ORANGE COUNTY PERSPECTIVE : A Scandal’s Questions Linger

The city of Newport Beach has gone from firing a police chief and a captain over allegations of sexual harassment to reinstating and then retiring them with full benefits. A lawsuit brought by 10 current or former female employees is still pending, so the city’s sudden switch is puzzling.

What has changed to make the city now stand by the officers it had distanced itself from? Newport Beach is now ready to pay their legal bills and even damages, if any eventually are assessed against the two men. Was there merit in the police officers’ lawsuit alleging wrongful termination, a suit now dropped in the deal?

In making its peace with former Police Chief Arb Campbell and former Capt. Anthony Villa, the city has left the taxpayers to wonder what it is about this scandal they still don’t know. The about-face, without any airing to date of the charges, is clearly a good deal for the officers. The pay they missed between being fired and their retirement dates will be treated as paid medical leave. For its part, the city gets to reduce its monetary bleeding: It already has paid out about $200,000 for lawyers and for cash settlements to six women who are not part of the pending lawsuit.

Residents rightfully will have to continue wondering whether the city ever really got to the bottom of the allegations, or whether it has learned anything about, or from, a very disturbing chapter in its history.

Mayor Clarence J. Turner and City Manager Kevin J. Murphy describe the deal with the two former officers as a way of helping Newport Beach “heal.” Well, maybe. For now at least, there’s a real question about how far any good feeling will extend.