Candidates See Redevelopment Priorities as Key

With few hot-button controversies to galvanize voters, the 15 candidates running in the Orange city elections have worked up a few battles of their own.

The direction of the city’s Redevelopment Agency, which usually labors in some obscurity to cultivate businesses and create low-income housing, has become the dividing issue for many candidates new to the political scene. A complex deal with Washington-based Mills Corp. to build a mall on the site of the City Shopping Center has drawn criticism from some.

Others have cited the issue of future development in the city’s east side, noting that some residents resent what they say is favoritism shown by city officials to Old Towne.

In the large field, voters may find it difficult to distinguish among the largely conservative candidates. The pack is led by two incumbents, Mayor Joanne Coontz and Councilman Mike Spurgeon, both of whom seem likely to retain their seats. That leaves the seat being vacated by Councilman Fred L. Barrera.

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“They don’t understand what redevelopment is,” said Coontz, 67, who is completing her first two-year term as mayor. “We’re going to have thousands of new jobs with the Mills project. Mills will bring in $1 million in sales tax and $1 million in property tax.”

The mayor’s first term included the Orange County bankruptcy, the lengthy illnesses of two major department heads and the city manager, all of whom died. Stabilization after the turmoil, luring new businesses to the city and reducing the city’s payroll are some of her main accomplishments, she said.

Nick Lall, a 38-year-old small-business owner and the only challenger for mayor, said he would do a better job of providing fiscal oversight and send redevelopment down on a different path.

“I would certainly invest our money more wisely,” said Lall, a director of the vocal Orange Taxpayers Assn. “Instead of providing corporate welfare to a few select businesses that do nothing for the city except cannibalize existing businesses, I would help strengthen those existing businesses.”

Councilman Mike Spurgeon, 54, just barely made it on the ballot after missing a filing deadline because of a snafu in the city clerk’s office. A Superior Court judge finally gave him the go-ahead to vie with 12 other candidates for the two open council seats.

He is campaigning on his record as a government reformer who introduced gift bans, campaign reform and term limits to the city. But he also emphasizes the good that redevelopment has done in retaining and bringing in businesses.

“Without redevelopment, we would not have been able to bring in a lot of our largest tax generators,” Spurgeon said. “When I came in, the city was [at] rock bottom, and we had nowhere to go but up. We kept a lot of businesses and brought a lot of new ones in. We’ve been able to revitalize our neighborhoods.”

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Another major candidate, Bernie W. Dennis, became intimately familiar with City Hall during his 33 years as city engineer. “I’ve been involved with the city so long, I think I can make these ideas reality,” he said.

That knowledge will be valuable with issues involving the fast-growing development of east Orange, Dennis, 59, tells voters. “I think that the east Orange area, all 7,000 acres of it, has to include community participation, recognition of adjacent-area lifestyles and quality development,” he said.

The future of east Orange is also the main issue for pharmacist Richard W. Siebert, 53, who wants to ensure that homes are built on adequately sized lots and that the rural activities in the area do not suffer.

“I don’t think the city has really looked out for the best interests of east-side development,” he said. “The council seems more concerned about Old Towne. I think a person with my knowledge of the east side could bring in a lot of information.”

Michael Alvarez, a real estate investor, said that he has more experience than anyone overseeing redevelopment. “I think it should be a team effort,” he said. “The city has a role to play, but they take on too much that the property owner should do.”

The 40-year-old lifetime resident also wants to offer give higher salaries to police and cut back on “hidden taxes.”

Many voters will also recognize Juan Pablo Serrano-Nieblas, an environmentalist and Native American shaman who has run for office for the last 20 years.

He wants to eliminate redevelopment’s business stance and put all the money toward low-income housing. He offers a clear alternative to almost every other candidate. “We’ve got to get some people in power who have some connection to the working classes,” he said.

This year’s ballot includes two attorneys making their first run for office.

Kevin Rice, 38, has rounded up some endorsements from conservatives such as Assemblyman Mickey Conroy (R-Orange) and members of the Orange Unified School board. He claims to be the only candidate running as both a fiscal and social conservative. “I reject the notion that crime stems from poverty,” he said. “It’s the result of poor moral and ethical decisions.”

Barry I. Besser tells voters his role as an attorney qualifies him “not only as a leader, but as someone who has to weigh the issues and make crucial decisions.”

Besser, 44, would beef up the Police and Fire departments and make sure that east Orange development does not result in traffic congestion.

Another newcomer to city politics is Betty I. Nauer, a 42-year-old office manager.

Describing herself as “cautious but not conservative,” she is studying the issues and believes that seniors’ concerns and city maintenance need attention. “I wanted to get a little more involved in city government,” she said. “If something doesn’t make sense to me, I’ll dig up all the information I can before I make a decision.”

Steve Frank Ambriz, 26, is running primarily on his youthful enthusiasm. The city employee would try to equalize city spending. “There’s more to Orange than just the downtown area,” he said. “You have to share the wealth throughout the city.”

Another young candidate is county fire dispatcher Jonathan Andrew Dumitru. The 25-year-old said he is running “to give back to the community.” He wants to improve public safety departments and direct more redevelopment funds toward housing. “There is just not much cooperation with the community,” he said of the agency.

Jim Wronski, 49, who owns a bicycle store, is also in his first run for office. He wants to gear redevelopment toward housing needs and cut back on some services to reduce fees and explore bringing a card club to town.

“The bottom line is, this isn’t brain surgery,” he said. “It just takes time and dedication. My door will be open seven days a week for people to walk in and tell me what their problems are.”

Robert Douglas, a 38-year-old maintenance worker, said his seven years as a Marine have given him leadership skills. He would stop council bickering and direct attention to creating better housing and encourage new businesses. Adolfo Perez Jr., a 24-year-old banker, was unavailable for comment this week. But he ran for office two years ago on a pro-business theme.