TORRANCE TRIBUNE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

By Bill Sutherland

Responses printed in the Torrance Tribune

I believe our seniors to be the soul and historians of our City. We have many programs for their benefit such as Seniors don't be Scammed presented by our PD and Free income tax service. Our Senior centers have a wealth of activity from Senior lunches to dance classes to shuffleboard. Check out the City Website for more information. We have Senior taxi tickets which are 12 in a month for $1.00 each; I would like to see that increased to 16 in a month for $1.00 each. We subsidize the Senior Day trips. When budget cuts trimmed the subsidy to ½ of what it was, I saw the hardship it was on our seniors so I fought and succeeded in returning the subsidy to its whole. Helping our seniors is a priority to me.

Why should voters elect you?

My message has stayed the same from the time I announced my intention to serve you as your Mayor back in the summer of 2012. This election is about the residents, businesses & employees of the City of Torrance & the type of leadership they deserve. I pledge to treat all with respect and as your Mayor, serve with openness, integrity and honesty. I believe that character, tenacity, hard work, self-reliance, and personal responsibility are essential in a Leader. This is how I have run my successful Torrance business for over 30 years, in my community involvement and with my service to the City. As we move forward, the mostly new City Council will once again be faced with tough decisions. It is vitally important to keep the trusted leadership in place that has worked so diligently for you. I have been a very community-involved member of the Council. I have always been open to listening and hearing what you have to say. I have been the chair of the Finance & Government Operations Committee for the last 6 years and I am proud that we have balanced our budget every year without layoffs or furloughs. We have been proactive in dealing with pension issues, infrastructure upgrading and developing a strategic plan that is well-designed and built around smart and reasonable growth. I have never lost sight of those we serve and will work hard to minimize the impacts of future challenges. I am very thankful to all of you who have stepped up to volunteer to help make our city great and beautiful.

We have a lot of pending retirements coming up in Torrance including the Police Chief, Fire Chief, City Manager, City Clerk, in addition to a new Mayor and 4-5 open council seats. What are your ideas on how to make this as seamless a transition as possible?

I believe this is why we need someone whose leadership is trusted and proven. My 33 years of running a successful business have honed my leadership skills. The ability to make the hard decisions, keep customers satisfied and employees happy are all responsibilities I handle on a daily basis. As Regional Commissioner for AYSO, I had to ensure smooth transitions of the leadership of a program for 1200 children, twice. We have appointed a new Police Chief from within the ranks of the Torrance Police Department. Internal promotions are my preferred way of filling staff vacancies if at all possible. There is the possibility of other Department heads retiring in the near future and an important criterion will be the candidate's ability to ensure effective leadership to preserve and enhance our quality of life. Replacing City Manager LeRoy Jackson is a formidable task in light of his excellent service to our community. This will be one of the key considerations of the new Council and Mayor. Council Vacancies are filled by a vote of the people. Torrance has an astute electorate who will make their decisions based on the candidate's history of service to Torrance and knowledge of Government operations.

How would you support our police and fire?

Our Police and Fire departments are largely responsible for the high safety rating our city enjoys. Support not only means a competitive compensation package, but also training and equipment. My first year on Council, with the cooperation of TFFA, we added a Paramedic unit at minimal cost to the City. This was a win-win for the residents and the City. Two years ago when the Regional Bearcat was unavailable to our Police on more than one occasion, I initiated talks with then Chief Neu to purchase our own Bearcat so that our officers wouldn't have to look elsewhere to be kept out of harms way, one was purchased in December of 2013. It is essential that the city's promotional processes identify the most competent leaders for supervisory positions. I am a big proponent of succession planning and promoting from within. It is also support in an imperfect world, to take action when something goes wrong, determine responsibility, and see where we can operationally improve from the experience.

Do you feel that the current city administration has done a good job? What would you do the same and what would you like to change?

Yes, they have done more than a good job. It is said that the cost of perfection is prohibitive but as a city we continually strive to do the best possible job within the constraints of a balanced budget. I am proud to have been the chairman of the Government and Finance Committee that has kept a balanced budget during these difficult economic times. This administration has done a great job of prioritizing with a limited budget and as I've said at every forum, as the economy improves, so will our ability to do long postponed projects such as infrastructure repair. I have a concern that we are not as user friendly as we could be. I propose we put additional effort in improving our interface with all who use city services. If it comes to be that we need to appoint a new City Manager, the standard set by LeRoy Jackson has to be an essential criterion.

Mayor Scotto believes it takes a "coalition" of people in city government to make things happen. Do you agree? If so, what relationships would you like to forge?

I agree, beyond working with the new council people to show them the resources within the City to assist them, I believe a coalition tends to be a temporary relationship and I prefer a partnership with the broader community. It goes far beyond just residents; we have a daytime population that includes business, industry, visitors, and those who come to use our sports and entertainment facilities. We have an active and effective Commission system, volunteers for various committees. We have a group of former elected officials that I would engage. They are a wealth of knowledge that is untapped and extremely valuable. I would like to meet with every Home Owners Association on their own turf not only to build a rapport, but also to also let them know that as the Mayor; I am here for them. Perhaps most importantly is to grow and reinforce a partnership with our School District to maximize the potential of our most important resource, our children.

