City council candidates make last pitches before election day • The Malibu Times
Six candidates up for three council seats
The six candidates running for a seat on the Malibu City Council made their final appeal for votes Wednesday night at a forum hosted by the Malibu Association of Realtors at Malibu Pacific Church.
In opening statements, with Bruce Silverstein going first, the incumbent looking to serve another four-year term touted his nearly four decades as an attorney. "There hasn't been a lawyer other than me on the city council for the past decade. Just about every city in Southern California has at least one...and it's critical that there be lawyers on the city council," adding "you need to be able to know what questions to ask of the city attorney."
Incumbent Paul Grisanti, a resident of 46 years has been a member of the Board of Realtors "for a lot of that time" and president of the organization. Grisanti served on the Public Works Commission for 19 years before his election to city council. Grisanti mentioned his recent work on school separation. Dr. Channing Frykman, a ten-year resident, mentioned her years working as a pediatrician, serving on boards, and "working with agencies and collaborating." Write-in candidate Andy Lyon is seeking his third attempt at a seat. The 61-year-old has lived his entire life in Malibu. Lyon said, "I love Malibu...I want to get things done for the kids here... My grandfather was the original agent for the colony in the late 30s... the Marblehead land company. I probably I've sold houses my grandfather sold 70 years before. I jumped into the race because I needed to support Bruce and Steve in getting majority back." Incumbent Steve Uhring, a 30-year resident, touted his four years on the Planning Commission before being elected to council and running a Fortune 500 company in learning management skills. "They taught me how to get things done." Uhring's Malibu activism started 25 years ago fighting a development agreement that would have allowed a 185,000-square foot shopping center on what is now Legacy Park. "We took that issue to the vote of the residents. They voted against that...we went out and raised a half a million dollars to help the city by Legacy Park."
Uhring said his main reason for running is to fight speeding on Pacific Coast Highway and to streamline the permit process for household necessities such as a water heater.
"I'm hoping the experience I've gained in my prior jobs I can use here on the city council. I think I can make a difference," Uhring said. 17-year resident Haylynn Conrad is raising two teenagers here. "I have been passionate about public service, volunteering in the community." Conrad mentioned her seven-year volunteer position for AYSO and that she opened a school on Las Flores. "I know that people think that I might not have the experience because I haven't served or you don't know who I am."
Conrad then went on to explain that after buying three houses in Malibu, she came to understand the permitting process "was frustrating." She added, "I am pretty passionate about hoping to bring civility back to the civics here....I'm not very proud of the way it's been going... there's so many issues that I think I'd be really good at because I'm a collaborative person and a team player." After opening remarks, the moderator tossed softball questions to the candidates.
One topic was recreation.
Grisanti said he supports more ball fields and a skatepark. Lyon rebutted, "I'm gonna try and control myself on the skatepark...for you to say that you had something to do with pushing this forward is just a complete lie. We had last year a plan that was approved in the planning commission meeting and then Scott Gillen (the developer) stood up and said he was going to sue. And then what happened is that Marianne (Riggins) and Paul acquiesced at every single demand that he made to changing the skate park, which is now delayed over a year. He delayed us before that. He knew what the plan was, so for you to say that you had some form of pushing this thing forward is just straight out a lie...We never heard what he (Gillen) was basing his suit on... It's not rocket science to build a skate park for kids."
Frykman, who said she supports health and safety said, "What everybody's answering here is how do we bring our community together and do things that are healthy and safe and uplifting."
"Talk about a softball question," Uhring said. "At the last city council meeting, five of us voted to approve ballfields on Heathercliff. We've also tried to move the skateparkforward. That's the easy part, talking about it easy... Talk is cheap, making it happen is what we have to do, and the city has not been good at that. We've recommended a project manager, we hire somebody new, they'll help monitor this process as it goes through, but I'll tell you, if you want to get it done, you're going have to keep the pressure on us because we don't do stuff very well...It's not what the city is good at. If we push, we'll get some stuff done that if we don't, the stuff will all fall apart."
Conrad's take started with the snack shack.
"Years and years go by and nothing gets done, like a snack shack. I mean, we had one in Coney Island. So, if they can do it there, I'm sure we could do it here. I grew up skateboarding. I wasn't involved in City Hall, and that's a big reason why I'm running is I think I can help get things done. I like to nudge. I'm called "the nudger." On what will happen to Malibu's open lands, Conrad stated, "I want to be a part of those decisions" adding the usage of cutting-edge technology. "We could be visionaries."
On ballfields Silverstein said, "We don't need to study more, we just need to put them there, we don't need bleachers, we don't need restrooms, we just need fields. The other stuff will come once we get that done."
