New Mayor Steve Dicterow is serious about getting people involved

Steve Dicterow moved into the mayor’s seat last week with a passionate acceptance speech threaded with his main goal for the next year: an inspired community.

In an interview three days after council members unanimously voted him into the post on Dec. 8, Dicterow elaborated on the topic of inspiration and how he will know if the community latches on and becomes more involved in civic affairs and committees.

“The goal of inspiration is forever, not measured in one year, but one person at a time,” Dicterow said.

Dicterow said one man called him after the meeting to tell him how much his speech resonated with him.

“‘I always wondered if I had any value,’” Dicterow, 61, said the man told him. “‘It inspired me to walk around the block and I felt better about what I can do.’”

In the speech Dicterow said he wants to stir up interest in civic affairs among all ages, including people in their 20s and 30s. One way for residents to be involved is through city-appointed committees.

Dicterow, an estate planning attorney, entered politics in his mid-30s — the same time other notable Lagunans such as Elizabeth Pearson and Cheryl Kinsman were starting to participate in civic life, he said. Pearson and Kinsman became Laguna mayors.

As Kinsman explained, the North Laguna Community Assn. was seeking a secretary. Dicterow answered the ad and got the task. Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., Dicterow moved to Laguna in 1983 and was mayor from December 1997 through December 1999 and for six months in 2006.

“He’s a good guy,” Kinsman said of Dicterow, noting he attends a variety of community events. “He does a lot of good things for the community, and he loves doing it.”

Dicterow is not one to assume he has all the answers. He talked about his admiration of George Washington’s method of surrounding himself with the best people like Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson.

“I have ideas, but other people do too,” he said.

Being mayor is similar to a full-time job regarding time commitment, Kinsman said.

“When I was on the council, it was 30 hours a week, but for the mayor, it’s ramped up another 50%,” she said.

Dicterow recognizes the time commitment, and also understands the importance of keeping meetings on track.

Upon assuming charge of last week’s proceedings, Dicterow urged people to move to the front of the room and said a person’s three minutes to speak during public comments would start regardless of whether they were at the podium.

“I try to keep things moving, not because I’m in a rush to go home,” he said. “Our job is to make decisions that impact the lives of people in the community. If we go too late, we may make decisions, but we won’t be making good decisions.”

Though Laguna is a tourist destination and the city benefits financially from sales taxes, Dicterow said residents should come first when leaders are making decisions that effect quality of life.

“My primary purpose is making Laguna a good place to live for residents,” he said. “That said, sometimes businesses are good for the residents.”

Dicterow will be up for reelection on the five-member council in November along with Bob Whalen, Laguna’s mayor for the past year.