Why should voters elect you?

This election is about the residents, businesses & employees of the City of Torrance & the type of leadership they deserve. I have proven leadership in my 30+ years running a successful business in the City of Torrance. I know the responsibility of being the person who signs the front of the check. I know the commitment of being a full time volunteer in my community. I have shown consistency with my service to the City. I've provided Leadership with Integrity & I will continue to do that as Mayor. I say what I believe & believe what I say. My character has been consistent my entire life, I believe that is a quality important to leadership. I am totally immersed in the City because this is where my heart is. The Mayor & councils decisions affect people's quality of life for years to come and that will be my primary consideration in the decisions I make. I answer to only two special interest groups, the residents & businesses of Torrance.

Identify the most serious issues affecting the city and what you hope the city council can do to improve them?

Infrastructure repair and replacement- When I took office in 2006, the budget was $220 million. In 2013, it was $164 million. Infrastructure repair and replacement was a casualty of the recession. As revenues increase, we will have the ability to address these repairs little by little.

Pension reform- We have already been proactive with our newly hired employees for the last two years and will be constantly looking for addition savings in our pension plans. I own a small business in the City of Torrance, so I do not have a public pension, but I do understand the necessity for a fair wage and pension system in order to recruit and retain the best quality employees the people of Torrance deserve. You can see my entire position on pensions on my websites http://www.sutherland4mayor.com

AB109, the early release of certain criminals- We have already hired and budgeted for more Police Officers to handle this dilemma handed to us by the judicial system and our Governor.

What are your Leadership skills?

My business and my employees are a reflection of me and I believe the reason I have had a successful Torrance business for over 30 years. I am honest and hardworking and I believe those are valuable assets of a Leader. I lead by example. My 3 years as Regional Commissioner for AYSO serving 1200 children demonstrated my ability to delegate. I consider the ability to delegate a key in bringing together about 75 volunteers to provide a fun experience for our Torrance youth. I believe I have the ability to get people to see the big picture and can come together on projects such as when I was the President of Rotary with our charitable endeavors such as the Christmas dinner, tree and presents for 2 underprivileged families. In my 6 years as Chairman of the Government & Finance Committee, I have shown my ability to take charge and lead discussions to find creative ways of balancing our budget. I am totally committed to Torrance and its best interest and I believe that is a key in being the next Leader of Torrance.

How did you become interested in local politics?

I have been involved in the community most of my adult life, mostly in service organizations and organizations revolving around our children. As our children grew into adults, that part of my volunteering went away (until grandkids). While the service organizations are a constant in my life, I looked to the City for something different. I was appointed to the Civil Service Commission and serviced 8 consecutive years, twice as chairman. I enjoyed this interaction with the governing body of Torrance. From the time I was termed out from the Civil Service Commission until 2006, I saw the direction the governing body of the City was going with the overdevelopment and the distain towards the residents. I wanted to be part of the solution in bringing the City back to the balanced and ethical City we have all come to expect in Torrance. Now as your next Mayor of Torrance, I want to continue the example of ethics and integrity set by our current Mayor.

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Are you involved in the community, chamber, organizations - if so which ones? Do you support the Fourth of July picnic and the Rose Float?

For years I have been a member of the Chamber of Commerce. As a councilman, I have been veryactive and participative member of the Council, except for the Mayor, in Chamber activities. I also keep involved in our School District events.

I served thirteen years on the Board of the Salvation Army Torrance Corp and over 30 years as an active member of Torrance Rotary serving in many leadership positions including President. I am an active supporter of many non-profit community organizations.

Diana and I are ardent supporters of the youth sports activities that provide multiple recreational opportunities for all Torrance residents. My involvement in Torrance sports includes serving as a Little League and Torrance American Baseball coach/referee and Regional Commissioner for AYSO.

I am a member of the Torrance Sister City Association and Diana and I have enjoyed hosting Kashiwa exchange students for the past two years.

I would dearly love to see us continue as a participant in the Tournament of Roses Parade, especially 2015 when one of our hometown heroes, Louis Zamperini, will be Grand Marshal.

I am less excited about the Fourth of July event at Wilson Park. I feel the $220,000.00 cost was extravagant and taxing on our limited resources.

What is your vision for the future of Torrance?

This is probably the most important question in the series.

I am a businessman and understand the need to continually work to make sure we are a business friendly city in a decidedly business unfriendly state. Expanding the Economic Development team and forging stronger relationships with the Chamber and other groups is essential. We will work hard to make sure we enhance the positive environment that makes Torrance the place to locate. I am adamantly against raising taxes.

I see an opportunity in the relocation of Toyota to Texas. We are already receiving inquiries about the Toyota facility and in the end we will be proud of what replaces Toyota. In the future I see the city no longer playing catch up with infrastructure issues but instead getting ahead of the replacements needed. I also see an expanded emergency preparedness effort. I see Torrance as a vibrant city in the future and remaining one of the safest cities in the nation to live, work, and play. My vision for Torrance sees us maximizing the use of technology to streamline operations. I also see an expanded use of volunteers and community involvement in government.