By KEITH GRANT
The former school board president was sworn in by Judge Roy Tepper after a 3-1 vote by the council elected Guma to fill the seat vacated by Dan Kearney, who resigned in February, citing personal and health reasons. Councilmen Scott Nigro, Leonard Remo and President Joel Crystal voted for the appointment, while Councilman Denis Kelly continued his previously stated opposition.
"I cannot believe that this appointment is in the best interests of the City of Long Beach, and I vote no," Kelly said. When Guma's name surfaced in May as the Democratic leadership's choice to fill Kearney's seat, Kelly said he did not believe the party and the council had done an adequate job of identifying and choosing a candidate who lives in the western half of Long Beach. With Guma's appointment, four of the five council members -- all of whom are Democrats -- now live within close proximity in the East End, Kelly said, which he does not believe best serves all Long Beach residents.
"I don't see how the interests of the city are served with four out of five [members] living within four blocks of each other," he said after the meeting. "I think [the council] failed to properly identify and discuss potential candidates. If she's elected by the people, I have nothing to say. But I had to make that vote."
Later in Tuesday's meeting, former council member Barbara Mosca, the last woman to serve, congratulated Guma on her appointment, but also lauded Kelly. "To have the courage of your convictions is something to be proud of," she told him.
Kelly's colleagues, however, praised the selection before voting to welcome Guma to the council. Nigro, who will be on the party's November ballot along with Guma and Crystal, said the two-term school board trustee's advocacy for children is "unparalleled" in the community, remarks echoed by Remo.
Crystal, a retired Long Beach teacher, joked that he's the one councilman who can say he has worked for the former school board trustee, and said he looked forward to working with Guma on the council.
After her swearing-in, Guma said she was grateful for the opportunity to continue to serve Long Beach, and put out a call for cooperation among the council members. "One of the things I learned on the [school] board is that you learn to cooperate with each other," she said. "You learn to focus on good deeds, not differences and liabilities. You can learn from each other."
Guma now joins Nigro and Crystal in a campaign against Mona Goodman, James Hennessy and Tom Sofield, the same three candidates who challenged the Democrats on the GOP's "Coalition" ticket two years ago.
