Mayor says development needed

June Casagrande

NEWPORT BEACH -- Shifting to full throttle his campaign to promote

responsible development in the city, Mayor Tod Ridgeway’s speech at the

annual Speak Up Newport Mayor’s Dinner hammered home the point that no

growth is not an option.

“We must rely on sources of revenue such as the transient occupancy

tax and the sales tax to pay for and maintain the high level of city

services that our citizens have become accustomed to and, quite frankly,

demand,” Ridgeway told the crowd at the Newport Beach Marriott Hotel.

It’s a point he has been trying to drive home since he took over as

mayor Jan. 1. And it’s a position that, in the era of Greenlight, is

hotly controversial.

While pro- and anti-Greenlight factions watch the ever-deepening

divide form between them over the slow-growth initiative, Ridgeway has

stood firm, along with the City Council majority, on his belief that some

development is necessary. He took this a step further Thursday night,

defending the council against perceptions it is too cozy with big

business.

“The City Council involvement with big business is o7 de minimusf7

compared to our ongoing community contacts with resident associations,

environmental groups and good old-fashioned concerned citizens,” he said,

going so far as to draw distinctions between older, wealthier residents

who tend to oppose change and younger families who would like to live and

work in Newport Beach but are forced out by economics.

“The gap between such viewpoints is heightened during good economic

times in socially diverse areas,” he said. “Wealthier groups become even

more affluent and less inclined to tolerate any development, even though

it might benefit all constituents by providing an additional revenue

source.”

Anchored by this central theme, Ridgeway also talked about a number of

other issues crucial to the city. The No. 1 priority, he said, is

extending the John Wayne Airport settlement agreement, which imposes some

limitations on airport noise and operations. Updating the city’s general

plan is also a top priority, he said, as is achieving better water

quality and maintaining Newport Beach’s first-rate quality of life.

But the biggest challenge, he concluded, will be finding ways to unify

Newport Beach residents and institutions -- at least enough to make

headway in all these arenas.

“I am asking for everyone to come to the table with ideas and

solutions,” Ridgeway said. “This will take cooperation, sacrifice and

tolerance to reach a consensus.”

* June Casagrande covers Newport Beach. She may be reached at (949)

574-4232 or by e-mail at o7 june.casagrande@latimes.comf7 .