New residents’ absence a topic itself for forum

June Casagrande

Challenges the next City Council will face in bringing its newest

residents into the family were starkly visible at a candidate forum

at Newport Coast Elementary School on Wednesday.

A disappointing number of neighbors showed up. The crowd of about

35 included many non-Newport Coast residents who had accompanied

candidates to the event. The discussion, too, was peppered with

comments that betrayed a not-yet-familial feeling between Coast

residents and their new city.

“A lot of people think you’re elitist. I don’t feel that way, but

others do,” 4th District candidate Ron Winship told Coast residents.

“You’re part of the family now. You’re not the special child. You’re

certainly not the red-headed ugly stepchild.”

First District candidate Marianne Zippi emphasized the city’s

responsibility for establishing better ties with its newest

residents.

“The city needs to be getting out here, to your homeowners’

association meetings, into your communities,” Zippi said. “That’s the

way we’re going to get to know you.”

The two-hour forum included extensive question-and-answer time for

panelists and residents. The only question that forum organizers

chose to ask all the candidates was: What assurances could they give

the residents of Newport Coast that if elected they would uphold each

of the terms of the city’s pre-annexation agreement with Newport

Coast?

All the candidates vowed to protect the letter and spirit of the

document. Zippi and her 1st District opponent Madelene Arakelian took

it a step further.

“One of the major issues in this campaign is a crisis of

confidence in the City Council,” Zippi said. “If you feel that you

need assurances that a legal contract will be upheld, then you’re

already experiencing some of the problems the rest of the city is

having.”

Arakelian invoked a dispute between Newport Coast residents and

the city over who should maintain slopes to reiterate her belief that

the city is already failing to meet its obligations to Newport Coast

residents.

Third District candidate Allan Beek brought up a longtime concern

of his: the fact that Newport Coast’s gated communities can hinder

grassroots’ politicking.

“People whose businesses can profit from the City Council can

afford to send out mailers. We can’t. We go door to door to get out

our newsletters ....I would like to suggest that you talk to your

boards of directors about ways to get our newsletters into your

community.”

Some residents asked Beek about his push last year to put Newport

Coast annexation on the ballot. Beek answered that he was never

opposed to annexation, but that he believed that all the voters

should have had a chance to weigh in.