DANA POINT : Old Issues Face New Park Board Members

Two nagging city issues spilled over this fall into the race for two seats on the city’s park board of directors: the Headlands and the General Plan.

The result, in part, was the election of Toni Gallagher, who campaigned primarily on preserving open space on the Headlands, one of the largest undeveloped coastal parcels left in the county. Gallagher, 44, one of the few people who live on the Headlands, was the top finisher among an unprecedented 10 candidates for the Capistrano Bay Park and Recreation District board.

Gallagher called her win a “landslide victory for more open space in Dana Point” and said she would like to see the General Plan revised to reflect that view.

“Park space is a function of open space,” said Gallagher, a 14-year city resident. “I think the results showed the community wants the park district funds used for the benefit of our local families, not to attract more tourists. But I also think I got a mandate from the people who want much more park space on the last undeveloped parcel in Dana Point, the Headlands.”

Joining Gallagher as a new member of the park board--which is an independent organization that oversees parks, medians and recreational activities within the city--will be Tom Crump, 63, a retired 11-year Dana Point resident who lives in the Monarch Beach area of the city.

Crump, who was persuaded to run by fellow Monarch Beach resident and outgoing board member Harry Otsubo, did not campaign on a particular issue.

“I just want to listen to the community and give the people a voice,” he said. “I know that sounds like a cliche, but it is true.”

Crump is opposed to consolidating the park district with the city under one rule by the City Council, an idea Gallagher said she would like to see studied before she offers an opinion.

Gallagher is definitely opposed to another lingering park district issue--the proposed district purchase of a historic downtown building. Crump said he thinks a commercial enterprise is ready to step up and buy the building, relieving the district of that potential burden.