Why I Am Running

You may have heard I’m running for re-election to the Manhattan Beach City Council on November 3, 2020. Three seats are up with two incumbents running (me and Steve Napolitano). I have earned and maintained your trust with 25 years of community service and 12 years of Council service. I hope i can count on your continued support!

As a business owner and MB resident for over three decades, I’m heavily invested in the future of our city and I have a proven history of helping local businesses and residents.

Since rejoining the MB Council in 2017, I worked with the new council majority to correct many of the financial and structural issues that were inherited.

These Include (partial):

• Cutting $500,000 in unnecessary staff payroll
• Returned City Hall to a five-day week operation
• Invested $1 million in security enhancements for our schools
• Reestablished a relationship with the MBUSD School Board
• Reduced expensive outside consultants
• Repaved neglected streets & installed “Flashing Crosswalks”
• Installed and Increased the number of Automated License PlateReaders to aid our police
• Brought in a balanced City budget for the past three years with strong and experienced fiscal management
• Added over $5 million to our reserve account
• Maintained our AAA Credit Rating
• Joined Los Angeles International Airport Noise Round Table and Hawthorne Airport Noise Committee to address “increased airplane noise over our city”!
• Voted to hire additional police personnel and additional safety equipment
• Voted to allow “outdoor dining” on our streets to help our restaurants survive during the Pandemic.
• Voted to “waive all parking meter fees for our retail businesses and restaurants during the Pandemic.”
• Made the successful motion to begin enforcing lack of facial coverings in our city.
• Proposed and voted on the new police officers “Foot Beat Patrol” in downtown MB. Added safety for our residents, businesses and visitors.

I committed to you in 2017 to be as careful with City finances as with my family’s finances. As your Councilman and Mayor, I have kept that promise.

However, with the continuation of the Pandemic and the daul stress of lost sales tax revenue and increased pension costs, our challenges continue.

I am a local business owner and 32-year Manhattan Beach resident. I have dedicated myself over those 32 years to helping neighbors, fellow residents, local businesses, supporting the MBEF, our outstanding schools, and local non-profits. As a Chamber of Commerce member, I have been involved in supporting our Downtown and other merchants.

As a former reserve police officer, I pledge to strongly support the continued delivery of superb public safety services.

Fully Fund MBPD. No outsourcing of MBFD.

As your Mayor during the Great Recession and now a pandemic, I have a proven track record of “getting things done” and would be honored to receive your vote November 3rd.

Please email me at Richard@Montgomery4Council.org