ENCINITAS – The Cardiff Kook was transformed into a memorial for longtime councilwoman Maggie Houlihan, 63, who lost her battle with cancer Sept. 16, 2011.
Early morning joggers and surfers, walkers and drivers got a good look at the myriad of symbols that personalized the political figure in the community.
Stuffed dogs, cats and a horse adorned the infamous statue along South Coast Highway in Cardiff as a testament to her love for all animals. “She would have been thrilled to see that the dog park (at the Encinitas Community Park) is finally being realized,” said longtime friend Laurie Michaels. “Maggie loved and protected those that needed it most.”
Much has happened in the city that Houlihan called home for decades and Michaels had a sense about how she would have felt. “She would not have been surprised that the council did not appoint her choice to replace her after her death,” Michaels said. In fact, the City Council voted 3-1, with Teresa Barth opposing, to appoint Mark Muir rather than several other applicants for the position, including Houlihan’s choice, Lisa Shaffer. Shaffer is now a candidate in this year’s City Council election.
Just before her third successful bid for the council, Houlihan clarified some of her platform and the issues she was passionate about. Houlihan said she was motivated to continue serving the community to maintain her strong record of accomplishment in encouraging citizen participation, transparent government and fostering partnerships between community groups in the city’s best interest. She cited the revitalization of the Cultural Tourism Committee, which puts on the annual garden tour and festival as an example.
Houlihan’s primary issues in that race, which proved less contentious than her 2004 bid, centered on development and community. “Preserving the quality of life and the character of our five distinct communities is paramount,” she said. She said she believed the path to community character leads through good planning. “We’ve got to close development loopholes and review our ordinances to make sure the kind of development that overwhelms the community isn’t allowed,” she said in a previous interview.
“Maggie was for managed growth and development, a transparent government that was responsive to the people and she always showed respect to her constituents,” Michaels said. “She really was the most attentive council person who always did her homework and knew exactly what the issues were and what impacts the council’s decisions would have on the community.”
Always a champion for the environment, Houlihan called for acquisition of open space for park land and habitat preservation. She remembers purchasing the Hall property for a “community park.” “We are moving through the process and that involves public opinion,” she said during her last campaign. “I think we’re going to end up with a community amenity.”
Indeed, Houlihan lived long enough to see several of her predictions come true. The council in fact named the former Hall property “Encinitas Community Park” and recently broke ground on construction.
Houlihan was adamant about preserving the community character of the city by ensuring habitat corridors were maintained to provide traffic relief and serve as a part of the high quality of life in the city. “Environmental quality and economic vitality go hand in hand,” Houlihan said.
Houlihan promoted transparency in government. “It is important that when you are doing the public’s business it’s done in the public arena,” she often said. Houlihan supported the live webcasts of City Council and Planning Commission meetings that began in 2008.
“I’ve said we have to minimize the amount of closed sessions the council has,” she said. “Now we have occasional closed sessions on potential litigation, personnel issues and land purchase negotiations.” The City Council had been criticized in the past for holding sessions not open to the public almost weekly. Some saw it as a violation of the state’s Brown Act that requires a transparent municipal government.
“Leaders need to focus on bringing people together, to facilitate civic participation,” she said. That’s something I’ve always championed.”
Ian Thompson, Houlihan’s husband and friend of nearly 30 years, described her as a natural facilitator in a previous interview. “She had a huge and very vibrant network to employ politically to discuss issues,” he said. “She had an amazing ability to bring people together.”
Despite being one of the most visible council members, Houlihan was often the driving force on many projects that she didn’t take credit for, according to Thompson. “She was very effective behind the scenes,” he said. “She would never just say no to people or an idea. She would always do research, talk to people. She didn’t claim credit for it but was often a support vehicle in that she would get the right people in the right places to come together, and then she would step back and get out of the way.”
Thompson said Houlihan moved at a brisk pace to serve the community. “She pursued all of her interests in the same capacity. Everything was always a hundred and twenty-percent,” he said.
Despite her failing physical heath, Houlihan remained committed to her family, friends, work and community until the end Thompson said. She phoned in on September 7, 2011, just over a week before her death to attend the council meeting. “She was essentially immobile at that time but she was still very astute,” Thompson said. “She would not give up her contribution to the council and to serving the public.”
“She always got the greatest satisfaction from fighting for causes, it was as much the process as the victories that she enjoyed,” Thompson said. He cited a smoking ban on the beach, downtown improvements, purchasing open space as well as the Hall property and addressing issues impacting seniors as some of her major achievements. “She was definitely one for the underdog. Unfortunately, the environment and the ones most vulnerable are the ones at risk. Those are often the ones she would fight for,” Thompson said.
“I think about Maggie everyday,” Michaels said. “She is physically not with us but her spirit is very much alive in Encinitas.”
1 comment
Jerome Stocks is wincing when he sees this. He banned her banners from the city light poles. We need another like her on the city council – DUMP STOCKS DUMP MUIR!!!
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