Come Nov. 4, Lompoc residents will have a long list of candidates to choose from to fill three spots on the Lompoc City Council.
This year, longtime Mayor Dick DeWees is up for reelection and is being challenged by Dulcie Sinn and John Linn. Sinn worked for seven years as the city’s former Family Resource Coordinator and now owns a local personal management company. Linn also owns his own business, Lompoc’s Speedy Load’um Towing, and is a co-founder of the nonprofit Lompoc Valley Parks, Recreation, and Pool Foundation, Inc.
DeWees’ fellow city council members DeWayne Holmdahl and William Schuyler are also up for reelection. The two incumbents are facing four challengers: scientist and business contractor Cecilia Martner, Realtor David Grill, Lompoc Planning Commissioner and Lompoc Hospital employee Bob Lingl, and Vandenberg Air Force Base telephone systems supervisor Darrell Wade Tullis.
With Election Day less than three weeks away, the Sun contacted each of the candidates and asked them to explain their campaigns and why they deserve a spot on the council.
Mayoral candidates
On Oct. 16, the three mayoral candidates participated in their second public debate at First United Methodist Church in Lompoc.
One of the most important issues—if not the most talked about—is public safety. Last June, Measure T, a ballot initiative geared toward funding the city’s understaffed police and fire departments, failed to garner the two-thirds vote necessary to pass.
In a previous interview with the Sun, Sinn said that she attended the workshops after the measure failed and “thought that people and their opinions weren’t given enough respect.”
“On the city’s part, there seemed to be a great deal of blaming rather than taking responsibility,” Sinn said.
If elected mayor, she said she would “make sure to reach out and listen to people in the community and make them feel their thoughts are being respected.”
Rather than pushing the tax measure, Sinn said she plans to use education to create a new model for public safety services. She proposes to structure the new Allan Hancock College Lompoc Valley Campus Public Safety Training Center like a teaching hospital in low-income areas. The teaching model would increase training productivity while stabilizing upper level positions, Sinn said on her website, dulciesinnformayor.com.
On Linn’s website, johnhlinn.com, he said that he plans to address the public safety issue by doing an in-depth review of city expenses to find funding for the police and fire departments. He suggested similarly reviewing services provided by the city to American Medical Response, Santa Barbara County’s only emergency medical response provider. Linn also said he wanted the City Council to further consider the proposal to join Lompoc’s area fire prevention district.
“Lompoc has a police and fire funding shortfall,” Linn told the Sun. “We haven’t added a firefighter since 1986.”
Linn said that he also attended the public safety workshops, but felt they were inadequate because “the city administration only responded with reasons why we can’t fund the services.”
When asked about Measure T and its failure to pass, current mayor DeWees said: “We actually got about 56 percent of the vote—a majority vote. But it wasn’t the 66.66 percent needed to pass.”
Measure T failed in part, he said, because there was a lot of misinformation conveyed to the public, which was perpetuated by the media. For example, he said, there seemed to be confusion over the term “public safety” and whether it was a blanket term that would enable designated funds to be diverted from the police and fire departments. The theory, DeWees said, was unfounded and untrue.
Plus, DeWees said he had fought to apply a sunset clause to the measure that would allow it to be reviewed at a later date, but was shot down by the rest of the council.
If reelected, DeWees said he would consider penning another public safety measure but wouldn’t allow it to deflect attention, fiscal or otherwise, from other city issues.
“It all comes down to money. If we have the money we’ll do this, but I’m not going to take away from other departments,” DeWees said. “And I’m not going to bankrupt the city to increase [public safety] salaries.”
Some other hot button issues discussed by the candidates included the economy, business, and job growth.
In their campaigns, both Sinn and Linn reference what they call the city’s lack of concrete general and economic plans.
“We haven’t had a feasible, measurable economic plan in forever,” Linn said, adding that the biggest fault in the current economic plan was the lack of local jobs.
“It’s ridiculous to have our residents burning time and gas commuting to other cities for jobs,” he said. “And it’s financially irresponsible of the city.”
Linn said he plans to bring more jobs to Lompoc by making it a more business-friendly city, specifically in the building and planning departments. If elected, Linn said he also plans to review and restructure the city-zoning ordinance. In order to implement these plans, Linn recently began forming economic development and city-zoning task forces that are open to the public.
Sinn said she plans to address the economic issues by strengthening City Hall and increasing transparency in local government. When it comes to providing city services and negotiating with businesses, Sinn said she would implement a customer-service-based system in city departments, and better utilize employee evaluations to improve morale.
Sinn also said she would instigate more frequent audits of city programs and better monitor the city’s community development block grant program.
“When it comes down to it, we really need some fresh eyes looking at the issues and we need fresh ears listening to people’s concerns,” she said.
When asked about the city’s alleged lack of an economic plan, DeWees said, “it’s just not true. It’s a fabrication. It’s made up from some one trying to get votes.”
For example, DeWees said, the city has a full-time economic development coordinator, and has had one since he was first elected mayor in 1998.
And when it comes to attracting businesses, he said the city has done an outstanding job.
“Regardless of what you might hear from other candidates, [the city of Lompoc] has not turned away anyone duly capable of starting a business here,” DeWees said.
DeWees said that, as mayor, he’s worked tirelessly to cultivate relationships with businesses in the wine industry, and he expects the wine industry and tourism to create an economic boom in the near future.
