Sitting in a Starbucks on North H Street, a steaming cup of coffee nestled between his fingers, Lompoc’s new mayor, Mike Siminski, was still in a bit of a daze.
Within 15 minutes of sitting down, two fellow Lompocans came to congratulate the longtime city councilman on his new position.
“I just wanted to come shake the hand of the new mayor,” said a baseball-capped man as he approached Siminski’s table.
“Well, you’ll know in six to eight months if you still want to shake hands with me,” Siminski replied—only somewhat jokingly.
He knows that his duties as mayor, and the circumstances under which he received them, are no laughing matter.
On Aug. 20, Siminski was selected out of a pool of nine candidates to complete the term of Mayor Dick DeWees, who died unexpectedly of medical complications in July.
“I could list all of the adjectives [of what makes a good leader] and make a check next to them,” Siminski said of DeWees, adding that his own leadership style is a little harder to describe.
Siminski has said in the past that he doesn’t intend to fill DeWees’ shoes—a task that would be especially challenging considering some Lompoc residents don’t think the new mayor should be the new mayor at all.
Filling the void
Siminski’s appointment as mayor generated a sizeable amount of controversy, mostly over the method of the appointment itself.
At a special meeting on Aug. 20, the council voted (with Councilwoman Cecilia Martner
dissenting) to allow Siminski to vote for himself as mayor. The decision enabled him to maintain his position in the selection process, during which he ranked candidates—including himself—on their ability to act as mayor.
“Our No. 1 priority was to have someone at the helm who had gone through the issues the city has been facing for the last six months,” Siminski explained.
But that doesn’t mean he was pleased with the way the appointment was made, either.
“We hung a lot of people in the community out to dry because we opened it up to the public, but ultimately promoted from within,” Siminski said. “I would have rather not seen that happen the way it did.”
He explained that as a result of what happened, the council is in the process of creating an appointment policy.
Nonetheless, Siminski said the majority of the council felt promoting from within was the best option in light of the faltering economy.
“What we’ve been through—and, of course, it’s the same for every other city—is a tremendous loss of revenue,” he said. “We’ve cut positions, we’ve cut services, we’ve raised fees, and every week it seems like [the loss of revenue] gets deeper.”
Over the next 15 months, Siminski will be tasked with leading the council through a sea of
complex issues, including dealing with the likely addition of more budget cuts and finalizing labor negotiations with the city’s public safety departments. Other tasks include updating the city’s General Plan and overseeing several development projects, such as the construction of a new community center and a potential Walmart expansion.
Recently, Siminski agreed to answer a collection of e-mailed questions from the Sun that would shed some light on his thought process as mayor. Here’s what he had to say:
SUN: What do you see as the mayor’s role in Lompoc?
SIMINSKI: In almost any city, the mayor essentially has three roles: No. 1. (most important): The mayor is one member of the City Council team. That team establishes policy, determines levels of service, hires the city administrator and attorney to run the city, and collects taxes and approves budgets to carry these things out. No council member has any greater authority than the others. Second, the mayor “chairs” City Council meetings. The mayor must keep the council focused on issues before them and prevent discussion from taking “side trips,” which dilute attention to the issues. And third, the mayor is the ceremonial leader of the local government—cutting ribbons, throwing out the first ball, reading proclamations, etc.
SUN: How would you describe your leadership style?
SIMINSKI: I won’t try. … Make that a multiple-choice question, and I’ll pick one of your answers. In any meeting, I am prepared. I try to know as much as I can about the subject, and I respect the views of others on the issue. As leader, I will maintain the focus, will respect all views, and will try to find consensus.
SUN: How will your mayorship be similar to your predecessor’s, and how will it differ?
SIMINSKI: Mayor DeWees respected others—did not make fun of or put down views of others even when they were obviously based on a misunderstanding of the issue. I will do the same. On the ceremonial front, Dick had a booming, jovial voice shaped by a career in broadcasting. I will never match his style and popularity in the public events.
SUN: What are the biggest challenges facing Lompoc today, and what can be done to overcome them?
SIMINSKI: Our greatest challenge is lack of funds to provide city services the people want. Our sales-tax income is the lowest per capita on the California Central Coast. Likewise, our property-tax revenue. I would guess Lompoc is in the bottom third of cities in the state in terms of amount of money per citizen to spend on city services. We repeatedly hear that our police and fire department salaries are more than 20 percent below salaries in neighboring cities. This is true. But it is not just police and fire. All city employees are similarly underpaid—from the city administrator to clerical, to street crews, to planners, to building and parks maintenance crews. We cannot match pay in cities with stronger revenue. However, this fosters unrest and dissatisfaction with the city government—both within city employee families and the public in general. The answer is simple: Spend only what we must and increase revenue. Implementation, of course, is where the answer is not simple.
SUN: What is the best thing Lompoc has going for it?
SIMINSKI: Three things come to mind, and it would be very hard to say which is best. First, employees are loyal and do their jobs in spite of dissatisfaction with pay and benefits. They all do a good job. Second, past city councils and staff have been very frugal. They have not promised benefits we could not afford, they have not developed staff we could not afford, and they established healthy reserve funds that are helping us weather the current recession. And third, we have utilities and other services which are very efficient and provided at lower cost and fees than seen in neighboring communities.
