Dave Brooks
Don Hansen did everything right.
He shored up the big name endorsements, raised plenty of money,
stayed out of trouble and, most importantly, was able to drum up
enough votes to secure himself a spot on the dais.
The election went perfectly according to plan he said, unlike his
2002 attempt where he came up short by just 274 votes.
"That was probably one of the worst feelings in the world," he
said during the recent election night while he watched the votes come
in.
His biggest asset this year was that he was able to keep his
political base in tact and pick up another 5,000 votes to help usher
him onto the council. Hansen portrays himself as a pro-business
family man with conservative values.
"I've been a Republican since I was registered to vote," the
32-year-old said.
Born in Arizona, Hansen is a USC graduate and a father of one with
another on the way. He works as an executive for Balboa Capitol in
Irvine and has served on a number of city boards including the Public
Works Commission and the Finance Board.
His tenure serving the city has helped him set the stage to usher
in what he refers to as "long-term economic development of the city."
Hansen's vision for Huntington Beachis to create retail spaces and
development to capture local sales tax revenue and expand the city's
tourism industry.
He received support from a number of heavy hitters in the tourism
industry, including Steve Bone, president of the Robert Mayer Corp.,
which owns the Waterfront Hilton and Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach
Resort & Spa.
"I think Hansen has the background in business and government to
understand the community and to realize that quality development is
in the best interest of the city," Bone said, adding that the council
needs to "bring revenue to the city through development that adds
quality the residents can also enjoy."
To do that, Hansen said, the city government needs to change it's
attitude toward development and openly collaborate to renew the
city's retail corridors, especially Beach Boulevard and South
Brookhurst Avenue.
"Let's do our best to articulate what the community standards are
and give people clear roadmaps on what will work for Huntington
Beach," he said. "If you come in with a project and it fits in right
down the middle, the process should be fairly easy."
Hansen said he won't normally budge on his pro-property rights
stance, but said he also supports environmental measures to protect
the coastline and water quality.