And while there are going to be some financially difficult times in the future, DeWees said that his biggest goal, if reelected, would be to continue to balance the city’s budget.
Lompoc has had a balanced budget for the last five to six years, which is something “a lot of other cities and counties don’t have,” he said.
City Council candidates
This year, two City Council members—DeWayne Holmdahl and Will Schuyler—are up for reelection.
When asked why he thought he should be reelected to the City Council, Holmdahl first pointed to the city’s budget as an example of his and the current council’s success.
“The budget is balanced, we have reserves, and we’re not laying anyone off,” he said.
If reelected, Holmdahl said he plans to use his budgeting experience to lead Lompoc through the country’s economic slump. He also said he would like to use the city’s healthy sales tax to increase positions in public safety.
“I see a very bright future for Lompoc,” he said, referring to a list of the city’s most recent business and recreational ventures, including the upcoming wind farm, the aquatic center, and new soccer fields. These new projects, including the expanding wine industry and police and fire academy, will provide the city with hundreds of new jobs.
“I get tired of people looking at everything negatively,” Holmdahl said. “People might be saying that they want change and change is good, but only if it’s for the better.”
Fellow City Council member Schuyler also touched on many of the same issues as Holmdahl. However, Schuyler added that, if reelected, he also plans to protect the budget from the state.
“I’ve visited state senators and representatives, and when they started asking how much money the city had, I told them it was none of their damn business,” Schuyler said.
If reelected, Schuyler said that he would like to see the city’s sales tax rounded up to eight percent. The sales tax increase, he said, could be used to fund public safety. If that doesn’t work, Schuyler said that he’s open to writing another public safety measure.
“I think we’re making more progress [on the public safety issue]. More people are voting for the tax initiative,” he said. “I think we could do a third one, fine tune it, and see if it’ll fly.”
Schuyler said that he also thinks the city’s budget-making process could be updated.
“I’d like to see a process where City Council has a town meeting and picks out top issues and builds the budget around that,” he said.
Holmdahl and Schuyler are going up against four opposing candidates, including business contractor Martner, Realtor Grill, planning commissioner Lingl, and Vandenberg Air Force Base employee Tullis.
A 21-year retired Air Force veteran and longtime Vandenberg employee, Tullis said that, if elected, he “wants to focus on how Lompoc and Vandenberg can co-exist better and have a better relationship.”
In his campaign, Tullis proposes that the city partner with Vandenberg to develop more educational programs, such as a technical school or vocational school, to make Lompoc a feeder city for the base.
Currently, Tullis said, there’s a shortage of local candidates for entry and specialized positions at the base.
Plus, creating such programs at Vandenberg would attract businesses to support personnel, similar to the way the police and fire academy is expected to bring in more businesses.
Also high on Tullis’ list of concerns is solving the public safety issue. He said working as campaign manager for Measure T gave him plenty of insight into the issue.
“I really think sales tax is going to be the way to cover it because all the other options I’ve heard wouldn’t generate enough funds. I’m more than open to someone coming up with another way, but I’d have to see a feasible plan,” he said.
“I know a lot of people don’t like the word ‘tax,’ but on the other hand, it’s what will work,” he said.
Opposing candidate Martner, however, is “strongly opposed” to Measure T and believes that there’s another way to solve the public safety issue.
“I think we have it within our budget to adequately fund the measure,” she said. “I’ve made a commitment to the city’s firefighters to look in the budget for the money.”
Martner is endorsed by Lompoc Firefighters Local 1906.
On top of public safety, Martner said her “No. 1 issue is to strengthen the local economy” by increasing the tax base and creating a concrete economic plan to bring business into the city.
If elected, Martner said she plans to use her 17-plus years of experience working in the high-tech industry to bring higher-paying jobs to Lompoc.
“I know what high-tech companies want and what they don’t want,” she said. “I’m a knowledgeable ambassador, but at the same time I know I can’t do it alone.”
Martner plans to attract businesses by “streamlining the process which businesses have to go through to come here.” She also said she wants to create a commission of local residents to come up with incentives for businesses wanting to set up shop in town.
And Martner said she wants to not only attract businesses, but smart businesses like the recently approved wind farm.
“I want to attract alternative energy companies to make Lompoc a Green Center,” she said.
One way Martner plans to do this is by helping to establish a green energy program at Allan Hancock College. The program, she said, would supply companies with capable employees.
Candidate Lingl said in his interview with the Sun that he wants to focus on “restoring trust, confidence, accountability, and leadership.”
“I think these are things that have been lacking from our City Council for several years,” Lingl said.
As an example of damaged trust, Lingl referenced the public safety issue.
“The police and fire departments have openly said that they don’t trust City Council anymore,” he said. “[As a councilmember], I would want them to participate in the process.”
Lingl said he plans to restore residents’ confidence in the local economy by constructing a more aggressive economic plan, and filling the city’s empty storefronts.
“The first couple of years are the hardest for a new business,” Lingl said.
If elected, Lingl said he would offer more economic incentives to fledgling businesses, such as reduced utilities, since Lompoc owns much of its own utilities services.
And until more businesses come into town, Lingl said, Lompoc “doesn’t need anymore homes.”
What the city does need, he said, is more multi-use buildings and sales tax reductions for current homeowners.
Lastly, City Council candidate Grill declined to comment for this article, stating that his “campaign is more complex than a couple of sound bites.”
Contact Staff Writer Amy Asman at aasman@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Oct 23-30, 2008.