No mandates from this election
Tuesday’s election results, in a nutshell, appear to say something
along these lines:
In Newport Beach, while voters clearly want growth slowed and
controlled, development is not the only issue they care about. There
is no great mandate for change in the city, with only one
Greenlight-backed candidate, Dick Nichols, gaining a close victory
over his opponent. And that victory, it should be noted, was in a
three-person race; it is possible that without Laura Dietz running,
business-backed Bernie Svalstad might have triumphed.
Also casting a pall over the Greenlight forces, it would certainly
seem, is Allan Beek’s loss to Don Webb. A victory by Beek, the most
legitimate “Greenlighter” and the only one of the four endorsed
candidates who was a true insider, would have sent the loudest
message that voters wanted a Greenlight perspective on the council.
It didn’t happen.
In Costa Mesa, the “improvement” movement that was behind Chris
Steel’s election two years ago has proved its staying power by
helping get Allan Mansoor elected. No doubt there was again some
“bullet” voting by those behind Mansoor, who chose only him. But the
city’s newest councilman was likely helped as much by Mayor Linda
Dixon and Planning Commission Chairwoman Katrina Foley’s vote
splitting. Change seems inevitable, with Steel and Mansoor intent on
closing the job center and taking a tougher look at how charities in
Costa Mesa operate.
Councilman Gary Monahan, who was the top vote-getter Tuesday, is
now the logical choice to be the city’s next mayor. If so, it will
fall to him to manage what could be a divided, unfriendly council.
And the school board loss of Wendy Leece will result in two
changes: fewer interesting newspaper headlines and a board that is in
near lock-step. Leece continually argued that unanimity would not be
a strength for the district. The community now will find out if she
was right, as new trustee Tom Egan joins the team.
A MIXED NIGHT FOR THE AIRPORT WORKING GROUP
Would anyone have taken a bet that the Airport Working Group would
come out of Tuesday’s election with a clear victory in Costa Mesa and
a loss in Newport Beach?
First, the defeat in Newport Beach: Rick Taylor’s failure to get
elected. Taylor, a longtime Airport Working Group activist, ran as
the El Toro and John Wayne Airport expert against incumbent Gary
Adams. But, despite a slew of letters to the Pilot about the issue,
his expertise did not ring loudly enough with voters.
In Costa Mesa, the success was evident, though the methods a bit
controversial. In the final hours of the election, the Airport
Working Group Political Action Committee launched a tough anti-Dixon
phone campaign that, according to people who received the call, said
“Defeat Linda Dixon,” claimed she opposed the El Toro airport and
mentioned the flights over the Westside and Mesa Verde that have
irked residents in the past months, tying them by implication to the
mayor.
Coming right at the end of the campaign, there was no way for
Dixon to respond. Dirty politics or smart campaigning? It’s a thin
line between them.
The calls did explain what at first looked to be a goof on the
part of the working group. The group’s political action committee on
Oct. 31 sent out an endorsement of three Costa Mesa candidates,
Monahan, Mansoor and Planning Commissioner Bill Perkins, though there
were only two seats available.
As committee member Aaron Elders said, that was more an
“un-endorsement” of Dixon than a show of support for the trio.
The phone calls were just the nail in the coffin.
A win by any name
Newport’s Ron Winship has the dubious distinction of losing three
separate races on Tuesday.
In his attempt at the Newport-Mesa Unified School District seat
won by incumbent Serene Stokes, Winship pulled in 5,288 votes.
In his race for the District 4 seat on the Newport Beach City
Council won by Adams, he got 1,537 votes.
And, running for the Municipal Water District of Orange County
Division 5 seat, he received 4,184 while losing to Wayne Clark.
In all -- not figuring cross-over votes into the mix -- Winship
pulled 11,009 votes.
Unfortunately for the local firebrand, even that wouldn’t have
been enough to bring him a single victory.
His closest contest would have been the Newport council race.
Adams took in 11,454, which would have made for a nail-biter far
closer than what Adams ended up facing.
From there, though, the races get bleak. In the school district
race, with a larger pool of voters, he would have had to more than
double his returns, with Stokes collecting 24,045 in her victory.
And Winship would’ve been trounced by Clark, who received 41,157
in the water district contest.
There’s always next time for Winship, though. And plenty of races
from which to choose.
* S.J. CAHN is the managing editor. He can be reached at (949)
574-4233 or by e-mail at steven.cahn@latimes.com.
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