New Council Member Offers Olive Branch

In a gesture aimed at healing Malibu’s political wounds, the man appointed to replace Larry Wan on the City Council said this week he intends to “listen and learn” from the community’s sharply divided political factions.

“I don’t want to say I’m going to be the great healer of the City Council . . . but I intend to entertain several points of view,” said John Harlow, who will take office Tuesday.

Harlow, 62, a retired executive with Hughes Aircraft Co., was appointed last week to replace Wan, the former mayor.

Wan resigned abruptly after incumbent Carolyn Van Horn and two other candidates supported by Mayor Walt Keller and the Malibu Grassroots Movement, a political action committee, swept last month’s election.

The vote to tap Harlow to finish the remaining two years of Wan’s term was 3 to 0, with newly elected Councilwoman Joan House abstaining.

House had said that, as a matter of principle, the appointment should go to attorney Jeff Jennings, who finished with the highest number of votes of any of the other 17 candidates in the election.

Harlow is a longtime personal friend of Keller, who until March served on the steering committee of the Malibu Committee for Incorporation, the group Keller and Van Horn once co-chaired.

But his selection surprised many observers.

Among those speculated as likely to be considered were MCI chairman Bob Arey and TV game show announcer Gene Wood, president of the Malibu Grassroots Movement, although neither expressed interest in the job publicly.

Critics have complained that by choosing one of their own, the new City Council missed a chance to reach out to a sizable segment of the community that feels alienated as a result of the election and Wan’s resignation.

“I’m obviously disappointed that they didn’t choose Jeff (Jennings) or someone else who ran,” said real estate broker Paul Grisanti, who finished fifth in the balloting.

However, Grisanti praised Harlow as “a careful guy who has the interest of our city at heart,” adding, “I’m not worried that he has any particular ax to grind.”

Mike Caggiano, an incumbent defeated in the election, echoed a similar disappointment in the council’s not having chosen Jennings but also had praise for Harlow.

“He’s a very capable man,” said Caggiano, adding, “I just think it’s a disgrace that (Walt) Keller ignored the public’s wishes and chose someone who never ran for public office and never had his views subject to public scrutiny.”

Jennings, who rose from virtual obscurity to finish a strong fourth in the election, said he offered himself for possible appointment “because I felt there were fairly substantial elements of the community who do not now perceive that there is anyone who will listen to them.”

Harlow is described by friends as “low-key” and “studious.” His non-combative style, they say, is likely to be a plus as the City Council tackles such potentially divisive issues as what to do about a moratorium on single-family home construction and choosing alternatives to Los Angeles County’s sewer proposals.

In an interview, Harlow said he was “genuinely surprised” to have been chosen.

He said that several days before the appointment he was approached by an intermediary for one of the council members who asked if he would be interested in the job.

“The first thing that intrigued me was that it was for only two years,” he said. “I thought about it and decided that if they wanted to run my name up the flagpole, we could see what happened.

“But I never heard from anyone else after that and was genuinely surprised when they picked me,” he added.

Harlow has a bachelor’s degree in business education from UCLA and a master’s degree in general management from USC. He retired from Hughes Aircraft in 1989 as the administrator in charge of the aerospace firm’s overhead budget.

He and his wife, Emily Harlow, have been active in Malibu civic affairs for 31 years.

Emily Harlow was a candidate for City Council in last month’s election but, despite spending at least $9,000 of her own money, finished 12th, with only 180 votes. John Harlow resigned from the steering committee of MCI to serve as treasurer of his wife’s campaign.

In 1976, John Harlow served as chairman of Yes on Malibu, a group whose unsuccessful push for incorporation failed by 104 votes.

He said he considered running for City Council in both 1990 and this year but decided against it after considering the rigors of campaigning.

Asked about his wife’s reaction to his appointment, Harlow said, “She’s not too thrilled about it. I mean, how would you feel if you knocked yourself out campaigning and all of a sudden here comes a guy out of left field and he gets the job?

“I tell her, a Harlow is getting on the City Council, but I’m not sure it’s the right one.”