Seal Beach Daily

The rancor over the military’s green waste composting project continued Monday night as Seal Beach City Councilman Gary Miller urged his colleagues to name him — instead of the mayor — as the city’s chief representative in dealing with the Los Alamitos Joint Forces Training Base.

While his fellow council members praised Miller’s work on the issue, they saw no reason to usurp the mayor’s role as chief spokesperson for the city.

Miller said he is best qualified to take on the job because his College Park East district is closest to the base. It’s his constituents who are directly affected by base activities, such as the composting project’s odors that prompted an outcry among residents in Seal Beach, as well as in Los Alamitos, Garden Grove and Cypress.

“I’m in the meetings, but I’m not in the loop,” Miller said.

Major General John Harrel halted the controversial composting project, at least temporarily, earlier this month after a joint lobbying efforts by the mayors of all four cities.

Seal Beach Mayor Gordon Shanks acknowledged Miller’s efforts and his knowledge on the issues involved, but said he hoped the two elected officials could continue working together to deal with the base on behalf of the city. “He’s had his finger on this from the very beginning and he feels he hasn’t been listened to. I feel that he has.”

Shanks said that as mayor he represents the entire city and that the coalition of mayors working together has been effective. “We don’t know what the final direction will be for General Harrel, but it’s moving in the right direction.”

The mayor told Miller he would “make an effort to keep you better informed” and invited him to continuing attending meetings involving the base.

Miller conceded that he had worked well with Shanks on the issue, but that he hadn’t been informed early enough by city staff about the base’s plans to set up a major green waste composting project near Arbor Park. Miller said he didn’t want to diminish Shanks’ role in working with the other mayors, but hoped to play a key role once a new Ad Hoc Committee — involving all four cities — is set up to work with the base on non-military issues.

Eight College Park East residents who attended Monday night’s meeting asked the council to allow Miller to represent the city on issues involving the Joint Forces Training Base.

Mayor Pro Tem David Sloan noted that Miller had been the one who brought the compost project to the public attention last spring. “He should be invited to every meeting, every time,” Sloan said.

Council member Charles Antos said Shanks should continue as the city’s spokesman. “The person who should be representing the overall best interests of the city should be the mayor, whoever that might be,” he said.

Also at Monday night’s meeting:

* Pastor Shirley Broussard announced during the meeting’s public comments that she is exploring locations for a “hospitality house” in Seal Beach to assist homeless people who are sleeping at the pier and along the jetty, and currently lack support services in the city. Broussard invited the council to attend a Nov. 18 Town Hall meeting on the issue at 6:15 p.m. at the Marina Community Center in Old Town. “Come with your ideas and possibly your support,” she said.

* Council members asked the Parks and Recreation Commission to review last summer’s pilot Beach Buggy program, which provided free bus service for children to the beach and local parks. A staff report indicated that “just under” 200 children used the service, which cost the city $24,960 during July and August. Council members and city staff said the program hadn’t been cost effective. “We need to look at this before next summer comes up,” said Councilman Michael Levitt.

* Mayor Shanks presented the family of city employee Bob Eagle with a commendation from the state Senate and Assembly for Eagle’s 37 years of service and many community volunteer efforts, including being Santa in Seal Beach Christmas parade each year and “patiently listening to the many children who shared their Christmas dreams with him.” Eagle passed away in August.

* The council commemorated Founders Day Month, noting that Tuesday is Seal Beach’s 95th birthday. The city was incorporated on Oct. 27, 1915.