JANICE DAVIDSON -- Community Commentary

Dear Allan Roeder:

As a citizen of Costa Mesa, I want to express my outrage at the way

Mayor Libby Cowan is handling her duties as mayor of this city. I believe

that her actions at City Council meetings bring discredit to her office,

to the council and to citizens of this city.

I am hearing citizens referring to Cowan as “Queen Cowan,” “Lib

Libby,” “Extremist Libby,” “Secret Agenda Libby” and “Iron Hearted

Libby.” I cannot remember, in all my years in this city, when a new

mayor has been perceived as being so wrong for this city.

I have also observed Cowan being openly rude to Councilman Chris

Steel, who, to his credit, does not publicly return her rudeness. I am

sure that Cowan is counting on his good manners. How terrible to think

that Gary Monahan had to give up his time just to let Steel have the time

that was his to begin with.

The mayor wasn’t even marginally polite when my husband, Campbell

Davidson, was put forward for the Planning Commission [Feb. 5]. I

received a number of calls after I came home that night, and many more

[later on]. [I also received] about 10 [e-mails], all expressing outrage

at the contemptuous behavior of Mayor Cowan.

I am asking, by copy of this letter, that City Manager Allan Roeder

let me know if the rules for the conduct of the mayor have changed so

that the mayor now has full autonomy and can ride roughshod over the

other council members.

In our city, the office of mayor is largely ceremonial and Cowan was

not elected to that position. Mayoral perks come from the agreement of

her fellow council members, who expect that they will, in their time, get

a chance to be mayor for a year. This, except for the term of office, is

the way it’s always been in Costa Mesa, as far as I know.

However, in the past, mayors had the good grace and manners to not act

like dictators, and they would defer to the public and the council.

Cowan appears to think that she owns this city. Cowan has gone so far

as to tell citizens who dedicate their free time to helping improve Costa

Mesa that they should move to some other city if they don’t like the

crime and other problems here. It appears that Cowan wishes to make “her

city” into some sort of permanent slum.

One woman was in tears after a council meeting. It was her first foray

into any sort of public speaking, and she came forward to tell the City

Council about her concerns with the closing of the Ice Chalet. It was

also the first for many young people from the Ice Chalet. These people

were unsophisticated in the ways of government and only knew that the Ice

Chalet was being closed down.

They didn’t know what to do, so they went before the City Council in

an attempt, grasping at straws, to save something that they consider very

important. When you are in trouble, you automatically go for help.

Our mayor’s sarcasm hurt new young lives and older ones. Many told me

afterward that they felt embarrassed at the harsh treatment they

received.

There is a lot of talk about a recall, and it’s not from me or any of

my groups. If Cowan is curious about this, she need only read some of the

mail that I understand Roeder gets, on this subject.

I have been told that “recalls never work”; however, Cowan is making

so many people angry that it might not be difficult to get them to sign a

recall petition, should one be circulated.

Many citizens I’ve talked to feel that Mayor Cowan is the wrong person

to be mayor of this city and that she is causing “Costa Mesa to get a bad

reputation.”

* JANICE DAVIDSON is chairwoman of Citizens for the Improvement of

Costa Mesa

(949) 642-4480