Potholes, money and library in new mayor’s crosshairs

The day after Richard Montgomery was named mayor of the city, he hit an after-rain pothole while driving his blue Ford Edge down Sepulveda Boulevard. He made a call to the city’s Public Works Department, and the pothole, along with two others, was fixed later that day. Of course, this treatment is to be expected for the mayor of Manhattan Beach. But Montgomery wants to empower every resident to get things fixed immediately in the city. “It may not seem big, but nobody who’s hit a pothole will say it’s inconsequential,” he said. “Why don’t we have something for residents to point and shoot incidents with their phones and send the pictures to the city?” Among many ideas Montgomery has as mayor, he will propose that the city invest in a smart phone application that would allow residents to snap pictures of hazards they encounter and immediately send the information — which would also include the location, date and time of each incident — to the city. Potholes, road blocks, downed trees, traffic accidents, stalled vehicles and other street blockages could all be reported to and tracked by the city with the snap of a button. The hope is the application would provide a faster response time getting things fixed around the city. It would also give residents up-to-date information affecting their commutes. “I’m like any resident,” Montgomery said. “I want to have it fixed and repaired before you hit it. That’s good response of local government.”
Changing of the guard At an Oct. 5 City Council meeting, Montgomery succeeded former Mayor Mitch Ward to serve for the second time in the city’s highest post. In Manhattan Beach, councilmembers rotate the position every nine months. Montgomery was elected to the Council in 2005 and served his first mayoral term from June 2008 to March 2009. “You join council with a belief that you can make a difference, a better quality of life and to make council more accessible,” he said. “As the mayor, you are the figurehead,” he added. “You are the face of the city and can make a difference by getting access.” Montgomery’s concerns run the gamut of large issues — such as maintaining fiscal sustainability during economic hardships — to seemingly smaller ones, such as making sure residents are provided with good cellular coverage throughout the city. “My main focus is to keep this ship going and to keep the city safe,” Montgomery said. “To protect public money and show the city its vision for the future.” The issues Manhattan Beach is only one of two in the state to have an AAA bond rating, but still faces the continued challenge of meeting expenses during economic hardship. How the city will pay out earned pensions to its employees is of continued concern, especially with labor negotiations for fire, police and teamsters — which account for 70 percent of the city’s labor costs — coming up at the beginning of next year. “We will find out where the deficit is in January and how much we are down in revenue projections,” Montgomery said. “We have to find a way to cut expenses.” Searching for new, innovative revenue streams and collaborating with other cities to lower overall costs are on the top of Montgomery’s list. So is hiring a new city manager. After 10 months of working with an interim city manager, Montgomery said last week that the position will be filled “shortly.” “We want someone who comes in with a new approach who sees how we can make it better,” he said. “The job now for my term is to break in the new city manager and make sure that person assimilates into the community as soon as possible.” Montgomery will also oversee planning the city’s 2012 Centennial Celebration, as well as beginning construction of a new, 22,000 square feet library, which is expected to open in 2012. The library will cost roughly $15 million, $4.2 million of which will be funded by the county in overpaid property tax rebates. The remainder will be paid for through a bond issued by the county. “It’s exciting that the city is at a crossroads,” Montgomery said. “We’re excited for the new library, the centennial and the new city manager. We’re turning a whole new page all at the same time and we’re fortunate enough to lead the city at this time.” Quality of life During his first mayoral term, Montgomery received a call from a frustrated resident who had recently moved to Manhattan Beach and wasn’t receiving his mail. Though the city has nothing to do with delivering mail, Montgomery made a few calls and the problem was fixed. “The most frustrating part of the job — and most of it is good — is that some residents believe that the mayor has control over public utilities, power outages, gas lines and other things that we have very little control over,” he said. “But you can make a difference and the mayor should do as much as he can to alleviate residents’ issues.” For the past two years, Montgomery has been collaborating with Redondo Beach, El Segundo, Hawthorne and Lawndale to get federal funding to install a third exit lane on the southbound Rosecrans exit off of the 405 freeway. Currently, the exit has only one lane dedicated to westbound turns, backing up traffic daily on the freeway. By next March, Montgomery hopes to cut residents’ commute time with the option of using two dedicated westbound lanes and one eastbound lane at the exit. “The thing driving me forward now is that interchange,” Montgomery said. “It doesn’t just help Manhattan Beach residents, but all five cities. It’s a quality of life issue.” Montgomery also plans to seek state and federal funds to open up a fourth northbound lane on Sepulveda Boulevard on the south side of Rosecrans Avenue to cut traffic. “If I can get you home faster and you don’t have to waste gas, that’s what people like,” he said. “They don’t remember you for the library. But they remember their everyday commute was faster.” The “Coffee with the Mayor” tradition Montgomery started during his first term will continue at two locations on both sides of town, at which residents can meet with Montgomery and air their concerns.
He knows they may not always agree with him.
“I can’t stand being Switzerland and remaining neutral,” he said. “I think council needs to be leaders and take positions on sides. Tell them what you think and why. Residents may not always agree, but they respect your thought process and why you did it.” ER