SEAL BEACH : Making History in City Council Service

When an obscure question about Seal Beach’s political past surfaces at a City Council meeting, people’s first instinct isn’t to crack open a history book.

Instead, they simply ask Frank Laszlo.

The 67-year-old College Park East resident is the longest-serving member of the City Council.

He has been an elected official in the city for 20 years and began serving the first of his four terms on the council in 1976.

His record is no small achievement, considering Seal Beach’s reputation for heated politics and council meetings that occasionally last beyond 2 a.m.

A former council colleague, Joe Hunt, cited frustration over council bickering for his resignation in 1990.

But Laszlo said he is able to avoid much of this stress by keeping in mind what he sees as his primary job.

“I try to represent the people. I go out and talk with them and ask what should be done with the city,” Laszlo said.

“I think the most important issue is to keep Seal Beach’s small-town atmosphere.”

Indeed, Laszlo has long been a harsh critic of increased development, opposing both the Hellman Ranch housing project and attempts by Main Street merchants to extend their operating hours.

His views have made him friends with residents who fear development will increase crime and traffic. But some Main Street merchants have labeled the council’s restrictive stance on growth as “anti-business.”

Laszlo can be equally outspoken on more mundane issues. Earlier this year, he argued emotionally against synchronized traffic signals on Seal Beach Boulevard out of fear it would cause College Park East residents to wait longer at red lights.

A retired elementary school teacher, Laszlo missed three meetings this summer after suffering a minor stroke.

His term will be up in 1996. Seal Beach has a two-term limit, so Laszlo cannot run again until the year 2000.

“I would like to avoid that,” he said of a fifth term on the council.

“But if they want to build skyscrapers in the city, I will have something to say about that.”