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At issue: The Times Orange County and the Daily Pilot reported this

week that Newport Beach Mayor John Noyes was once wanted on criminal

kidnapping charges for taking his children away from his ex-wife, who had

legal custody.

Nice smear job on Mayor John Noyes and his family (“Noyes’ former life

on the run,” May 25). I’m not sure of the relevance of the subject matter

to anything current. Congratulations on discouraging hard-working,

talented people from entering (in this case continuing in) public

service.

NANCY RANEY

Balboa Island

Once again, we find a criminal ensconced in our city government. But,

money can be recovered or repaid. There is no recovery for the terror

felt by this mother, or the lies, deception and embarrassment foisted on

this community. How dumb can we be? Today, kidnapping is a federal crime

-- rightly so -- right up there with rape and murder. I am appalled and

disgusted by these hideous acts and by the nonchalant attitude. This man

must resign, and, as far as I’m concerned, leave the city.

PATTY LILLEGRAVEN

Balboa Island

This should tell all of us, as many incidents in the past should have,

that many candidates who are elected for public office that run on the

platform of law and order and reducing crime should be taken with a grain

of salt. This applies as well to those individuals among us who espouse

extreme and devout religious beliefs. Why is it in today’s world that the

ones we are most likely to endorse are just the opposite of what we

really want? Maybe we should look closer and behind what our media, and

their sound bites, are feeding us.

PAUL JAMES BALDWIN

Newport Beach

I was saddened and appalled to read the story about John Noyes in the

paper this morning. As chair of the Orange County Commission of Women

when it was formerly in place, we often heard of stories of mothers who

were trying to find their children with little money and a lot of

sadness.

I don’t know that Noyes realizes that his story is not about the

welfare of the daughters but about being selfish and angry and not really

thinking about the daughters. It’s a sad commentary that someone would

try to tell other people in the city to live and act when he has such a

disgraceful element in his past. And I’m sure he was well able to

convince the girls that their mother should not be part of their life

with his lifestyle and his continuing command over their lives. It’s

really a pretty sad tale.

JANIE ARNOLD

Newport Beach

As a Daily Pilot reader and local resident I had to comment on Mayor

John Noyes’ illegal past. How can a mayor of a city treat the law as a

matter of personal choice? He clearly committed a crime, illegally and

morally. Is the mayor trying to tell us that taking the law into our own

hands is “a personal matter?” Are parental rights and human rights still

the basis of our constitution? Our country cannot afford leaders without

regard for society’s laws.

Clearly, Noyes should resign.

FRED RAWLINS

Costa Mesa