City Council members earn high marks for attendance
CITY HALL Absence makes the heart grow fonder, but not when it comes to City Council meetings.
Residents expect their elected officials to be in their seats on the dais when roll is taken. When they’re not, business can come to a grinding halt, as debates are postponed and items put on hold due to a lack of quorum, or out of respect for members who are not present.
Luckily for Santa Monicans, their council members are a dedicated bunch. No member has missed more than 11 percent of meetings, a stellar rating for part-time officials who must delicately juggle events in their personal lives with the duties of being a public official, said Bob Stern, president of the Center for Governmental Studies, a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank that specializes in campaign finance reform and community engagement.
“If 89 percent is the worst (level of attendance), then that’s pretty good,”Stern said.“You’ve got to remember that they are not getting paid a whole lot …These people have regular jobs. It’s not like the L.A. City Council where that’s their only job.”
Council members receive $932.11 per month, or about $466 per meeting.
“It really depends on the meeting,” Stern added. “Clearly if there are important issues at stake, they should be there. But when you have issues that are clearly less important, there’s a little leeway there. The only thing is that when there are not enough (council members) there, items are delayed, and that can be frustrating.”
Former Councilman Kelly Olsen, who served from 1990 to 1994, wasn’t so forgiving.
“I think that if you made a commitment to be on the City Council, you shape your life around attending that meeting,” said Olsen, who makes an exception for those struggling with an illness. “This is a serious job with serious issues. If someone is not going to take the time to attend, then they should make room for somebody else.”
At this point, a change doesn’t seem necessary. A review of council meetings dating as far back as 1989 shows that attendance really isn’t an issue, but being tardy is.
Out of 656 meetings, Councilman Ken Genser, who has struggled recently with health problems, has only missed 25, or 4 percent or meetings. He has been late for 54 meetings, or 8 percent. Mayor Pro Tem Herb Katz, an architect with an office just north of Culver City, has the most absences, with 23 out of 208, or 11 percent (this is not counting Katz’ first stint on the council, in which he served from 1984 to 1992). He was late to meetings, which are supposed to begin at 5:45 p.m., 17 times, or 8 percent of the time. Mayor Richard Bloom, an attorney working in Santa Monica, was absent and tardy only six times in 261 meetings, or 2 percent.
Councilmember Pam O’Connor, who works in historical preservation and serves as the vice chair of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority for L.A. County, has missed 28 meetings out of 418, or 7 percent, and has been late to 58 meetings,or 14 percent.
Councilman Bob Holbrook has an impressive attendance record, having missed only 26 meetings out of 580, or 4 percent. However, when it comes to getting to City Hall on time, Holbrook has the second worst record, arriving late 20 percent of the time.
Having worked in downtown Los Angeles for much of his time on the dais, Holbrook, a pharmacist, said it was a challenge to get to downtown Santa Monica in 45 minutes, but ever since he cut back his hours, he hasn’t been late.
“If I missed 26 meetings, that’s not bad,” Holbrook said. “I think that’s less than two a year… Now that I’m working part time and my children are all grown, you can find more time to do things, but still my wife and I both have elderly relatives and we are attending to their needs. So, no matter what phase of life you’re in, you are always going to have commitments and you must try to adjust.”
For Holbrook, being present is important, more so during the early days of his career when he often found himself in the minority. If he was not on the dais, he felt as if a significant portion of the city was not being represented.
Holbrook has been criticized for leaving meetings earlier (something which was not examined by the Daily Press) and he understands those concerns,but there are times when he just can’t make it through the whole session, which can go on until 1:30 a.m. or longer.
“I try to stay to the bitter end,” Holbrook said. “But (at the last meeting) I was sitting there and almost fell asleep. I can’t fall asleep at a meeting, so I felt it was best that I go home before I fall asleep driving home.”
The freshest face on the dais is Councilman Bobby Shriver, who has served on the council for just over two years. Shriver has the second highest absentee rating at 8 percent, and has been tardy more often than any other member with 26 late arrivals out of 119 meetings, or 22 percent.
Shriver’s excuse could be considered a good one.He’s trying to help families in Africa devastated by HIV/AIDS. Through the RED campaign, which Shriver created along with rock star Bono, more than $12 million has been raised and distributed, funding treatment programs in African nations.
“I do the best that I can to balance all of my commitments,” Shriver said from Switzerland where he was attending a conference on the Global Fund, which was established in 2002 by world leaders to dramatically increase resources to fight three of the world’s most devastating diseases: AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
“The bottom line is you do the best you can, and honestly, I don’t think people expect us to be there 100 percent of the time because it is really a volunteer gig and people have day jobs,” Shriver said. “I try to schedule trips around meetings, and that has been tough. In my daytime gig there are certain meetings I just can’t miss. I work very hard to be diligent and make as many meetings as I can. I know I am doing my best.”
The councilman with the best attendance record is Kevin McKeown, who can often be seen riding his bike from on event to another, whether it be a conference on the California Incline or a Planning Commission meeting. McKeown admits he’s in a better position than others on the council because he works close by at the school district and has fewer family commitments, however, he said it all comes down to his dedication to the job and the respect he has for residents and their decision to elect him to public office.
“I consider it an honor to serve Santa Monica on the City Council, and I try to consistently show up, pay attention and act from my heart as well as my head,” McKeown said. “Meetings and workshops whether of the council, our boards and commissions, or our neighborhood groups and service organizations, are where I get to hear residents’ concerns and contributions live and unmediated.”
And since he works in the city, “I’m not wasting my life on a freeway commute.”
Attendance raises questions regarding the council’s duties and responsibilities. There have been debates about whether or not to pay council members more so they can quit their day jobs, or break up the city into council districts so members are able to focus on particular areas of town instead of having to be concerned with the entire city. Others have called for more staff to help members answer e-mails and respond to requests from the public. Times have changed considerably since the day the city charter was adopted in 1947, and council members face more pressures than ever before; something to consider when looking at attendance, said Nat Trives, a former mayor who served on the council from ‘71 to ‘79.
“There are a lot of issues these members have to deal with that we never had to consider when I served, much larger budgets and more responsibilities,” Trives said. “Then you have to factor in increases in traffic. It’s just a different city than it was 30 years ago. They’ve got a lot on their plates.”
That said, Trives believes council members need to be punctual. A missed meeting here and there won’t hurt, just as long as it doesn’t become a habit.
“Those who run for council have to consider the commitments they have in their personal lives and see if they can dedicate the time it requires to be a public official,” Trives said. “Not many people can do that.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on June 25, 2007. Read the original PDF.