Endorsement: Support Long Beach Democratic team for City Council on Tuesday

Eight years ago, the Republican coalition team that included incumbent City Council candidates Thomas Sofield Jr. and Mona Goodman wrested control from the Democratic majority — and they did so again in 2007, in the wake of an unpopular 25 percent tax increase.

Since then, the Republican coalition has, for the most part, held the line on taxes, and the recent Moody’s bond rating was commendable.

But with fiscal responsibility has come a lack of transparency and accountability, which has alienated parts of the community. Increasingly, the coalition’s successes have been eclipsed by allegations of cronyism in hiring and retribution against city officials and employees who got the ax.

Numerous lawsuits have mired the city in litigation and petty public squabbles, while efforts to finalize contracts with the police and firefighters unions have remained at an impasse for several years. The announcement last year that Nassau D.A. Kathleen Rice would investigate possible criminal activity by members of the embattled Long Beach Civil Service Commission, after a state report identified numerous problems in its operations, has cast a pall over the city, despite any steps taken by the administration to address the issue.

The coalition’s goal of keeping taxes in check is vital, but it must be accompanied by spending cuts. Did we really need pay raises, however minimal, for non-union employees in tough economic times? The administration’s plan to cut overtime in city departments makes sense, but it has led to some questionable efforts to reach that goal. Most recently, as we report this week, a State Supreme Court judge found that the city manager violated civil service law by assigning firefighters (who lacked supervisory training) to serve as acting lieutenants in the paid Fire Department.

It’s time for a change. We believe that Democratic candidates Fran Adelson, incumbent Len Torres and newcomer Scott Mandel can bring some positive energy and new ideas that will benefit the city in the years ahead.