COUNCIL HOPEFULS FACE OFF CAMPAIGN THEMES IN VIEW.

Byline: Jim Skeen Staff Writer

PALMDALE - The first candidates forum for the Palmdale City Council election produced few specifics on issues, but it did generate barbs on the City Council's blocking of a westside apartment project.

In the forum hosted by the Antelope Valley Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, several candidates faulted the three council members - two of whom are seeking re-election - who blocked a proposed apartment complex at Rancho Vista Boulevard and Avenue O-8. The 3-2 vote blocking the $12 million project is now the subject of a lawsuit.

``Apparently we're putting out the message that apartments are okay on the eastside, but not on the westside,'' said Steve Hofbauer, a former planning commissioner who is running for one of the two council seats. ``Twelve million dollars is a lot of money to put out for a handful of votes.''

Seeking re-election, Mayor Pro Tem Mike Dispenza defended his vote against the project, saying the geography of the project site, a boomerang-shaped parcel on a corner of a busy street, created a potential safety hazard. Dispenza said the site should have been earmarked for senior housing.

``This was never an apartment issue,'' Dispenza said. ``This was always a public safety issue.''

Also speaking against the council's apartment vote was Ollie McCaulley. The candidate said ``no council member is worth $12 million'' and that the vote was ``done for the election, not for the best interest of the city.''

Candidate Steven Buteyn and Mayor Jim Ledford, who is running unopposed for another term as mayor, also critized the vote.

Siding with Dispenza was candidate Garry Cope. Gus Camacho, who represented incumbent Rick Norris at the forum, did not comment on the issue.

After the council's debate on the apartment issue in May, Norris voted against the project, voicing public safety concerns similar to Dispenza's.

While short on specifics, the forum did provide an opportunity for candidates to introduce the themes they will be highlighting in their campaigns leading up to Nov. 4 election.

Dispenza, who operates a State Farm Insurance agency, is seeking a second term on the council. Dispenza said that in his first term, the major focus was on bringing in more retail businesses.

``Now we must turn our attention to bringing in more jobs of an industrial type,'' Dispenza said.

Norris, who owns an export/import company, was elected in a special election on Nov. 7, 2000, to complete three years of an unexpired term.

Camacho said Norris kept the promises he made for his last election, including pushing for improvements and services to the city's eastside; adding more deputies; succesfully lobbying for municipal term limits; and working to bring senior citizens' issues to the forefront.

In the coming term, Norris wants to continue efforts to establish a hospital in Palmdale, bring airline service to the Antelope Valley and push for more retail businesses, particularly on the city's eastside, Camacho said.

McCaulley and Buteyn are running a joint campaign as a law-and-order team. Both are calling for putting more deputies on the street and for expediting the construction of a hospital.

McCaulley is the director of housing and governmental relations for the Community Partnership Development Corp., a Los Angeles-based nonprofit organization that assists with housing programs for disadvantaged people.

``We need an aggressive council person who can work with the council to bring the city to the next level,'' McCaulley said.

Buteyn is a Burbank police officer and former vice president of the Palmdale Republican Assembly. He has also worked as a youth sports coach for 10 years.

``I feel I have a dedication of service to this community,'' Buteyn said. ``I've served the youth of this community as a positive role model.''

Cope is a supply technician for the Army ROTC program at UCLA. He is a member of the Old Town Homeowners Association and a member of the Air Force Plant 42 Environmental Restoration Advisory Board.

``I am for slow growth,'' Cope said. ``We need to keep pace with development in this community so the government entities, safety agencies, can keep pace with that.''

Cope also wants to bring a Challenger Learning Center, a program started by families of the space shuttle Columbia astronauts to encourage children to study science and math, to Palmdale.

Hofbauer is a senior fire inspector with the city of Los Angeles' Fire Department. He served more than 11 years on Palmdale's planning commission.

``I have had a direct and positive impact on the vibrant growth, vitality and success that we are seeing in Palmdale today,'' Hofbauer said. ``If you look around and like what you see, that's the result of good planning. I want to take that to the next level.''

Public safety, including the addition of new fire stations, would be among his major focuses, Hofbauer said.

Mayor Jim Ledford is unopposed in his bid for a seventh term as mayor. Ledford served four years as a Palmdale planning commissioner and two years as a councilman before his 1992 election as mayor.

Jim Skeen, [phone]

james.skeen(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

7 photos

Photo:

(1) BUTEYN

(2) COPE

(3) DISPENZA

(4) HOFBAUER

(5) LEDFORD

(6) McCAULLEY

(7) NORRIS