A summary of my views

Here are some facts about me that you may find useful in judging whether I will serve you well as a City Council member:

• I am a financial expert, professionally trained as a Certified Public Accountant. I will supply the financial and budgeting knowledge that has long been missing from the City Council. I believe the Council should manage the city staff in the budgeting process rather than the reverse. While I respect our city staff, it is the Council that is elected to set city priorities and to manage our tax dollars.
• I am unalterably opposed to an airport at El Toro. I will fight the El Toro airport with every resource I have. It is bad for Laguna. I am supported by anti-airport Orange County Supervisors, Todd Spitzer and Tom Wilson.
• The Festival of Arts belongs in Laguna. As a City Council member, I will do everything necessary to assure that it stays in Laguna. I support the Festival Artists in their fight to recall the current festival board.

  The efforts of my CPA firm led to the first disclosure the city had that the Festival of Arts was not on a "going out of business curve" or bankrupt. The city should not have attempted to negotiate a new lease with incomplete financial data.

• We must adopt a zero tolerance policy against ocean water pollution. Years of neglect of our sewer system by former City Councils has led to the problems we are facing today.

  I am a financial expert, not a water quality expert. I believe that the Laguna City Council needs to hire the best water quality experts it can find, listen to them, and fund the recommended projects.

  I will help get the money to solve the ocean pollution problem as quickly as possible, and I will make sure we spend the money wisely.

• I have served for five years as a Laguna Planning Commissioner. While on the Commission, I was one of two planning commissioners (Norm Grossman was the other) who held one year of hearings regarding trees and views. We crafted the view ordinance, which gave a "right to a view". The Planning Commission sent that proposed ordinance to the City Council. At the Council, all "right to a view" and all enforcement power was stripped from the ordinance we wrote.

  I believe in a view ordinance that gives a "right to a view" that achieves a fair balance between safety, views and vegetation. It should provide for the same enforcement powers as any other ordinance. I will push for passage of such an ordinance if elected to the City Council.

I am running for City Council because I know my financial expertise can help our town. You can find my other qualifications at my website, www.LoveLagunaBeach.com.

Please vote for the first name on the ballot--Cheryl Kinsman--on November 7th.

I want to see more of Cheryl's commentaries--return me to the commentaries page!

Last updated 10/21/00.