Ellery Deaton
If elected to the City Council, I will lead Old Town and Surfside into the future bringing seasoned, reasonable leadership to the council to ensure that our community’s vision for the future becomes reality. Since the future of the District depends on voters choosing a strong and effective leader, please consider what those who have worked with me have to say:
“As Planning Commissioner, Ellery Deaton has been unanimously elected Chairwoman for four years in a row by me and our fellow Commissioners because of her fair and independent leadership style. She is an able and proven consensus builder.”
Erin Bello, Planning Commissioner
“I’m supporting Ellery because she listens, does the research, and makes fair, well thought out decisions. That’s leadership!”
Seretta Fielding, Business Owner, Growing Tree Pre-School
“As Planning Commissioner, Ellery has shown she is a strong leader who puts our Community first. Her years as a teacher are evident in her respectful leadership style.”
Bill Ayers, Man of the Year 2010
“Ellery digs deep, asks the right questions, and finishes the work to benefit Old Town and Surfside. We need her leadership on the City Council.”
Barbara Barton, EQCB and Former City Council Woman, Old Town/Surfside
Leadership is sharing the vision of the community and having the know-how to make it happen. Being active in the community and serving in local service organizations has given me a deep appreciation of what’s important to our District. Knowing what our folks want is only a beginning. It takes understanding the issues, spotting problems, asking the tough questions, and having a good working relationship with the rest of the council to get the job done.
As Planning Commissioner for the past eight years, I have put vision and know-how into action to get the business of the City done in a timely, reasonable, and effective way.
As we move into the future, experienced leadership is essential to attain our goals:
• Reign in spending and keep our financial position strong,
• Finish the DWP project, with 70% open space and 30% development that is compatible with our small town,
• Beautify Main Street by removing unsightly newspaper racks, keeping our benches, improving the lighting for safety and attractiveness, and keeping the pavement even and clean,
• Protect our small town charm. Outsiders notice it immediately because it is so rare and so easily and quickly lost. We are different; we are a unique, charming small town and everything from beach events to planning public facilities needs to reflect who we are,
• Finish our Local Coastal Plan. I am Vice-Chairwoman of the committee working to finish the plan so the Local Coastal Commission will no longer hold up our pier repairs, storm drain improvements, and home improvements.
With your vote, I’ll bring proven leadership to the council to ensure that our community’s vision for the future becomes reality.
I ask for your vote to lead us into the future.
Questions? Call Ellery 562-743-4355 or visit www.ElectEllery.com.
Joe Kalmick
The future is often difficult to predict. We look at what occurred in the past, see where we are today, and make the assumption of what will follow. But as we have seen time and time again that’s not what usually happens. So how do we in Seal Beach plan for the future, given the uncertainties that we face?
As the District 1 Councilman, I would want to maintain the current conservative fiscal policy, which has seen no city employee layoffs while infrastructure improvements continue to be made.
What we can do, though, is have plans in place for the amenities and programs that we would like to see happen. This would be through the budget process, grant applications, or bond issues. Then as funding permits, the projects would be “shovel ready.” Our community cannot remain stagnant.
The next generation of Old Town residents is here now, and they want shopping and dining amenities here in town, as well as recreation and entertainment venues. To this end I would hold neighborhood meetings where residents could bring their ideas and concerns forward in a relaxed and positive atmosphere. I would encourage a more business friendly attitude at City Hall, so that prospective new businesses could know very clearly up front what their requirements and costs would be. This would allow them to open in a timely manner and preserve their capital for operating their business.
Most important, what I would endeavor to do for the people of Old Town and Surfside is to work for decisions that are more inclusive. Quite frankly, when I hear “WE don’t want this or that” or “this is what WE want” I’m concerned that the WE doesn’t include as many of us as it should.
Not everyone will always be happy about every decision and every vote, but if we reach reasonable compromises, Seal Beach and Old Town as we move into the future will be just fine.
