Herbert Molano
has gone to great lengths to discredit
my capacity to comprehend the complexities of city government. More
accurately, however, is that his efforts are more about furthering the
candidacy of someone for whom he cannot even vote—Mr. Molano
doesn’t live here—than about honest discourse.
To be clear about my
qualifications; I have built a very successful business in Van Nuys with help
of a very capable associate where I am responsible for all aspects of business
operations including accounting and monitoring international monetary
markets. I have degrees in both Economics and Political Science with a
focus on development economics and public choice theory. My positions on
city government policy are firmly grounded in macro economic theory and are not
some casual association with the facts.
I have clearly indicated my
goals in moving the city’s compensation and pension plans toward a more private
sector model, but Herbert only wishes to hear my contention that change will
take time. I have accomplished a great deal in a very short time with the
support of countless members of our community, a privilege I have been happy to
reciprocate whenever possible.
My advocacy for change to
the
It is egotistical to assert that just
because someone doesn’t agree with you, that they must not understand.
Much has been made of the
$300 million in expenditures exceeding revenue since 2002 on page 129 of the
CAFR, but unless my calculator is broken it’s actually $236 million. It
also includes capital expenditures in the mix and if you look to page 124 of the CAFR you will
see that the net assets of the city INCREASED by $286 million over the same
period. The city has not been funding operational expenses with
restricted bond debt—that would be illegal and Herbert is not shy about
bringing lawsuits costing us hundreds of thousands of dollars. It’s not
his money, after all, because he doesn’t live here anymore.
Accounting, especially
government accounting, is complicated and not the realm of amateur, self
anointed budgetary analysts.
My position on a business license for
The lack of a licensing process also
forces the city to use CUP’s to regulate business
behavior, adding months to the time it takes to open a business here.
My advocacy of a business tax is rooted in
macro economic theory. The city has a vested interest in approving a Home
Depot over a solar panel manufacturing plant because its revenue model relies
too heavily on sales tax and development fees. We end up with shopping
malls and diminishing green space instead of a healthy mix that would foster
healthy economic growth.
When it comes to deeds over words, our
quaint little homeowners associations have done our fair share of hauling
water. Much more than the combined efforts of Barry Allen
or Herbert Molano. The city council does
a lot more than negotiate employee compensation packages and balance the
budget. It addresses quality of life issues and a direction for the city
that Mr. Molano refers to but never effectively
describes.
As far as the demeanor of a councilman,
the characteristics of confrontation that Mr. Molano
seems to advocate have been the root of the Council’s inability to work
together to find solutions that serve the public interest. If a desire
for openness and transparency are desirable qualities, as he has claimed, it
was my consent that Mr. Molano was given an
opportunity to present his views on the budget before the next GHCC meeting on
Monday before the election. There will be no impediments to sound debate.
I am, quite frankly, a little tired of
Herbert’s use of our city as a political playground for his ideological
advocacy. When he converts even one slab of concrete to a blade of grass,
as our association has done in Adams Hill, perhaps I will start to pay attention.
In the interim, I will continue to run a campaign of substance over billboards
and ideas over ideology.
Respectfully,
Michael Teahan
Still a candidate for City Council