“Writing laws is easy, but governing is difficult”
Philosophy on Decision Making
Background: As a City Council member, you will read all staff memos, ask questions, hear and participate in the discussion and debate around each issue. As such, you should be better informed on almost any issue than the average person in our community.
Question: If an issue comes up where you think the best decision for the City is “X", but your sense of the community is that the residents want “Y" (even if “Y” may not be affordable or may be otherwise ill-advised), what would you do? Put differently, given that you may be better informed than much of the public, is your role to make the best decision for the City or should you bend to the perceived “will of the people” even if you believe it is based on limited knowledge or even misinformation?
Responses:
Gayne Brenneman
“GAYNE BRENNEMAN
”The residents have given the council the right to act on their behalf and in their best interests.
Therefore, my philosophy on decision making is to adhere to the following: (PVrrg ‘Values Code”)
COUNCIL AND STAFF SERVE THE RESIDENTS WITH INTEGRITY
• Council and Staff serve, not rule — by listening and considering the needs of the Residents.
• Council and Staff sign code of ethics and are accountable to that code
• Council and Staff operate with integrity
• Council and Staff must be committed to NEVER act above the law
• Council holds Staff accountable
• Provide all Council members authority to add items to the agenda, rather than limit input to an agreement between City Manager and Mayor
• Ensure that practices align to Brown Act
• Eliminate any action or perception of conflict of interest
• Commission and Committee members may NOT serve while personal projects are under the review/approval process of a City Commission or Committee.
• Institute a whistleblower reporting and protection practice for employees, contractors and residents
• Create a practice of receiving and utilizing resident feedback
• Assemble and utilize citizen groups that include diverse perspectives
I consider myself a leader and in my previous positions I have always done what was right, even if it made me unpopular at the time.””
Sanford Davidson
“SANFORD DAVIDSON (incumbent)
(Councilmember Davidson declined to supply answers to any of the questions posed)”
Dawn Murdock
“DAWN MURDOCK
”My role as a council member is to represent the residents when making decisions. To support good decision making and minimize the schism presented in the question, we must increase transparency of information to ensure residents are as well informed as possible. Further, we must increase community engagement through surveys and town halls, so residents can provide input to council members regarding the issues and solutions on the table. With this better-informed community, there will be improved alignment between residents and council members.
In the presence of imperfect information, it is incumbent on me to communicate with residents to share my rationale which would align to resident priorities; rather than voting to undermine their expectations or best interests.
Decisions that have a strong financial or safety impact on residents must be put to the residents for a vote.””
Jim Roos
“JIM ROOS
”Our City Council is responsible to the people. Every resident has the right to present his or her opinion to the City Council. As a member of the Planning Commission, I have approached every application with an open mind and have carefully considered both public comments and the opinion of my fellow Commissioners.
Ultimately, decision rests with our elected leaders. While the City Council must be responsive to public opinion, they must also apply their own judgment to ensure they are making decisions that are in the long-term best interest of our residents. As a member of the City Council, I would apply a thoughtful approach to deliberations, I would listen carefully to input from the public, and I would seek the counsel of City staff and my fellow Councilmembers. But I would not be afraid to make unpopular decisions if I believed those were in the best interest of our community.””
Bill Sewell
“BILL SEWELL
”Decisions must be made based on verifiable facts, not perceptions or misinformation. Council members represent the residents of Palos Verdes Estates. This means that, when working within their authorized scope, they speak for the residents and have an obligation to work in the best interests of all of the residents in the City. If there is an issue where the public has limited knowledge or misinformation, it is the duty of the Council to inform the public.
I would work with other Council members to help the residents understand the pertinent information. The Council could communicate through:
• Town halls/ Zoom meetings
• Newsletter
• Social media
• Direct mail
• Electronic surveys
• Public Hearings
• All of the above
It is also incumbent on the Council to separate the “perceived” will of the people from the actual will of the people. This can be done by taking polls or surveys and analyzing the results, rather than simply accepting the results at face value; holding town halls; or holding public hearings.
During this process Council members may discover facts that were not yet known and these facts may alter their original position. In the end, I would look at all of the facts, analyze the information and make a decision that is best for the City.
Lastly, misinformation, especially on social media, can divide our city. We must all work to promote truth and understanding in order to heal the divide that exists today.””