He’s the man with the plan

Noaki Schwartz

NEWPORT BEACH -- The empty seat on the Planning Commission will finally

be filled by local attorney Steven Kiser.

“I applied because it’s a position where I thought I could do some good,”

Kiser said. “Everyone should do their part in volunteering and public

service.”

Kiser beat out 32 other applicants for the coveted spot after Mark

Hoglund resigned before his term ended. The new commissioner will serve

until the end of June 2004.

The other commissioners are looking forward to having him on board.

However, chair Ed Selich warned that Kiser better bring his sense of

humor along for the ride.

“You need a sense of humor to deal with this stuff,” he said. “I think

he’ll be a good commissioner. He’ll be the kind of guy that gets in there

and will listen to all sides of the issues.”

Indeed, Kiser is walking into one of the more controversial years for the

Planning Commission, with the so-called Greenlight measure on the

horizon. If approved, the measure will give residents the opportunity to

approve or deny proposed developments -- something that Kiser does not

entirely support.

“I think the Greenlight initiative is put forward with the best of

intentions,” he said, adding that despite this, planning decisions are

better made by people with the time and expertise to review the volumes

of reports.

Based on his past accomplishments, Kiser has the experience to make such

decisions.

The Ohio-born real estate lawyer has lived in Newport since 1974. He’s

since been involved with the Cameo Community Association, the American

Bar Association and the Building Owners and Managers Association. He

received his law and business degrees at UCLA, University of Maryland and

Florida State University.

His hobbies are primarily athletic: snow skiing, swimming and running.

Kiser said he also enjoys spending time with his wife and two children,

who are students at Corona del Mar High School.