Council Hopefuls Offer Financial Fixes : Politics: Among the deficit solutions presented at the debate were levying library card fees, tapping the reserve fund and resurrecting the utility tax.

Armed with water bottles to keep their words flowing yet held in check by a timer with a large red stop sign, 16 of the 21 City Council candidates debated Covina’s problems.

All five council seats are open following a July 13 recall by voters opposed to a 6% utility tax levied by the previous council.

The city’s financial plight was the major issue at the Covina Chamber of Commerce forum at Traweek Junior High School on Wednesday. About 250 residents attended.

Candidates pitched their plans to offset a potential $1.2-million deficit that will hit Covina next June, six months after the utility tax expires in December. The tax cost each household about $12.60 a year.

Several candidates pledged to solve Covina’s budget problems through line-by-line analysis of the city’s books--and without imposing new taxes.

Cody Cluff, 34, a specialist with the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp., and Bill Mason, 43, a businessman, swore not to impose any new taxes on the city. Mason also vowed not to accept any pay or stipend until the budget is balanced.

Ram Mukherji, 52, an engineer, said he would deal with the deficit by taking the money out of the city’s $4-million reserve fund.

Other candidates were reluctant to rule out taxes. “We are already two months into the budget,” said candidate Linda Sarver, 44, a marketing director. “A lot of discretionary spending that a new council could have stopped has already occurred, which is definitely going to tie the hands of the new council.”

Chris Christiansen, a 50-year-old California Highway Patrol officer, said Covina can survive only with additional sources of revenue such as the utility tax.

The audience saved most of its applause for candidates who pitched new ideas to raise money. John Wilcox, a 32-year-old computer science consultant, suggested that Covina police start charging booking fees to every person they arrest. Realtor Ron Capotosto, 48, suggested charging for the city’s alarm monitoring service, while Hugh Jenings, 72, a retired investment banker, proposed leasing the city’s water department to a private company to save money.

Covina’s growing crime and graffiti prompted candidate Thomas Falls, a 33-year-old deputy district attorney who prosecutes gang members, to push for alternatives to gangs for area youth.

Deteriorating low-income housing in the city sparked Richard Gratton, 64, a retired accountant, and Bob Cruz, 39, an environmental compliance specialist, to promise to force out-of-city landlords to clean up their complexes. Gratton was appointed to the City Council last spring after Councilman Robert Biancardi resigned, and he was recalled with the other four incumbents in June.

Bolstering the faltering Covina Library was high on 30-year-old accountant Thomas Palmeri’s list, and he proposed to charge small, voluntary fees for library cards.

To attract more business to Covina, 61-year-old retired educator Peter Douroux pledged easier access to City Hall. Tim Murphy, 35, a high schoolteacher, wanted to create an ombudsman’s office to help businesses coming to Covina through permit and license procedures, and former Councilman Thomas O’Leary, 35, said the city should do more to attract business.

The three-hour forum concluded with a statement by each candidate. Brian Akers, 46, a businessman, referred to the July recall that threw city government into turmoil and made national news.

“Right this moment in Covina, we are in the proverbial eye of the hurricane . . . but we have to stop emphasizing that which separates us and start focusing on the common problems.”

The other candidates on the ballot Nov. 2 are: Fred Bergman, 50, self-employed; Jim Holder, 62, retired; Jim Mihalka, 34, paramedic; Dennis O’Brien, 47, business owner, and Roy Swan, 48, mortgage broker.

Continental Cable will rebroadcast the forum at 8 p.m. every Wednesday on Channel 53 until the election.