Editorial

With groups like the Airport Working Group precluded from spending

taxpayer funds to fight Measure W, the Great Park initiative, Councilman

John Heffernan has rightly asked a good question:

When can the city get its money back?

Heffernan’s request stems from a grant last year, in which the City

Council shelled out $3.67 million of taxpayer dollars to the working

group and the Citizens for Jobs and the Economy to spend on public

information in the promotion of an airport at El Toro.

Now, with the fate of the El Toro airport dream hanging on the up or

down vote of the Great Park initiative next month, that campaign is

proving to be the major battleground at the moment.

The problem is, a court ruling that restricts spending of that Newport

Beach money means the unused portion of the $3.67 million is now sitting

idle.

And Heffernan believes if does sit idle, it should do so in the city’s

bank account, not in someone else’s.

We have to admit, that doesn’t seem like an unreasonable request to

us.

We also have to admit this is hardly a critical issue. After all, most

Newport Beach residents would fully agree with the council’s spending

habits on promoting El Toro.

But at the very least, Heffernan needs to be commended for placing the

interest of the taxpayers and his constituents high on his radar screen.

Too often, elected officials pay little heed to how funds are

distributed and ultimately spent. And in this case, Heffernan is making

sure that the Airport Working Group and others know that if they receive

public money, someone is going to hold them accountable for its spending.

That’s the right thing to do.

Councilman Gary Proctor, the council’s resident expert on airport

issues, stated he thought the money would be returned by those

pro-airport groups if the city wants it back.

Indeed, Airport Working Group spokesman Dave Ellis seemed to indicate

that giving back the money was no problem.

Bruce Nestande, of Citizens for Jobs and the Economy, however, didn’t

sound so conciliatory, insisting his group needs the money to spend on

public information after the March election, in which he predicts Measure

W will fail.

Maybe so, but in the meantime if the council would like to see its

money back, Nestande needs to be ready to hand it over.

Again, that’s the right thing to do.