By Doug Miller
Robert Tepper
Tepper, whose grandfather and father were once Democratic City Council Presidents, is settling into his role as standard bearer as the only incumbent on the Democratic slate. He said that while he is friendly and comfortable with his running mates, the trio have not settled on a formal platform.
He also said to expect several common themes to emerge over the next six months. "Obviously the mayor referendum is a big issue," Tepper said. "I'd like to see a new recreation center. We've looked at some proposals. The pool would stay intact, the rest of it would be completely new... A much more modern, nice facility.
"I'd like to see a comprehensive beautification plan," he said. "Years and years ago we did a more traditional beautification of Park Avenue where everything meshed together and had a nice theme to it. We sort of lost that over the years."
Tepper is completing his first two-year term, a period marred by a general unrest among the five council members, with his own caucus of three Democrats often at odds with one another, prompting the city's Democratic leader to famously remark that perhaps the city would be better served with five new faces.
"It's been challenging, that's a good word," Tepper said. "What's the word I'm looking for? A lot of acrimony on the council... A lot of acrimony throughout the city. But when you get to do something good, like renovate the playground like we did [at Magnolia Boulevard] or the social host law, it feels nice when you get to do something like that.... All in all I would say it was a good experience."
Gina Guma
Guma was serving as the president of the Board of Education when she was plucked by the Democrats and installed onto the City Council. She served six months, and then was swept from office, along with the rest of her Democratic ticket, in the 2003 Republican upset.
In a series of answers she gave to an e-mailed set of questions, Guma focused on her board of education background while distancing herself from the city's problems that caused the Democrats to lose in 2003.
When asked what she felt she accomplished in her time on the council, she demurred. "... My time was limited to sixmonths on the City Council. In these types of positions, it takes years to see any type of end result. However, my six years on the school board served me well. I am very proud of my accomplishments. For instance, the purchasing of [compressed natural gas fueled-] buses, the nine-period day, the extended late opening of school, just to name a few."
In addition to the board, she has served the city's Chamber of Commerce as a staffer at Long Beach Medical Center, and has volunteered for years with the Lions Club.
While the school board elections that Guma breezed through were non-partisan, she left little doubt she is a proud Democrat. When asked who her political inspirations are, she picked one of her party's standard bearers.
"Assemblyman Harvey Weisenberg personifies everything I believe in," Guma wrote. "Serving the community. Helping others. Doing something wonderful for someone else. He inspires me to continue doing what I love to do, and that is serving others and giving back to my community."
In none of her answers did Guma challenge her party's handling of the city, and refused to criticize last year's record tax increase. "At this time, the city is financially sound. Moody's has improved the city's bond rating and this all took place under the Democratic majority. There are no one-shot, non-recurring revenue items in this current budget. We have a surplus available to use, and use wisely while being fiscally responsible."
Under Guma's watch, the Democrats were faced with a multi-million-dollar shortfall caused by several unexpected police retirements, which resulted in six-figure retirement payouts to several of the retirees. Thus, at their final meeting of 2003 the Democrats passed several budget notes to cover the shortfall. Guma was asked what her role was in that budget and what she had learned from the experience.
"Here again, by the time I was appointed to the City Council, the budget had already been adopted," she said. "Nonetheless, it is very difficult to fully prepare for retirement payouts. ... In 2003-2004, there were requests for lump-sum payouts, and the city administration at the time had to bond to secure the money. What I did learn from this experience is that we need to find very creative ways to set aside sufficient funds, within reason, of course, so retirement payouts can be made. Having a budget surplus set aside to draw from is one way to avoid having to bond. This isn't easy - it takes years, but we need to begin looking in that direction, especially with 70 percent or more of our police department eligible to retire. I will do my best to make sure that any budget prepared by an administration that I am a part of will look to factor in retirement payouts in the best cost-effective way possible."
Larry Benowitz
Benowitz, a retired sales executive, has been on the periphery of Long Beach politics for more than 20 years, managing campaigns and volunteering for certain candidates, always for Democrats, yet never fully as an insider.
Today, Benowitz is a fixture at City Council meetings and Board of Education meetings, calling officials from all sides on the carpet, although he has demonstrated a soft spot for certain Democrats and a loathing for certain Republicans.
But don't call him a gadfly. "I'm a concerned citizen, just looking for answers," he said.
His first taste of Long Beach politics, he said, was when he ran a candidate against the machine.
"I ran Irwin Gordon's campaign for City Council," Benowitz said in a phone interview Tuesday. "He lost by 296 votes in the primary against a coalition slate. The Democrats ran a Republican on their slate in 1981. I did not think there was a necessity, at least at that point, when we had like a seven-to-one plurality, to have a Republican on the ticket.
"That little [margin of defeat], after working for months, left me deflated. I was crushed. We worked hard, we had a lot of fun at it. We basically knew from shit and ran by the seat of our asses and good business instincts and kept on plugging away. We campaigned every night in the apartment houses in front of every group that would listen to us, on the street corners, at the train stations, door to door.
"And that's probably what we'll wind up doing this time."
A lifelong Democrat and resident of the city since the 1950s, Benowitz said he always had the passion but never the time. And while he has always supported the Democrats, the candidates he picked follow a certain wildcard pattern.
"I've always been on the outside," Benowitz said, not without a hint of pride. "I was involved with Bruce Nyman in the first campaign he ever ran against Hannah Komanoff. I was involved with Marylou Monahan in running Tom Suozzi's primary campaign in Long Beach against Tom DiNapoli. I've always been outside the machine. A friend said to me 'You're now an insider?' I had to say, 'Not exactly.'"
There was no audible signs of regret in his taking the less smooth roads, but he said there is a certain appeal to the trappings of insiderdom. "It definitely is [gratifying]. I was thrilled Wednesday night [at the convention]."
Benowitz said his many years of experience have made him cynical, and that while he is looking forward to being part of the campaign team, he's going to be wary.
"Politics is a messy game..." he said. "Everyone shakes your hand and says dot-dot-dot-dot. I know Larry Elovich since he came here to Long Beach. He considers himself my friend and I consider him a friend. Right? Is he going to work hard for me? I doubt it. This is the way the game is played. Everybody's your friend. You're my friend today, tomorrow you could stab me in the back. I was watching those guys up on the stage the other night [at the convention] -you saw them, everybody hugging and kissing... You know, you gotta be careful, who's holding the knife?"
And once elected, he'll be subjected to the same barbs he has been directing at the current council for years. Is he emotionally prepared for his fellow "concerned citizens" to stand up and call him out?
"You bet your ass."
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