Scramble for seats

The November elections could set off a wild scramble for seats, as Democrats attempt to recapture the majority. Incumbents Lenny Remo and Denise Tangney, both Democrats, and Republican John McLaughlin are up for re-election.
Tangney said she doubts she will seek a second term on the council, since she did not have long-term plans when she ran for the first time four years ago. “I'm not sure yet, but I don't think I'll be running,” she said. “I did my service to my community.”
Tangney said she will continue to be active in the community and wants to join the local environmental board. “I will still be involved,” she said. “I want Long Beach to stay a beautiful place.”
Of her work as a councilwoman, she said, “At times I enjoyed it. It's very consuming, but to work for the people and getting things done is a wonderful thing. We have an extraordinary community here and multiple problems need to be addressed. There's a lot to do.”
Tangney said it was difficult to get things accomplished as a member of the council's minority. “For the 4,000 people who voted for me, their voices were not heard,” she said.
Remo, who is finishing his second term on the council, said he is looking forward to running again. “There's still much work to do,” he said. “I think I've represented the people of Long Beach well. I'd like to believe that they think I've served them well, too.”
He added that it is still premature to discuss the election, since his main focus is the city budget. “I will not let the election get in the way of my work in Long Beach,” Remo said. “For me, right now, my biggest concern is not the election, it's the budget.”
Sources said that Remo and Tangney would receive lukewarm support, at best, from the Long Beach Democratic Party in any bid for re-election. “I'm looking forward to running for re-election and looking forward to getting support from the Democratic Party,” said Remo.
Long Beach Democratic Chairman Michael Zapson denied any disenchantment with Remo and Tangney. “I think they’re doing a good job and have my support in the event that they want to run again,” he said.
Zapson added that the ultimate goal is to win back the majority. “City Hall is being mismanaged,” he said. “People are being fired without cause. We're a minority, and until we're a majority, things are not going to change.”
He said that the city's infrastructure is in disrepair, with major work needed on roads and sewers. “We have to focus on all the work that needs to be done because they're not doing it,” Zapson said, referring to Republicans.
Republican Chairman Jim Moriarty said his goal was to have a bipartisan government, with Republicans and Demo-crats working together. “There's a sense of satisfaction about the general direction that the city has been going,” Moriarty said. “There has not been any of the rancor or bitterness that had been seen coming from the past Democratic clubhouse administration.
“It's our intention not to get drawn into negative politics and campaigning that we too often see in politics today,” Moriarty added. “The bottom line is that people are seeing an improvement in their quality of life in Long Beach.”
He went on to say that infrastructure improvements have been undertaken, and there have been “real attempts” to “straighten out” the city’s Civil Service Commission, which is under scrutiny by the state for its hiring and firing practices. “Under the Democratic clubhouse, we've seen the civil service system at its worst, known for its cronyism and mismanagement over the past 70 years,” Moriarty said.
Zapson pointed out that the state has recently widened its probe of the city's handling of its civil service positions, under the direction of Civil Service Commission Chairman Jim Hennessy, a Republican. Hennessy accepted the post last year after declining to run for re-election as a city councilman when he was diagnosed with cancer in 2006. Since his health has been improving and his cancer is in remission, Hennessy said, he is seriously considering a run for a council seat in November.
“I'm taking it into consideration,” said the former City Council president. “It has to be a very personal decision. I still have medical issues.”
Hennessy said that recent complaints to the state Civil Service Commission, specifically about the city's Feb. 27 firing of personnel clerk Ronnie Myles, have been politically motivated, in an effort to derail his campaign for a council seat.
Another former employee accused Hennessy of holding secret meetings of the commission and increasing his pay per meeting from $55 to $110, charges that Hennessy vehemently denied. “We're trying to clean up the mess that Mike Zapson and the Long Beach Democrats have made,” Hennessy said. “They don't want to see progress. They want to see the city fail.”
Hennessy added that he is open to running on either the Republican or Democratic line. “I don't care about party, but the right people to run with me,” he said. “I care about the person, not the party.”
Ever since he was a boy handing out leaflets in support of a neighbor's campaign in 1977, Hennessy said, he has been hooked on politics. “I love it,” he said. “I'm driven to do it and I always wanted to do it.”
Moriarty said that Hennessy would be an outstanding City Council candidate who would garner support across the city. “He is beyond reproach,” Moriarty said. “With his integrity and work ethic and his ability to work on behalf of the public, he was just an outstanding councilman.”
Moriarty also said he would support McLaughlin’s candidacy should he decide to seek re-election. “I think he's done an exceptional job,” Moriarty said.
McLaughlin is completing his second year on the council after winning a two-year term with the third-highest vote total in the last election. (The top two vote-getters win four-year terms.) He would not say whether he would seek another term, noting only that the decision will be up to party leadership in about a month.
“I would like to keep everyone in suspense,” McLaughlin said. “I think that I've been good for the ticket. I was a longtime Democrat who ran as a Republican, and the Republican Party gave me that forum and I've tried to do a good job. ”
He added that the council has done well keeping taxes in check while amassing a surplus during hard economic times.
One Democrat who is interested in running is Lawrence Benowitz, who lost a bid for a council seat in 2007. “Of course I would consider it again,” Benowitz said.
He said he would again run on his 40 years of business experience, having managed a company with a $200 million-plus budget. “I know how to handle a budget and find cost savings,” said Benowitz, a Long Beach resident since 1948 who is now retired. “Our streets are a mess. The city doesn't want to face up to reality.”
Another potential Democratic candidate is Fran Adelson, who is serving a second five-year term on the Long Beach Library board. “I'm very civic-minded and believe in giving back to the community,” said Adelson, a 24-year resident of Long Beach and a real estate broker for Prudential Douglas Elliman. “I feel my input can be very beneficial to the city.
“I love the city,” she added. “I believe in this community. Some wonderful things are being done in this community, but more can be done.”
Also expressing interest in a council seat is Democrat Karen Adamo, a past president and trustee of the Long Beach Historical and Preservation Society. “Suffice it to say I would like to see some big changes in the City Council,” said Adamo, a 25-year resident, an agent for Century 21 Petrey East and a member of the Democratic Committee’s executive board. “The Democrats ran things for many years. Now it's the Republican machine. I'm fed up with this kind of politics and the people are, too. We need what's in the best interests of the entire town. We need to get back to that.”
By July, committee members will decide who the best candidates will be, said Zapson. “They’re all members of the party and they’re all possibilities,” he said of the potential Democratic candidates.
Both Republicans and Democrats said that other potential candidates are sure to surface as the summer approaches.
Comments about this story? JLipton@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 213.