What does it take to serve on City Council? By MATT KAPKO Half Moon Bay Review March 2, 2005 So, you say you have plenty of free time on your hands and want to be immersed in city politics, water and development issues and arcane state law? Boy, has the Half Moon Bay City Council got a job for you. How would you like a seat at the dias? You may not even have to trouble yourself with political campaigns, financial disclosures, candidate forums and election-night jitters. In fact, you could sail in with the support of just three people - three of the four councilmembers who will remain after Councilman Sid McCausland officially resigns his seat. At press time, his official resignation was expected late Tuesday night during the council's regularly scheduled meeting. To help you win that support, here are the qualities that Mayor Jim Grady, Councilwoman Marina Fraser and Councilman Mike Ferreira are hoping to find. Councilwoman Toni Taylor did not return calls from the Review for this story. "I believe first and foremost whoever the council appoints has to be unequivocally someone that the community trusts," Fraser said. "It cannot be someone who is seen as from one camp or another. I think it really has to be someone, perhaps someone who has a business in town who has a vested interest in the community who is involved in any of the civic organizations in town," she said. She wants someone who is motivated to get things done in the community he or she calls home. "Someone that all people can trust - that's a great place to start," she said. Ferreira has a slightly different take. "I don't have any bring the community together kind of stuff, I'm looking for someone to do the job," Ferreira said. "I wouldn't be looking at a candidate that has a lot of hostility," he said. "It would be nice, too, if the person was a reasonably good communicator." Ferreira doesn't think the council will be able to replace McCausland's talents, but he'd like to at least fill some with his replacement. McCausland had years of experience in government finance, particularly regarding pensions. "I think we need someone who can get it regarding finance. You got to have some background in finance," he said. "I personally would like to see the person be able to come up to speed on Coastal Act and Local Coastal Program issues. You just can't get someone off the street who's up to speed on these things." Grady listed the specific skill sets he's looking for in a candidate. "Somebody who is smart, articulate, I think has good analytical skills, and most important, has a sense of humor," he said. "I would like to find the most qualified person that we can find," he said. "Somebody that can try to represent the majority of folks in town." He'd also like someone who strives for consensus, he said. Councilmembers don't always have to agree, but they should at least support decisions the group makes, he said. All agreed that the workload can be a challenge. "You have to find someone with the time for it. It's not the part-time job that some people might think it is. It's a lot of hours," Ferreira said. "I've got to find somebody with time. I don't want to mislead any applicant," he said. Grady concured. "The time behind the scenes is really where the work is," he said. "The time spent on the council is really the tip of the iceberg." He said he spends many hours going through agenda packets before meetings and even more time taking calls from residents and hearing their concerns. And as for the pay - well, it's doubtful anyone takes a council position for the money. Ferreira said that, when he was mayor, his cell phone bill exceeded the $300 monthly stipend. "I made more selling lemonade when I was 5 years old," Grady quipped. Whomever fills McCausland's seat will have plenty to consider. "There is no shortage of things to do in our little corner of the world," Grady said. The Local Coastal Program update, drainage issues, contractual issues with city staff, Highway 92 improvements, and planning for a park on the city's recently acquired property will all be hot issues for the council in the coming months. And that's exactly why Ferreira wants someone who can "demonstrate a grasp of current affairs," he said. "There's an extraordinarily busy schedule ahead of the council. I would not want to try to do all this as a four-person council until November," he said. "This person comes in at kind of a pretty interesting time with the (LCP) update. The new person's going to step into an interesting thicket there," he said. And the council's new fifth wheel could be an important vote. "This person may find themself as a swing voter," Ferreira said. Home