Dicterow takes fourth turn as mayor

The Laguna Beach council named its next mayor Tuesday, but Steve Dicterow made clear that he won’t be resting on his prior three turns at the top as he moves the city forward.

“You might think coming in it will be like old hat, nothing exceptional, but nothing could be further from the truth,” Dicterow said in his acceptance speech after literally and physically changing seats on the dais with outgoing mayor Bob Whalen. “This is a big deal.”

To select its new mayor, council members nominate a candidate from among themselves, traditionally the prior year’s mayor pro tem, and then takes a vote. Councilwoman Toni Iseman, also decided by her peers, is the new mayor pro tem.

Dicterow, heading into the final year of his current four-year term, was Laguna Beach’s mayor for two consecutive terms from December 1997 through December 1999 and a six-month term in 2006.

“I am honored to have been elected by the people of this town,” Dicterow said. “I am very grateful for this.”

He thanked several people, including his wife Katrina, whose “courage and bravery every day inspires me.”

Dicterow didn’t specify certain projects or initiatives he would like the city to accomplish, but instead focused on an intangible quality: inspiration.

As a boy Dicterow recalled listening to President John F. Kennedy’s acceptance speech in January 1961 and asked his parents to describe the substance of Kennedy’s speech.

“I was overwhelmed by his presence,” Dicterow said of Kennedy. “I may not have understood every word he said, but was inspired by seeing and listening to him.

“To whittle it down, in a democracy we all have a duty to participate. Ultimately for me it became a moral obligation and inspired me to be on the council and ultimately to make a better world. We live in violent, troubled times. I’m telling you the solutions are not going to come from politicians, they are not going to come from the government or the military. I know solutions are going to come from communities like ours, from the bottom up.

“I know as an individual it can get frustrating watching TV and thinking, ‘What difference can I make?’ I believe in the environmental movement that we think globally and act locally. We on this council have the opportunity to show the difference each individual can make.”

Outgoing Mayor Whalen received applause for the past year, with council colleagues commending him on his leadership.

“I’ve sat here a long time and have seen a lot of mayors come and go, and Bob has some kind of magic,” said Iseman, in her 17th straight year on the council. “As soon as he sat down with the title, everything changed in this room. We didn’t just change, but the energy in the room changed. Bob consistently showed respect for every person in the room. His compassion was evident. It’s better than it’s ever been.”

Whalen said the council accomplished much to be proud of during the last year, noting the city’s formal resolution to fast-track removal of nuclear waste from the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station, discussions with Southern California Edison to underground overhead utility poles and wires, and expanded trolley service during all non-summer weekends.

“It looks better in hindsight than it did going through it,” Whalen said.

Dicterow said he will focus on increasing participation in civic affairs among all ages.

“I want to focus on the very young, and by young I mean anyone under age 50,” he said. “It’s time for us to think about passing the torch to the new generation. It’s time we start encouraging people in their 20s, 30s, 40s and 50s to be on various committees. To our young, inspire them to say, ‘I can make a difference.’”

Council meetings are typically held the first and third Tuesdays of every month, but that will change in 2016 when meetings are scheduled the second and fourth Tuesdays.