SUN: How does Lompoc’s energy source relate to the current economy? Has it helped Lompoc weather the ailing economy?
SIMINSKI: Lompoc’s electric utility is a major success story. Decisions by past city leaders are no doubt providing economic benefit to the community. Residential electric rates are nearly one third lower than those outside the city. We have also developed electricity sources that are non–polluting. As legislators seek to rein in greenhouse gases, most electricity costs will rise, but our “green” energy will only make our rate structure more attractive. We have done similar wonderful things in collecting, recycling, and disposing of our solid waste—again providing very low-cost service. I think we can use these conditions better to attract business. Now most of the savings are reflected in low residential rates, not in industrial or commercial-rate savings.
SUN: What is your vision for future development in Lompoc? Are there upcoming projects that are vital to the city’s growth?
SIMINKSI: Slow but steady growth will be best for economic stability. I think a good General Plan and discipline to stick with it is vital to city growth. We must describe conditions a developer must meet and give him confidence that he will be given rapid go-ahead if the conditions are met. I hear too often that city delays and new rounds of conditions after first-round conditions are met cause needless cost increases. The funny thing is that most cases I have looked into had delays caused by incomplete actions of the developer. However, I think the city must do more to change the perception—perhaps more oversight at council level. I think the senior center, Highway 246 road improvements, the downtown theater renovation, and several private projects are vital to city growth for two reasons. No. 1: New businesses are attracted to cities that show pride and take care of themselves. These projects, added to the showcase Aquatic Center and the new hospital, demonstrate we are willing to increase taxes to provide good infrastructure. No. 2: These new projects will provide jobs in construction trades where we have our worst unemployment. Putting money into the pockets of these out-of-work neighbors is key to keeping existing local business open.
SUN: In addition to reviewing the Brown Act, how do you plan to increase transparency of government in Lompoc?
SIMINSKI: I will urge rapid development of a capability to televise council meetings over the Internet so meetings are accessible to others than just those who subscribe to Comcast cable. I will make outreach a goal ever on our minds so we become more open on issues as the opportunities arise.
SUN: Why do you believe all city employees should take equal pay cuts? Does this include department heads and City Council members?
SIMINSKI: As I said before, I know that all our city employees are about equally underpaid. When we have increased pay over the years, we have given all employees the same rate of COLA increases and then have given some groups additional raises as “equity” raises when we saw their salary ranges justified it. We have asked all employee groups for the same percentage “give back,” which means that lower-paid employees will give up less dollars that those who are higher paid. We have taken other actions that have “hit” department heads and other management harder than others. We have been told City Council salaries are governed by state law, and we cannot make immediate changes. Any changes must wait until after the next election and a new council is seated. I will propose some reduction in expenses, which will have the same effect as cutting council pay, and I believe that can be implemented immediately.
SUN: Is retaining public safety positions in Lompoc a priority to you? If so, how do you plan to retain those positions?
SIMINSKI: Retaining public safety is and has been a priority. In the past 10 years, we have found the money to increase police staffing by more than 25 percent (contrary to the claims we have not done anything in this regard). We have increased salaries in the public safety departments by substantially higher percentages than other city employee groups. We have twice asked the public to increase their taxes to provide funds for retention and expansion—tax increases that were rejected because wannabee leaders advanced petty arguments creating negative results at the ballot box. I think we must try again. I will put my political career on the line by asking the city for tax increases again in the future.
SUN: You’ve been on the City Council for some time. Why haven’t you run for mayor?
SIMINSKI: When first elected, I didn’t have the time because I had a full-time job. When I retired and had more time, the city had Dick DeWees. Dick was successful in more city elections than any other person in city history. If you go back to the three roles of mayor, the most important—in my mind—is being a member of City Council. I think the ceremonial duties, which I really don’t care for, will take time away from my council duties: preparing, studying, feeling the public pulse. I have really enjoyed being the city representative to the power commission. That alone takes several very full days each month. I have said that I will not run for mayor in the next election, letting the citizens choose their mayor from among some who want the job. I may run again for City Council to keep doing the job I think I do well and that I like.
SUN: How would you describe your relationship with the sitting council?
SIMINSKI: I have great respect for the wisdom of the people shown at the ballot box. We have always had the five finest council members we could have. I respect them as such, and I think they respect me also as an elected representative. No one with whom I now serve was a good friend before they were elected. With the exception of Karl Braun in the early ’90s, all I have served with became friends after the election. I regret that public perception of the Brown Act keeps us from socializing more. I think we are a very good team.
SUN: Any thoughts on council replacement Tony Durham?
SIMINSKI: I have admired Tony for as long as I have known him. He gives a great amount of time and effort to community causes—many of which involved my kids. He was this year’s Chamber of Commerce Man of the Year in recognition of that public service. I know nothing of Tony’s political leanings, but his career in police work causes me to believe he will approach each issue based on facts and logic, not on blind allegiance to a philosophical ideology or the “cause du jour.” I could not ask for anything more in my council member. I have served on the Lompoc City Council with a former police officer and with an active sheriff’s deputy. On the power commission, I have served with members of city councils from Santa Clara, Healdsburg, Lodi, and other cities who were active or retired police, and I found they all did their jobs well. Add to that Tony’s great character, friendliness, and team spirit … wow, he was clearly the best candidate.
Contact News Editor Amy Asman at aasman@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Sep 3-10, 2009.