Views of City Council Candidate Diane Benge Lenning

By Diane Benge Lenning

Huntington Beach is currently involved in extensive development, restructuring, and maintenance of its community.

Huntington Beach currently finds itself in the forefront of extensive development, restructuring, and maintenance of its community and infrastructure. I offer experience in decision-making and consensus-building skills in various capacities. As the community increases in population, strains of a large metropolis need decisions that are fair, consistent, economically responsible, promote business-friendly climate, protect the environment, preserve individual rights, and Councilmembers who utilize leadership skills in a decision-making process reaching agreeable conclusions for the benefit of the whole community.

Proper balance of business, controlled development, environmental preservation, fiscal responsibility and community needs are importantly reached by an involved, participatory community utilizing consensus building. The past Council has misspent funds allocated for much needed street repairs. Many feel some on the Council have relented to the wishes of the developers, at the expense of the community needs. Huntington Beach can benefit by consensus-building decision-making, community-service training, review of fair-compensation practices, and applied high regard to community-services personnel.

As a leader on the Field as a Youth, I am also a leader in my field today. I lead the action to make our neighbor-hoods, schools, and places of business safe from violent crime by supporting law enforcement officer and associated personnel in its community efforts, as well as actively participate in educational and awareness training among the youth and communities of Southern California. My experiences provide real life training for decisions that work! My background includes the experiences and training to make decisions for a Safe, more Efficient City, expanding the High Quality of Life to everyone who wishes to grasp that responsibility.

I favor Controlled Development that incorporates the perspectives of the whole community rather than small interests groups. I favor a positive community forum at which all citizens are affored their respective time to speak their views. I favor Beautification Projects, Natural Habitats, and a Business-Friendly Community that work in a harmonious model that benefits the whole community. The Citizens of Huntington Beach Deserve a Clean and Properly Maintained City in which to live and raise their families.

I favor review of fair compensation packages for City employees to continue to attract the best personnel, as Huntington Beach tradition has done for years; as well as, applied high regard for our community-services personnel, which has afforded in the past for Huntington Beach a safe, clean community, natural habitats, and a high quality of living.

We need to get our priorities straight, make the decisions, and enact the plan. We cannot wait any longer to repair and maintain our streets, sewers, and infrastructure.

I can see the "Big Picture" as well as the "Detail of the Picture," without getting side-tracked on one or two issues or projects. We need to control development in order to achieve maximum success at a rate our city can handle the process. We need to develop Huntington Center at the 405 Freeway, where heavy traffic flow provides constant possible customers, but we need the center restructured and made attractive in order to draw in the needed business.

We need decisive action based upon knowledge, critical-analysis, consensus building, and competent decisions, and we cannot afford to wait any longer.

Thank you for the opportunity to share some of my views and concerns, as well as my VISION for Huntington Beach in the years ahead. Contact me with your views and concerns. I am interested in the views of the community and will take your comments into consideration.

The site address for the survey is: http://www.lenning.com

HUNTINGTON BEACH NEEDS LEADERS THAT REACH FOR THE BEST!

I can provide that leadership.

YOUR VOTE MAKES US PARTNERS IN OUR CITY GOVERNMENT!