Editorial

It was known as the Fabulous Fifth, a coastline county supervisorial

district that stretched from Newport Beach to San Clemente.

And politically, since 1971, it has been dominated by Newport Beach

interests, namely Gen. Tom Riley and later Marian Bergeson, until the

ascendancy of Tom Wilson, who was appointed by then Gov. Pete Wilson in

December of 1996.

With Tom Wilson, it was never a good marriage. Heck, there wasn’t even

a honeymoon. Newport Beach forces cried foul from the start that a South

County interloper who opposed the planned El Toro airport was now

representing them at the county seat.

With former Mayor John Hedges leading the charge as a candidate, they

tried hard to oust him in 1998 but were unsuccessful.

Now, what couldn’t be done at the ballot box has been accomplished

with a new census report and a new district map for the Orange County

Board of Supervisors.

For Newport Beach, the Fabulous Fifth, a term coined by Gen. Riley, is

no more. Instead 2nd District Supervisor Jim Silva is the man in Santa

Ana.

It’s about time.

With the growth of South County and the fight over the proposed

airport at El Toro growing ever more fierce, Newport Beach’s voice was

scarcely being heard.

Silva will change all of that.

A veteran county supervisor and former Huntington Beach mayor, Silva

will lose Stanton and Garden Grove from his territory and gain all of

Newport Beach and Costa Mesa, part of which he has represented since his

election in 1994.

It’s a good swap. Silva is pro-airport and is a popular figure in

Newport political circles, often taking up the causes of local businesses

here.

He will be welcomed with open arms.

To be fair, if you took the El Toro fight out of the equation, the

loss of Tom Wilson as supervisor for Newport Beach wouldn’t sound as

great.

Wilson has long fought for water-quality issues that affect Newport

Harbor, helped secure millions of dollars in funds to dredge the Upper

Newport Bay and has vowed to fight expansion of John Wayne Airport.

Wilson is a bright and forthright politician who is tenacious but

easygoing and affable.

But for Newport Beach residents, the former aerospace executive, who

lives in South County and has never made any apologies for his strident

opposition to an airport at the closed El Toro Marine base, was never a

good fit.

Silva most certainly will be.

So to the Fabulous Fifth, we bid a fond adieu.

Instead, we look forward to the perfect match that Silva will bring.

We know Newport Beach feels the same.