Pat yourself on the back, members of the Tustin City Council. You got through another year without much trouble; at least none that we noticed with the pandemic breathing down our necks. The city is lucky to have you. What, with all the remote meetings that most people couldn’t figure out how to log into, you could have really done some damage and you didn’t. Thank you.

The last meeting of the year is pretty pro forma. Send off the lame ducks and welcome the new crew in their place. Letitia Clark will be hanging around for another 4 years. She will be joined on the dais by veteran Beckie Gomez and newcomer Ryan Gallagher. Of course, you have those bastion of good ol’ boys, Barry Cooper and Austin Lumbard, to round things out. it should be an interesting year.

Tustinites finally righted a terrible wrong foisted on them eight years ago by Three Amigos. As a parting shot of total disrespect to the city of Tustin and the remaining city council members, then Mayor Jerry Amante talked his cronies into putting a salary elimination proposal on the ballot. At the time, the city was pretty fed up with the boys and that dissatisfaction resonated -in the form of a yes vote- with the electorate of the city. I’m sure I saw Jerry skipping with glee down the sidewalk of city hall as he left for the last time. Too bad he didn’t slip and break his neck.

Fast forward to 2020 and, lo and behold, the residents of this fine city saw the error of their ways. In an overwhelming 2 to 1 vote in favor, salaries were restored to the Tustin City Council. Rightfully, the stipend the city councilmembers will be paid is sans the old healthcare and retirement benefits. It will be above and beyond any out-of-pocket expenses paid by the city. Considering the amount of work a city councilmember does, even in our quiet burg, the $600 per month stipend is well deserved. Don’t spend it all in one place, guys.

In a way, I am sorry to see Chuck Puckett and Alan “Doc” Bernstein go. They have served the city well, even though Alan had trouble making a two line speech without looking at his notes. Chuck is an oldtimer and brought a wealth of knowledge to the dais, even though he associated himself with the conservatives. I honestly think it was his years of expertise and public service that moved the city council along most of the time.

So, for the first time in a long time, we have a fairly young city council that, I hope, will work together in keeping our city the great place it is to live. The most immediate threat to that, of course, is keeping our businesses afloat during the pandemic. Another immediate threat that needs to be reigned in is city staff. This city council has an opportunity to take a more hands on approach to city business, making sure the city manager and his staff are in tune with the residents of the city, not doing things the way they see fit. That will be helped along by some internal staff changes that have recently occurred. It wouldn’t hurt if they made a few more.

What with three new councilmembers and reinstatement of stipends for the work expected of them, Tustin City Council is off to a good start. I’m sure Chuck is wishing them well (after he breathes a sigh of relief) as the step up to the dais. We wish them good luck in their coming term. And, you can be assured we’ll hold their feet to the fire.