CSMFO Past-President Highlight, Howard Longballa, 1998
I recently had the pleasure to catch up with Howard Longballa and get some of his insights for our Past Presidents series. More current CSMFO members will know Howard as a commercial member with the HdL Companies as a Principal (Sales Taxes). For more seasoned municipal finance professionals, you may recall seeing Howard back at the 1986 Claremont conference. He recalls that there was no professional assistance, and the Registration Chair asked for assistance onsite at the conference.
Once you flash forward some years, Howard presided as President of CSMFO, and notes his fondest memories to be of the friendships, helpfulness, and professionalism displayed by all while bonding during his tenure as a Board Member, President-Elect, and then President in 1998. On the subject of mentors, he shared his fortune to have silent mentors (I think many will recognize these names) Bob Biery, George Ferrone, Nancy Hicks, Barbara Steckel, etc. In his words, “My hope is that maybe I was a silent mentor to others.”
As finance professionals, now and again, we could all use a reminder that we need to take care of ourselves and de-stress. Howard shared the importance of family, pets, a morning and afternoon outdoor walk, working out at a gym, when and if possible, and hobbies such as golf, playing an instrument, gardening, etc.
I should share Howard and I met at a San Gabriel Valley chapter meeting long ago when I was in Burbank starting my engagement with CSMFO and he was Finance Director/City Treasurer in Alhambra. Howard continues to remain involved in CSMFO and attends the San Gabriel Valley chapter meetings representing HdL as a vendor representative at the annual conference and attending the Past President’s Dinner. He has now been with HdL for eleven years.
When asked “As a past president what are you most proud of accomplishing?” Here is what Howard noted. 1) Succeeding in getting special district members to become full voting members (he shared they were just a few votes shy of allowing them to hold Board and higher positions at the time); 2) after a long hiatus, re-involving commercial/vendor members back into our Annual Conference with booths and minor event sponsorship and 3) establishing a relationship with Arizona GFOA – Howard hosted them at his conference and then he attended the Arizona conference.
Howard’s advice to new municipal finance professionals would be to get involved in CSMFO early in your career and enroll in every educational/mentoring program offered by CSMFO.
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Joan Michaels Aguilar began her career in municipal government over 40 years ago and is now a Principal with the sales tax team at HdL Companies. Joan served as the 2019 CSMFO President and has worked for a variety of agencies throughout California and been active for many years in CSMFO on a variety of committees (Administration, Budget, Membership, Communications, and various Host Committees). Currently, Joan is one of the Senior Advisors of the Communications Committee. Even during these trying pandemic times, she enjoys travel and has recently discovered the National Parks’ beauty, visiting four in the past six months.
