LOCAL ELECTIONS / TUSTIN CITY COUNCIL : Council Challengers See the City at Crossroads : Politics: Incumbents who say successes are evident will face political newcomers who are pushing for change in direction.

Voters go to the polls Tuesday in a City Council election that could alter the direction the city takes in the next four years.

The incumbents who hold the two seats to be decided insist the city is in good hands: Crime is down, sales taxes are up, new jobs are coming in and, while nearby cities struggle, Tustin has remained financially healthy.

But opponents say much has to change. Council members should not accept gifts from anyone, they should not serve more than two terms, and they should not accept contributions over $99 from any individual.

Incumbents Leslie Anne Pontious and Charles E. Puckett face political newcomers Michael J. Doyle and Tracy Worley. The top two vote-getters in the citywide race will win.

Lurking in the not-too-distant future is the redevelopment of the Tustin Marine Corps Air Station, the single most critical planning issue council members will face as early as this summer.

When the base closes in 1997, Tustin stands to inherit more than 2,000 acres of land and buildings, plus the headaches and opportunities of turning the base into an economic asset of the city.

That’s why people with planning experience are needed on the council, say Pontious and Puckett, who have both served on the Planning Commission and on the 17-member panel drafting a reuse plan for the base.

“Look at what East Tustin has done to the city,” said Pontious of the business district, which has been credited increasing Tustin’s sales taxes this year by 16%. “We’re talking of a much larger space (at the base). What happens there is critical to the future of the city.”

Puckett said that “because of good planning, we were able to generate sales taxes and kept the city strong. We have not raised taxes, laid off employees or cut services.”

But Doyle, a businessman who is running for public office for the first time, said that redevelopment of the Tustin Marine base is “maybe 15 to 17 years away.”

“The immediate concern--drafting a reuse plan--has been addressed,” Doyle said. “The plan is good. But when was the last time the federal government got anything done in time?”

The conversion plan being drafted by the reuse panel will be submitted to the Department of the Navy, which owns the base. The approval process could take beyond 1997, officials said.

In the meantime, Worley said, city officials should look at blighted areas, such as the city’s southwest, where incidents of gang violence and graffiti are common.

“If we turn our backs on this declining area, it will continue to spread and our property values will suffer,” Worley said.

She said that there will be “ideological changes” in the City Council if she and Doyle are elected. She would push for limits on campaign contributions, ban gifts to council members and limit council members to two terms, she said.

“Politics, as it has been practiced, is no longer acceptable,” she said.

In response to the challengers’ call for term limits, Puckett and Pontious have both promised not to seek a third term. They said members of the city’s committees and commissions should serve no more than six years. But state law already limits campaign contributions, they said.

And incumbents said that while the challengers promised not to accept contributions of more than $99 per contributor, the Tustin police union spent nearly $6,000 for a mailer sent in February supporting the challengers.

A Pontious supporter has filed a complaint with the Fair Political Practices Commission against Doyle, Worley and the police union. The complaint alleges that the $6,000 spent on the mailer should have been reported as a campaign contribution.

Officials of the police union have said that because the mailer was published without Doyle or Worley’s consent or knowledge, it was simply a union expense and therefore need not be reported as a contribution.

In addition to the police union, Doyle and Worley have been endorsed by the city employees union and Mayor Jim Potts.

But Potts’ endorsement has drawn charges from supporters of Puckett and Pontious that the mayor is trying to create a voting bloc in the council. He has denied that, saying that Doyle and Worley “can think for themselves.”

Chief Deputy City Clerk Valerie Whiteman said the city has more than 22,000 registered voters. For the past two elections, turnout has been about 20%, he said.

Tustin Council Candidates

Candidates running for two Tustin council seats in Tuesday’s municipal election:

Charles E. Puckett

Age: 50

Occupation: Incumbent/businessman

Background: Elected to the City Council in 1990; mayor in 1991; member of city Planning Commission for six years, including as chairman in 1986.

Issues: Opposes utility taxes; wants mixed uses for Tustin Marine base after closure; suggests tougher stance on crime, graffiti and gangs. Vows not to seek third term.

*

Leslie Anne Pontious

Age: 48

Occupation: Incumbent/business owner

Background: Elected to City Council in 1990; mayor in 1992; served on Planning Commission for six years, including as chairwoman in 1989. Promises not to run again if elected to second term.

Issues: Favors stronger police force; wants more youth programs in cooperation with school district; desires mixed uses for Tustin Marine base; wants to revitalize Old Town.

*

Michael J. Doyle

Age: 51

Occupation: Restaurant owner

Background: Has volunteered for Orange County Fire Department, California National Guard and various police departments; volunteered for youth sports for 30 years.

Issues: Favors term limits and limits on campaign contributions; wants city to help small businesses more; says citizens should participate more in the planning of conversion of the Tustin Marine base; wants more modern equipment for Police Department.

*

Tracy Worley

Age: 34

Occupation: Homemaker

Background: Member of Parks and Recreation Commission; vice president of Tustin Community Preschool; member of the board of Monterey Homeowners Assn.; holds an MBA from Pepperdine University, former manager of medical company and former tennis player.

Issues: Favors term limits; gift ban for council members; limits on campaign contributions; open bidding for all city contracts; control of city attorney’s fees and benefits; elimination of what she calls city credit card abuse.

Researched by BERT ELJERA / For The Times