Editor’s Notebook -- Danette Goulet

Danette Goulet

Unanimous (yoo nan’e mes) adj. 1 agreeing completely; united in

opinion 2 showing, or based on, complete agreement.

From Webster New World College Dictionary

It seems our local politicians choose to use the second definition of

the word unanimous. o7 Showingf7 complete agreement -- even when they

are clearly not in agreement.

The City Council was in no way in agreement Saturday morning as to who

should be its seventh member.

In fact, after 11 identical votes -- three in favor of Ron Davis, two

for Tom Livengood and one for Grace Winchell -- it looked like it would

be a deadlock.

It took 14 votes and three concessions, before Grace Winchell secured

the required four votes for appointment. Ralph Bauer remained steadfast

in his support for Davis and Shirley Dettloff didn’t budge in her support

of Livengood -- until it was over.

I have no problem there, in fact, I say stick to your guns if at all

possible. What I found bizarre, and wholly political, was Dettloff’s

motion to make it unanimous.

I understand why they did it, and yet, it irked me.

Call a spade a spade. It was not unanimous, they were not in complete

agreement, they were not united in opinion. Let the record reflect that,

not some false unanimous vote.

After 14 votes they were still not in agreement.

I don’t think it is at all that Bauer or Dettloff was anti-Winchell,

but she was not their choice for the seat.

And that’s OK. I don’t think we want our elected officials to agree

all the time, do we?

I am sure that all six council members will welcome Winchell aboard.

But the fact remains that she was not the first choice of five out of six

board members.

Three of those six people agreed on a candidate, but knew they would

not sway the rest of the group and so switched to the “safe” choice.

And that is what Winchell was, with her experience, her track record

and her disinterest in running for the seat in November. And I think

that, which made her the safe choice, is why she wasn’t some members

first choice.

We know she won’t rock the boat, create a scandal or upheaval, but she

probably also won’t have a lot of new ideas to fix all our problems here

in the city.

A good choice. A safe choice. But not a unanimous choice.

Now before anyone entertains the notion that my ire has anything to do

with our former columnist Ron Davis not getting the position, stop right

there. I lost my columnist when he decided to apply, having him in that

council seat wouldn’t affect me any. Nor does my irritation at the false

show of unity say anything about Grace Winchell, who laughed and said it

was a sort of tradition, when I told her that the unanimous bit rubbed me

the wrong way.

It’s just so . . . political.

In fact, Winchell was the first to admit that council members initial

votes in such a case as this, as we all know or at least suspect, reveal

their true desire.

As for the three who conceded their votes, Mayor Debbie Cook, Pam

Julien Houchen and Peter Green, I’m sure most taxpayers appreciate that a

lengthy election was not forced upon the city with all the expense that

comes with it.

But the unanimous vote, well, it just feels misleading.

* DANETTE GOULET is the assistant city editor. She can be reached at

(714) 965-7170 or by e-mail at o7 danette.goulet@latimes.comf7 .