MURRIETA -- One would only have to look around the city to anticipate what residents would ask those running for City Council seats at a campaign forum Wednesday.
Foreclosures, sewer and road construction, campaign spending and job creation were the top issues raised by about 35 residents who attended the first of two public forums hosted by the Murrieta Unified Political Action Committee at Vista Murrieta High School. The second forum will be held Oct. 15 at Murrieta Valley High School.
Five of the seven candidates seeking two seats on the council in the Nov. 4 election attended the event, including incumbent and electrical contractor Warnie Enochs, 59; local publisher Nancy Knight, 64; planning commissioner and telecommunications executive Randon Lane, 39; incumbent and telecommunications executive Doug McAllister, 49; and write-in candidate Emilia Rychener, 38.
Candidates David Landriscina, a 53-year-old management consultant, and Paul Clay, a 50-year-old high school teacher, did not attend the forum.
New to the race for Murrieta City Council, Rychener distinguished herself from the other four candidates as the lone candidate who supports three initiatives that have qualified to make it on a Murrieta ballot, tentatively scheduled for the June 2010 election.
Rychener said she agreed with the initatives' proposals that the City Council should be subjected to term limits, that stipends for council members should be capped and that compensation for top city administrators should be capped based on a formula tied to the median household income of the city.
"Murrieta spends over half a million a year on management," Rychener said to a resident who asked about sewer and water system installation in the areas of the city that are currently operating off septic tanks and water wells. "That could be money spent on getting you water."
When addressing the issue of foreclosures, both incumbents stated that the city has made strides in recent months to assure homes are maintained even if they're abandoned.
Enochs and McAllister both pointed to a city ordinance passed earlier this year that requires a bank or lender that has foreclosed on a property to be responsible for maintenance.
They also listed other efforts made by the council, including hosting a foreclosure workshop and setting up a room at the Murrieta Public Library for a representative from the Fair Housing Council of Riverside County to give guidance to those in foreclosure crisis.
On that topic, Knight proposed redrawing property lines of foreclosed lots to cut off side yards, which could be purchased by the adjacent property owner. That would leave a smaller, more affordable lot for purchase.
Rychener said as a council member she would devise a program for high school students to earn community service hours by cleaning up the exteriors of the homes.
On the issue of infrastructure, Lane talked about creating a document that would detail the process developers must follow when they build, and define the partnership that the city would assume in making sure the needed infrastructure is completed before the project is.
"The City Council speaks of economic development," Lane said. "The problem is our city takes three times longer than any other city in the state of California to get anything through."
When asked for their positions on campaign contributions, most candidates said they avoid accepting donations from developers or large corporations. Lane, however, said he would continue to raise funds for the race and that to date he has spent approximately $4,000 on his campaign.
McAllister said he now only accepts contributions of $99 or less to remove any speculation of impropriety.
"These folks are very aware that I can't be bought," McAllister said of contributors who gave to his last campaign.
Term limits was another issue raised by residents. And as Enochs is seeking his fourth term in office, he began his remarks by saying it would be illogical for him to agree with imposing term limits on local governments.
Contact staff writer Nelsy Rodriguez at (951) 676-4315, Ext. 2626, or nrodriguez@californian.com.
