By ARIELLA MONTI
The measure sparked heated debate among residents as well as City Council members. Council members Thomas Sofield, Mona Goodman and John McLaughlin voted in favor of changing the law, arguing that, among other factors, it would enlarge the pool of qualified applicants. “It becomes a limiting factor,” McLaughlin said of the previous law.
The current city manager, Charles Theofan, said that from his home in Freeport, he can be in Long Beach in six minutes if a matter needs immediate attention. Theofan currently meets the residency requirement by renting an apartment in the city.
When the city seeks to fill the city manager’s position, it conducts an extensive search. If the most qualified candidate lives in another part of the county, McLaughlin said, it is unfair to require him or her to uproot a family, given the fact that in this high-tech era, a manager can be in touch with the city at all times.
Goodman agreed, saying that the old law dates to the 1920s and has become archaic with the advancements of technology. She added that with home prices and rent costs in Long Beach at all-time highs, candidates who live in other parts of the county will be less willing to move.
Council members Lenny Remo and Denise Tangney opposed the amendment, arguing that the city manager should be a part of the community that he or she oversees. “I think there is an accessibility the city manager should have to the public greater than 9 to 5, Monday through Friday,” Remo said. He added that the manager should be able to interact with residents beyond office hours.
Remo said that he is uncomfortable with idea of the city manager being a “commuter,” because he or she might not have the same concern for the city as a Long Beach resident. “Are they going to have a stronger feel for Rockville Centre, where they are going to do their banking, dry-cleaning, shopping and where their kids go to school, than Long Beach?” he said.
Larry Benowitz, a 60-year Long Beach resident and a former City Council candidate, echoed Remo’s sentiments. “I believe the city manager should live here,” Benowitz told the Herald. “You have to be here to understand what’s needed and what’s required.”
Theofan has been associated with the city in one capacity or another for more than 30 years. Both supporters and opponents of the new law were adamant in their assertions that Theofan’s situation is not the issue, but rather the requirements of the job he holds. “This was not done specifically for me,” he said.
“Charles Theofan knows the rhythm of the city over the course of his 30-year association with Long Beach,” said Remo, acknowledging that this is a quality he considers important when considering a city manager candidate. “If you’re not living in Long Beach and you’re not sitting in traffic on Beech Street on a Saturday at 11 at night in the middle of the summer, you don’t know what’s going on in the West End.”
Goodman pointed to Theofan’s obvious love for Long Beach as evidence that the city manager can have a passion for it without having to be a resident. “That’s the emotional investment that you want from someone who is occupying the city manager position,” she said. “I don’t know that having a financial investment” — owning or renting property — “is such a big part of the criteria.”
“I don’t think it’s a matter of where you reside as much as it is a matter of your qualifications as an administrator,” added McLaughlin.
The amendment is part of a series of updates to the city charter that may be adopted, actions that Goodman said are long overdue. Another amendment dealing with city employees’ residency requirements will be voted on at the next council meeting on Aug. 5. Under that proposed law, city employees will no longer be required to live within city limits.
Theofan admitted that there are a number of employees who live outside the city, and that the law has been ignored for some time. “It’s time to make it right,” said Goodman.
Council members agreed that Long Beach residents would be given the highest priority if they are at the top of the list of qualified candidates for city jobs.
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