Newport to give nearly $3.7 million to El Toro campaign

Mathis Winkler

NEWPORT BEACH -- Putting the city’s money where their mouths are, City

Council members unanimously decided Tuesday to set aside almost $3.7

million for a campaign to bring an airport to the closed El Toro Marine

Corps Air Station.

The city’s elected leaders responded to a request from representatives

of both the Airport Working Group and Citizens for Jobs and the Economy,

who said they needed the money to inform county residents about what’s

proposed for El Toro.

As evidence, the groups pointed to about $8.2 million and $6.2 million

the city of Irvine and the El Toro Reuse Planning Authority had spent,

respectively, in the 1999-00 fiscal year to fight the proposed airport.

“We feel it’s important to get the message out about what the airport

is going to be,” said Bruce Nestande, the president and chief executive

of Citizens for Jobs and the Economy.

He added that while anti-El Toro groups have consistently sent out

fliers to residents and run ads on television, supporters of an airport

have failed to follow suit.

“The key to any campaign is consistency,” he said. “We went on and

off, on and off.”

With the Orange County Board of Supervisors expected to make a

decision on the airport by late September, the money is needed over the

next nine months to “engage the public to understand the final options,”

Nestande said.

The groups will spend $2.5 million on direct mailers to residents, and

$610,000 on cable television ads. The rest will cover other mailings and

special events, said Dave Ellis, a spokesman for the Airport Working

Group.

But some airport activists said giving the money to the two groups

without researching alternative consultants is not a proper use of city

funds.

“I think that the city should require bids from various consultants,”

said Anne Watt, who is a dues-paying member of the Airport Working Group.

She added that city officials should remain in control over how the money

is spent and oversee the focus of future public relations campaigns, and

“not just give it to those two entities.”

“They should get the best public relations firm money can buy,” she

said Wednesday.

Council members agreed with the comments and decided to keep open the

option of giving money to other groups as well.

“My understanding is that the motion is broad enough to allow for

support from the Airport Working Group, Citizens and Jobs for the Economy

and other consultants that would be retained to assist with our effort,”

Councilman Dennis O’Neil said Wednesday.

While the council’s action reserved the money for campaign efforts,

actual grants could be handed out as early as the next meeting, March 27,

city officials said.