissions tax on local attractions; favors hiring more police officers; advocates cutting back waste in city departments; wants to limit terms of council members to eight years.

Gerald N. Sigler

Age: Refused to give.

Occupation: Retired.

Background: Member of the city Planning Commission; member of the Buena Park Elks Club, the Noon Lions Club and the Coordinating Council.

Issues: Believes the city’s financial problems can be solved with better planning; advocates bringing anti-gang and drug programs to elementary schools; wants to continue with redevelopment projects.

Alfred Whitmore

Age: 66

Occupation: Retired.

Background: Former manager of the Chamber of Commerce; served on the city Planning Commission from 1981-88; member of the board of directors of the Boys Club; member of the Optimist Club.

Issues: Believes traffic problems can be solved with rapid transit; advocates starting more recreational programs for children to keep them away from gangs; wants to start resident groups to get input for the City Council.

Larry Wieck

Age: 41

Occupation: Businessman.

Background: Planning commissioner since 1987; member of the Citizens’ Committee for Crime Prevention, the board of directors of the Buena Park American Little League and the Kiwanis Club.

Issues: Favors cutting back on the number of outside contractors hired by the city; wants to make the Parks and Recreation Department self-sustaining; advocates making Big T Golf Course a municipal course.