Work furloughs and temporary pay cuts for city workers were among the suggestions Oceanside City Council candidates made Tuesday to help ease a budget shortfall projected to top $9 million next fiscal year.

Appearing in a Civic Center forum sponsored by the Oceanside City Council, the five men listed for the June 8 special election ballot and a write-in candidate who emerged Tuesday also agreed that changes were needed in the city's pension plans.

Appearing on the ballot to fill the unexpired term of Rocky Chavez, who resigned in December, are former bakery owner Charles "Chuck" Lowery; Michael Lucas, a retired supervisor in the state Bureau of Automotive Repair; business management consultant Lloyd Prosser, financial planner Ward O'Doherty, and Ken Crossman, a civilian supervisor in the Oceanside Police Department.

Joining the race as a write-in candidate was John Dowell, who said he owns a property management company and works for a private company under contact to the U.S. Air Force as a pilot of unmanned aircraft.

Dowell, 67, said he was "frustrated with government" and what he said was the counterproductive bickering of the council.

Topping the list of worries among the candidates was dealing with the budget shortfall.

"We have to look at this as a crisis and do what every normal person would do and that's cut spending," Lowery said. He said he'd start by not hiring any more consultants. He said the city spends hundreds of thousands of dollars on consultants' reports, which it can't afford.

Prosser, Crossman and Dowell called for city workers to take unpaid work furloughs. Prosser and Crossman called for a hiring freeze, and Crossman and Dowell said city workers should take temporary pay cuts.

"It's better than losing your job," Dowell said.

Dowell said he'd set an example for city workers by returning half his council salary to the city. Council members are paid salaries of $26,328, according to Financial Services Director Teri Ferro.

Prosser said the city should also put a freeze on replacing equipment, "no new cars, no new fire truck engines, no new desks, chairs, that type of thing."

O'Doherty said the city should go after what he called "unrealized revenue" from nonresidents who use the city's harbor, beaches and airport.

Lucas said he'd lay off city workers to close the budget gap

All but Lowery were against using the city's reserves ---- its savings account ---- to help balance the budget.

All of the candidates said all city workers should pay some of their pension costs but they differed on whether the city should adopt a two-tier system under which newly hired workers would receive fewer benefits. Prosser, O'Doherty, Dowell and Crossman agreed with the suggestion; Lucas and Lowery did not.

The animosity among council members was another concern to all the candidates.

Prosser, O'Doherty and Dowell said the poor image Oceanside gets as a consequence of the council's behavior was a barrier to attracting new business.

"We need to show the world we are a thriving city," O'Doherty said, adding that bickering among council members does just the opposite.

Lowery and Crossman said they would offer economic incentives to attract new businesses but Prosser, Lucas, O'Doherty and Dowell said they wouldn't.

Prosser said the city must create a pro-business environment, Lucas said he'd pull parking meters from downtown and lower sales taxes to attract business. O'Doherty said the city must first establish an identity and decide what kind of businesses it wants, "then go after those businesses with a vengeance." Dowell said businesses won't move to Oceanside until council members stop feuding among themselves.

Among other issues covered in the forum, all but Prosser and Dowell are against a proposed charter for the city ---- Proposition K on the June ballot ---- and all but Lowery and O'Doherty supported building a highway interchange at Rancho Del Oro Road and Highway 78.

All of the candidates said they were against a proposal to cut city funding of KOCT-TV community television from $637,000 to $137,000.

The forum was moderated by William Ims, a real estate agent.

Call staff writer Ray Huard at 760-901-4062