Gary Adams: Wanting to keep on a steady course

June Casagrande

In a campaign in which maintaining Newport Beach’s quality of life

has been a rallying call for challengers, incumbent Gary Adams’

prescription is simple: Re-elect the people who helped make the

city’s quality of life what it is today.

“I think a key issue in this campaign is whether or not a change

in leadership is in order,” said Adams, who can rattle off a long

list of reasons Newport Beach is an extraordinary town: outstanding

libraries, tight limits on development, top-notch staffers fighting

for improved water quality and limits on John Wayne flights and

expansion. “When you look at successes for any city government, I

don’t think you can top what’s been done here in Newport Beach.”

Adams said he is proud of his hard work to ensure the city’s

future. And that’s why the current campaign is frustrating, he said.

“I think it’s been easy for some people to say I’m part of a

developer-controlled council, but if you look at the facts, you can

see that’s really disingenuous,” he said.

For example, he noted, there has been no significant development

in the city outside the general plan’s guidelines in about 10 years.

The biggest additions to the city in recent years, Newport Coast and

Bonita Canyon, got their development entitlements from Orange County

and the city of Irvine, respectively, before they were part of

Newport Beach.

“In fact, by incorporating Bonita Canyon, I think we did a great

job of keeping development there relatively low,” Adams said.

Adams, who is endorsed by the Newport Beach Police and

Firefighters Union, the Newport Beach Police Employees Assn.,

numerous past mayors and county Supervisor Jim Silva, said he is also

proud and pleased with the work the city has done so far in

controlling traffic.

“When you consider that we accommodate millions of visitors each

year, when you consider that back in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s

when the city fought Caltrans’ plan to put a freeway for the city,

you can see that some of Greenlight’s positions on traffic are based

more on fear than on facts,” he said.

On the contrary, Adams said, a wholesale change in leadership

poses perhaps the biggest threat to the city’s future.

“I think change and debate are healthy, good things,” Adams said.

“But when things are going well, I think there’s a lot to be said for

continuity.”

The John Wayne Airport Settlement agreement is a case in point, he

said. The current agreement is well on track to gain court approval,

in part because of the city’s lobbying efforts in Washington, D.C.

Adams said that the best way to ensure its protections are to

continue the work the city has already done. From there, he said, the

city can consider regional solutions for the long term, possibly

including El Toro.