City Council Will Have Two New Faces

City Council candidates this year are facing a relatively easy race, because incumbents Don R. Griffin and Donald L. Bone decided not to run for reelection.

However, the two who emerge as winners Nov. 5 will face a serious challenge after the election: how to deal with the most serious budget deficit the city has faced in years. City officials have projected a shortfall that could reach $3 million for fiscal 1997-98.

Six candidates are on the ballot. Three of them--financial analyst Brian M. Holland, publisher Steve Berry and jewelry store owner Paul D. Gonzales--are relatively new to council politics. All cite years of dealing with the finances of private businesses as credentials for office.

The other three have participated in civic affairs and have made runs for the council before. Accountant Larry Barstow, consultant Max R. Schulman and planning commissioner Jack W. Mauller are all counting on name recognition when voters make their choices.

Not one of the six candidates is supporting a measure the current City Council put on the March 1997 ballot to increase the utility tax, which does not bode well for the success of that initiative.

The challengers all agree that a better way to offset falling revenue would be to boost the tax base by luring new businesses into the city and building homes.

Mauller and Barstow also question whether the deficit will be as large as projected. They note that several projects, such as an expanded Buena Park Mall and the growth of several auto dealerships, could ease the budget crunch.

All of the candidates gave wholehearted support to building up the entertainment corridor as a revenue source, attracting good hotels and even trying to land a convention center.