A white paper is an informative report that explains a complex issue and presents the sponsor’s philosophy on the matter. These documents are meant to help readers understand an issue, solve a problem, or make a decision.
Why We Need New Leadership–A Realistic Vision for Economic Development
Leadership begins with a vision, and then a plan is developed to carry it out. Seaside is the largest city on the peninsula, but culturally, we are behind. We have no movie theaters, no live productions except on the CSUMB campus, a music venue that seats 120 people (Deja Blue), no museums, and an art gallery consisting of one display case at city hall. There is no plan for the arts. and thus no plan to attract tourists whose spending will help us offset the current budget deficits (10/25). Our current mayor doesn’t address the arts in the vision statement on his website.
My first act upon joining the city council was to request a discussion of the vision for the Downtown area (1/2023). The council rejected my suggestion to discuss hiring a firm to help rejuvenate the downtown (2/2023). I pushed on, and two months later, a discussion item about the vision for Seaside was added to the agenda. Instead of a discussion of a vision, the lack of water and the idea that it’s up to businesses to act became the discussion’s theme. In my newsletter, I discussed government-private partnerships (4/2023).
The consequences of not having a vision were clear in 7/2024, when there was a vote to approve a cannabis store in downtown Seaside. We need businesses that attract tourists. Despite my no vote, the proposal passed with a narrow 3-2 margin. In 2/2026, I proposed a business improvement district, which was tabled and will be considered as part of the strategic plan being developed by the City manager — the first plan since I have been on the council.
An in-depth discussion of the items above can be found in the Seaside Inside Newsletter and at alexhmiller.com. The dates above correspond to the newsletter’s month.
Part of my Vision For Seaside
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Multicultural District at the end of Broadway |
Seaside is the most multicultural city on the Monterey Peninsula.. So, let’s create a Multicultural District. We have parking at Deja Blue, and so far, we have a Mexican Seafood restaurant, a Soul Food restaurant, a Chinese restaurant, a Mexican restaurant, and a coffee shop. |
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Seaside/Ft Ord Interactive History Museum. |
Seaside, in cooperation with organizations involved in Fort Ord history, could establish the museum. Students and visitors could experience what it was like at a military training base and “enjoying ” C rations. The purpose would be understanding, not glorification, of war. |
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Hispanic Plaza |
We desperately need a Hispanic plaza with pop-up wine tastings, music, and street performers. There are open spaces on Lower Broadway where we could create the plaza. |
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Theater |
Many of our older residents remember the movie theater downtown. Let’s create one that shows classic movies and, in collaboration with the CSUMB drama department, hosts live theater. |
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Seaside Amphitheater and Cultural Center |
The Seaside Amphitheater and Cultural Center would include a 2,000-seat amphitheater facing Monterey Bay, several classrooms, and a multipurpose room that would hold 300 people. The complex would be surrounded by gardens. Cottage industries, including wedding planners, caterers, and party supply businesses would thrive from being associated with the center. Funding would come from private-government partnerships. |
Why We Need New Leadership–Economic Issues
Seaside is growing. As Campus Town and other developments come online, our city’s population will grow, as will the need for city services. Yet the City Manager has warned us that we cannot sustain growth. In the 2026-2027 budget, we froze 20 positions, resulting in overworked city employees. He has said that we can’t cut any more employees without drastic cuts in services. It looks like the only source of new revenues is the TOT tax, and that won’t solve our problem.
We are in this position because the current leader of Seaside has refused to work to generate more revenue. Our mayor has done very little to tap into the millions of dollars in tourist spending headed for Monterey, Carmel, and Pebble Beach. Also, he has done little to bring CSUMB students and parents into our downtown. Budget cuts and deficits are the new reality.
Mr. Mayor, as the elected leader of this city, you own this failure.
Samples of wasted resources from January 2023 to the present can be found in the Seaside Inside Newsletter at https://alexhmiller.com/monthly-newsletters-containing-insights-about-the-seaside-city-council/ The dates below correspond to the month of the newsletter.
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Date |
Cost to City |
Item |
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2/2023
9/2023
4/2024
5/2024
6/2024
5/2025 |
We gave away our taxing power with little in return
It is estimated that we gave away 1.5-2 million dollars based on land sales close to the property.
$63,000 approved after the fact
$850,000 wasted because of bad city management
Reduced Services
Reduced services |
I voted no on the hotel tax because Seaside hotels would contribute close to a million dollars yearly to the Monterey County Tourism Improvement District– all we were promised was a yearly report.
The City Council gave away our land to the state to build a courthouse. Only four council members were present, and the vote to give the land away was 3-1 (I abstained).
A special council was hired with a salary cap of $24,000. He hired a firm to help investigate city personnel, and they charged $63,000. This never went out to bid and the city council approved of the $63,000 payment. I was the only dissenting vote.
The management of the Main Gate project was blotched by the city. In turn, the contractor, who had a weak case, sued and the city settled for $850,000.
Budget freeze, Eleven positions not filled
Budget requests had to be trimmed by $4.6 million. That meant freezing 20 staff positions, leaving staffing levels about 11% below fully staffed. We can’t cut any more employees without drastic cuts in services. |
Why We Need New Leadership–Management
The most important duty of a mayor is to listen and to treat people with respect. This listening includes comments from the public, ideas from employees, and suggestions from the city commissions, and culminates in decisions that are transparent and fair. In my opinion, this is not the case with our current administration.
An in-depth discussion of the items below can be found in the Seaside Inside Newsletter and at alexhmiller.com. The dates correspond to the newsletter’s month.
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Date |
Counterproductive Actions |
Issue |
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3/2023
4/2023
3/23 11/24
9/25
10/25
2/26 |
Mayor with council’s approval provides distraction rather that confront issues
Censure views that don’t agree with the majority
Our mayor doesn’t provide a structure to listen to the community or employees
The mayor and council members with little or no expertise on the issue are posing as experts.
Without agreed upon rules, outcomes are unfair.
All proposals must be open for public comment, and then the council decides on the best.
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The City Manager and I agreed that the C Jobs Commission could take on the task of forming a downtown business district. At the 3/16 meeting, I asked that this item be placed on the next council agenda for discussion. The council decided not to do this, citing the need to hire our Economic Development Director first which has nothing to do with the request.
The mayor and the council attempted to censure me for this comment on my FB page: “It’s unfortunate the City Council is unwilling to hire a professional or allow one of our city commissions to help with the revitalization. It appears our council is ok with businesses leaving, vacant buildings and allowing boarded-up buildings to sit untouched. I think we can do better, and I will keep on fighting for a vibrant downtown like what we deserve.”
In February and March of 2023, the city lost key employees, including the HR director, the assistant City Manager, and the assistant public works director. In November 2024, the city began searching for a new manager, but it had no plan for community input.
There were many problems with car week so I suggested creating a task force to provide suggestions for improvement. You can imagine my surprise when after I suggested creating a task force, the mayor said, “We are the task force.”
The system to award Community social service grants was replaced with a free-for-all. Since there was no agreed-upon criteria, council members created funding numbers on the dais based on individual opinions, existing relationships, and differing personal priorities. This was unfair.
Proposals for the Mian Gate project were decided in closed session without public input. The public will never see the three rejected proposals.
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