Hadley Got Her Vote But Not Now For Manhattan Beach Mayor

MANHATTAN BEACH, CA — Editor's Note: A longtime Manhattan Beach resident, who grew up here, outlines why she thinks Mayor Pro Tem Suzanne Hadley should wait to serve as mayor and not take over the mayorship on Tuesday, Dec. 1.

Dear Ms Hadley and MB City Council,

I wanted to speak with you personally Ms Hadley, and I direct this letter to you as someone who I know loves our wonderful city. I’d like you to consider graciously deferring your mayorship for 6 months because this would best serve the needs of Manhattan Beach in this unprecedented time. Keeping our existing mayor on would ensure continuity in a time when things are changing daily. As someone who voted for you I absolutely believe we should honor our tradition of mayoral rotation, but it would be best for the next rotation to begin in 6 months.

I’ve read the letters in support of you and been saddened that this discussion of the rotation has devolved into accusations of partisanship, with some really ugly comments being made about our fellow residents. Growing up here, we never spoke to our neighbors this way! As I understand it, MB city council is nonpartisan. I voted for you irrespective of your party because I liked what you said about public safety and growing our restaurants and small businesses.

Given that you emphasized public safety, I was flabbergasted when you said publicly that “the role of government is not to prevent death”. Public safety means protecting citizens from harm, and the ultimate harm is death, isn’t it? Many folks defended you and said your comments were taken out of context, but when I wrote you and asked you to clarify your comments for the public record at the July 21 Council meeting you ignored me and you missed an opportunity to create citizen confidence in your leadership and your ability to speak publicly for the city. At this time, you also fought mask compliance, emphasizing “personal responsibility” when your duty as a leader is to promote the common good.

It was disappointing to me as well when you chose to use your leadership to begin a campaign on Nextdoor to reopen MB schools. I’m the proud product of Meadows, Begg and Aviation and my mom taught at Meadows for 30+ years, so I understand how our excellent schools are central to our community. My pride matches anyone’s. (Ask my partner - I’ve been asking “what about the schools??!!” since March.) But your campaign served to undercut the educational professionals who have been working 24/7 to find a safe way to open schools; you did nothing to lead with your support. Instead you created confusion and said you spoke only as a “mom”, ignoring your fiduciary duty to serve the best interests of all of MB. Rather than preparing to be mayor, you chose to squander your time (3 weeks plus!) on an issue in which you have no authority.

Teachers are a valued part of our community as well, yet you don’t seem to respect their voices. Calling the MBUTA "the issue that dare not raise its name”, you seemed afraid to raise the issue at the October 6 council meeting, adding unnecessary drama. (The schools discussion wasn’t an agenda item either, but you chose to bring it up without consent.) You have been on the Schools subcommittee - why would you choose to take this issue to social media rather than work through existing structures? Why not ask for a meeting of the schools subcommittee?
(I haven't seen a meeting on the calendar yet either, although the Mayor asked you to schedule one.) Why not try to find a way to help teachers feel safe? Your backdoor approach did nothing to help, and made teachers into the enemy, when the enemy is COVID.

Your recent letter said you would represent all of MB, yet in your actions you’ve chosen to speak for a vocal subset at the expense of other constituents. My family has lived and owned property in East MB since 1960, so I'm dismayed that you didn't want to provide the same service of mask compliance officers at Polliwog Park, instead wanting to confine compliance to downtown and the Strand. I'm at Polliwog almost every day but I've never seen compliance officers there, and the signage regarding masking has not been updated since the fine was $1000, months ago. When you do become mayor I hope you won’t continue to disregard those of us who live “east of Sepulveda”.

Why not take this gift of 6 months to talk with residents you haven't had the chance to talk to? You could do a “ride-along” with Mayor Montgomery to help build the relationships you’ll need to lead our city and get to know the levers of government. You could spend some time talking to the healthcare workers who live in MB, and the retired folks who are concerned about going out because there’s not enough mask compliance, in addition to our beloved teachers. You might craft an initiative that brings our city together so that we can better take care of our neighbors. The loudest voices are not always the best voices for a leader to follow.

Ms Hadley, I’m sure you know that whatever happens, lots of folks will be scrutinizing you. I trust that our Council will do what's best for our City, and no matter what happens I'll continue to keep you all in prayer. We have a fine tradition of community spirit here in MB and I pray that your leadership will honor that.

Thank you for hearing me out and thanks to Council and Staff for caring for our city.

Respectfully Submitted,
Alissa Marquis
Manhattan Beach

This article originally appeared on the Manhattan Beach Patch