Add ‘None of the Above’ to Costa Mesa council ballot

Geoff West

With all the fireworks at Tuesday’s brief Costa Mesa City Council

meeting, one would have thought it was the day after Independence

Day, not the day after Labor Day.

The omnipresent Janice Davidson started off the festivities by

confronting Councilman Gary Monahan with allegations of improprieties

having to do with a pension during her all-too-brief three minutes.

The incredulous Monahan was left sputtering, at a loss for words.

Then, during a discussion of a maintenance contract, Monahan took

exception to comments made by Councilman Chris Steel, in which he

made veiled accusations of vote pandering. In perhaps the most

insightful comment of the night, Monahan heatedly told Steel he was

“cracked” before Mayor Linda Dixon calmed them both down.

It was the mayor herself that provided me with the most enjoyment,

however, when she began her presentation of a proposed joint venture

skate park at the Davis Elementary School by stating emphatically

that she wanted to give credit where credit was due. Then, after

expressing her consternation upon reading in the newspaper that

Newport Beach and the school board were planning a joint venture, and

exclaiming that she didn’t want Newport Beach to beat Costa Mesa in

the skate park race, she practically dislocated her shoulder patting

herself on the back for the wonderful job she did with lame duck

school trustee Jim Ferryman concocting their scheme.

Talk about vote pandering. Someone should remind our esteemed

mayor that most of the skateboarders in Costa Mesa are still too

young to vote.

In addition to providing the above-mentioned drama, Steel actually

managed to keep up with the proceedings Tuesday evening and voted on

issues at the appropriate time. And, as icing on the cake, he

frequently reminded us all that he was not running for office.

Performances like these are what make me want to look for the

“None of the Above” box on the ballot in November.

* GEOFF WEST is a Costa Mesa resident.