It was a lot easier for Laura Chick to follow Rick Tuttle as city controller than it is turning out for Wendy Greuel in succeeding Chick. Tuttle was a highly competent, professional controller whose audits read, well, like audits. Chick, on the other hand, recognized the hot button issues and pushed them for all they were worth in generating attention for their contents and for her. But Greuel, who assumes the job July 1, is seen more as a conciliatory type -- a perception she realizes will have to change if she is to be effective. She has held a number of meetings with the controller's staff and is planning a number of town halls to listen to the public on what they want from City Hall. Her first goal, she says, is to develop a report card on how well city agencies have implemented the past audits performed by Chick and make sure they are doing more than gathering dust. And, if she is lucky, she will be able to expose some shortcomings that will enable her to show the indignation that Chick was able to bring to her reports. When Greuel does officially leave her City Council seat, the running of her office is expected to be turned over to a man who has been the councilman for a variety of districts. Avak Keotahian, division head in the Chief Legislative Analyst's Office, has filled in when there have been vacancies for Council District 2 -- after Councilman Joel Wachs left and prior to Greuel's election -- as well in Council Districts 4, 5, 7, 8 and 13. 'I try to leave as much as I can to the existing staff that is left,' Keotahian said. 'They know the community and the needs and are able to handle most of the calls.' Now, he said the job is even easier with the roles of neighborhood councils increasing. 'They get involved and make their recommendations,' Keotahian said. 'And, if there is a dispute, we take it to the council president's office to weigh in.' One thing he has learned in more than 31 years in city service and in serving as the unofficial councilman is that he has no political ambitions of his own. 'No, no and no,' Keotahian. 'I never had ambitions to be a political figure.' The special election to fill Greuel's old Council District 2 seat, which includes the southeastern part of the Valley around Sherman Oaks and Van Nuys, has been set for Sept. 22. The filing period for candidates opens on July 6. With the City Council approving layoffs for city workers leading to the possibility of the city shutting down most of its services on alternate Fridays, questions have developed over what the council will do on those days. The council now meets on Tuesdays, Wednesday and Fridays and is required to meet three days a week under the City Charter. It also has adopted a policy that it will hold a meeting in the San Fernando Valley on the first Friday of each month. Aides to Council President Eric Garcetti said no decision has been made on what the council will do, with the option being kept open of moving the meetings to Thursdays. One thing not expected to change is the show that has dominated Friday meetings with proclamations and presentations. There are usually at least five such events on a Friday and upwards of eight or 10 that have taken up as much as three hours of meeting time. As we wait word for the final returns from the 5th Council District election, former Assemblyman Paul Koretz -- who holds a nearly 800 vote lead over Neighborhood Council leader David Vahedi -- is beginning the work needed to take over the job. Even though Vahedi has yet to concede -- and the two have exchanged phone messages -- Koretz said he planned to begin interviews this past weekend with potential staff members. 'I am not assuming anything, and there might be a lawsuit that delays things, but I do want to have a staff available if I am sworn in on July 1,' Koretz said. The county Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk's Office has said it will have final results by June 19, but Vahedi has hinted at possible legal challenges. Koretz said he hopes to hire a chief of staff first, to help in all other hiring that will include deputies for planning and other issues. Also, he is looking at the possibility of keeping one to three of the aides to Councilman Jack Weiss, primarily dealing with community matters. 'We want some continuity and people who know the district and the community issues are important,' Koretz said. 