In recent months, City Councilman Michael Keegan became Hermosa Beach’s newest mayor. As one of two newcomers to public office, this tenure at the helm marks Keegan’s first time as mayor, which is a rotating seat spanning nine months. Keegan this week sat down with The Beach Reporter and talked about several issues ranging from the budget and a school gym to turning Hermosa Beach into a completely wireless city.

The Beach Reporter: As the city’s newest mayor, what do you feel are some of the biggest issues affecting Hermosa Beach?

Keegan: Our biggest issue is the funding reduction from the state. The state cut our current budget by more than $250,000 and now we must make cuts in our approved budget. Other issues include finding the funding for continued reconstruction of our city streets and sewers. Many times these items get pushed back when budget cuts are necessary. Additionally, we need to protect our city’s interests on our border with Redondo Beach. Their recent passage of a redevelopment area as part of the Heart of the City development is very concerning. Their use of a 1992 environmental impact study is wrong. The council will address this by the appropriate action.

You recently introduced the idea of making the entire city of Hermosa Beach completely wireless. For those who don’t know what this means, what will the project provide the city?

We are looking at establishing a wireless Internet system for the entire city, which will carry the Internet at broadband speed. We are currently engineering this at the City Hall/police/fire station area, Hermosa Valley School and the downtown pier area to start. We have a company that is donating the bulk of the equipment and engineering for these areas, which is a testing ground for further implementation. We need to get these sections up and running, test their capabilities and then work toward full citywide implementation. I have been in contact with corporate benefactors who want to sponsor this implementation.

You recently received some backlash for a proposal in which you suggested the city possibly look into a joint land venture with the School District to buy part or all of Marineland Mobile Home Park for the partial placement of a new gym. How do you respond to this?

The purchase was based on the need for the school to increase its pupils’ open space guidelines set by the state. The City Council is elected to lead and provide direction for the entire city. The school needs a small portion of adjacent land to meet the state’s guidelines. Adjacent land is for sale, so I believed it was imperative to take a lead role in exploring a potentially large harmful land sale. The land is for sale for $32 per square foot. Recent land sales in the adjacent Valley neighborhood are selling for up to $200 per square foot. This could have been a wise investment over a long period of time. A new private owner will cause the property taxes of the occupants to go up 600 percent. The city/school venture would keep taxes down at current levels for the Marineland residents. Except for a few short-term leases of less than four years, almost all these residents are on month-to-month leases. City/school ownership might allow for longer leases, thus stabilizing the future tenancy for these residents. I believe that we need to take an active role in the future of our schools and the evolution of our city.

This is your first time as mayor and first time in office for that matter. What do you plan on doing as mayor?

I will continue to pursue new ideas and new technologies for our city and residents. I will run our council meetings in a businesslike manner while listening to the residents’ concerns and ideas. I will work with residents and other council members to bring good ideas to fruition. I will spend the necessary time to attend meetings outside our city. I will lobby and be an advocate to our local, regional and state legislators for capital improvement dollars and monies for needed services. Along the way, I hope to have some fun.

The city could face a $1 million shortfall in its budget. What do you think are some of your solutions to balancing it?

We will examine all our costs for goods and services provided, and adjust fees accordingly. With my fellow council members, we will look to extend the dates of retirement of the city’s equipment. This will allow us to use monies in the equipment replacement fund to fill gaps in our budget. Additionally, I will see that we reduce the amount of spending on overtime in our public safety budgets. I think substantial saving can be found in this area. On the revenue side, we will step up parking enforcement and install additional parking meters. I will continue to work with our local business community to help them attract more business and increase our sales tax base.

As a successful local business owner, what do you feel can be done to stimulate Hermosa’s local economy and revitalize various commercial corridors around town?

I think Hermosa Beach is a great place for business. We are making changes to our commercial C-1 zoning to allow more mixed-use developments that include a residential ownership element. This should help spark redevelopment of older existing uses and increase our property tax base. We will soon see a state-of-the-art 24-Hour Fitness Center open at the Hermosa Pavilion. Additionally, a new restaurant and high-end specialty wine store are said to be going in the ground floor with construction being finished next summer.

As a new council member, what has surprised you the most since taking office?

I am surprised by the amount of time it takes to move ideas to completion. With public noticing, posting agendas, the Brown Act requirements and other council persons’ time constraints, items take time to move through the system. What might seem like an easy fix sometimes takes months to be heard and acted upon. I look forward to serving as mayor for the residents of Hermosa Beach and will continue to work hard to keep Hermosa the special community-involved city it is.