Council awards seat to political newcomer

Torus Tammer

Samuel Lew has lived in Fountain Valley for 18 years in relative

anonymity, but that ended Tuesday night when he was thrust into the

spotlight after being appointed to the seat left vacant by former

Councilman Chuck Conlosh.

A telephone-service technician, Lew, 47, won the 3-1 vote, with

Councilman Guy Carrozzo dissenting, for the seat that Conlosh forfeited

after violating the state’s 60 day absentee law.

After being sworn in on Tuesday night, Lew said he welcomes the

appointment.

“I felt that any of the candidates could have won the position and I

am very honored and humbled by the outcome,” Lew said. “There were some

very good candidates who had some great ideas for Fountain Valley.”

Indeed, Lew’s appointment comes as somewhat of a surprise as many

predicted that Cheryl Brothers, the third-highest vote getter in last

November’s election had the inside track.

Conlosh’s seat became vacant in February after he failed to attend

several successive council meetings. Previously in January he resigned

from the Huntington Beach Police Department and checked himself into a

hospital psychiatric ward.

Although Lew admits that he is somewhat of a neophyte when it comes to

politics, having only served on the city’s Housing and Community

Development Advisory Board for the past year, he says that doesn’t mean

he hasn’t been aware of the issues.

“My wife, family and I have lived here for 18 years and I have always

wanted to be an active participant in the city,” Lew said. “When my wife

and I chose to have kids, we decided to be an active part of their lives,

which for a long time, ruled out the possibility of being seriously

involved in the city. Now that my daughter is off to college and my son

is about to graduate from college, we decided that it was time.”

The council chose to appoint a replacement to the vacant seat rather

than hold a special election with a potential price tag of up to $60,000.

Eleven applicants interviewed for the spot on Friday.

After mulling over the options for three days, the council reconvened

Tuesday night and selected Lew to serve until the next general election

in November 2002.

The decision was not unanimous though.

Guy Carrozzo, who has been opposed to having the seat filled for less

then the full four-year term, stood his ground Tuesday night once again

and spoke up in support of Brothers.”I do want to give my congratulations

to Mr. Lew,” Carrozzo said. “But I have to go on record and say that I

still subscribe to the theory Cheryl Brothers should have the seat for

the full term.”

Mayor Larry Crandall and the remaining council members Laurann Cook

and John Collins all expressed how difficult the decision was to make,

but that they look forward to working with Lew. Crandall added that Lew

is a man of great integrity and that was one of the criteria he

considered in the selection process.”I have listened to my constituents

who called and e-mailed me,” Crandall said. “I feel that I am being

responsible and responsive. Sam (Lew) has given a lot to Fountain Valley

High School and has volunteered in the community for countless hours. He

is a great father and family man who has exceptional qualities and I feel

he will make a great councilman.”

Lew, who will officially take his seat at the the next council meeting

on April 3, said after adjusting to the new position, it will be straight

to business where he said he will employ a straight-forward approach.

“I have no personal or political agendas to promote,” Lew said. “I

plan to do the best that I can do for Fountain Valley so that it remains

such a nice place to live.”