Robinson and Steel an unlikely pair...

Robinson and Steel an unlikely pair to lead Costa Mesa

Tony Dodero’s “From the Newsroom” column on Monday, “Costa Mesa’s

new leader -- surprise or set-up?” addresses the recent elections of

Karen Robinson and Chris Steel to the two leadership positions on the

City Council and possible Brown Act violations involved. His column

brings into focus just what an interesting situation we, the

residents of Costa Mesa, now have facing us. This duo is truly Costa

Mesa’s version of “The Odd Couple.”

On the one hand, we have Mayor Robinson, a well-educated, highly

successful lawyer and judge pro tem whose biography on the city Web

site is long and illustrious. She is an unexpectedly politically

savvy young woman who appears to have a bright future -- barring any

major gaffes while in office. The next few weeks will show us if she

has what it takes to control the council meetings -- to keep them

from degenerating into undisciplined gab-fests -- and to provide the

leadership necessary for this council to actually make decisions on

issues facing them.

Her sidekick Chris Steel, on the other hand, is a politically

inept throwback, so out of tune with the times that he apparently saw

nothing wrong with his clumsy, sexist attempt at a testimonial for

outgoing Mayor Linda Dixon. His biography on the Web site continues

to be, appropriately, a blank page.

After reading Dodero’s column, I went to the Internet to review

the Brown Act myself. Based on my review of the text, it does,

indeed, appear that Council members Libby Cowan, Robinson and Steel

may have violated the law. There certainly seems to be enough

fuzziness to this situation to warrant an assessment by the district

attorney’s office. Although it didn’t seem possible, it looks as

though Steel -- for the second consecutive election -- may have again

“stepped in it.” I have this nagging feeling that he, along with his

two compatriots, may be re-introduced to the term “misdemeanor” in

the near future.

Councilman Gary Monahan, whose experience and leadership as mayor

was anticipated by so many of his constituents to be a bridge of

stability between the old council and the new, has been punitively

relegated to a position of virtual irrelevance on the dais. Unless he

finds a way to rebuild those bridges apparently burned over the last

few weeks, he will find himself -- his voice muffled by a vindictive

majority -- on the short end of many votes. This will not serve our

city well.

Into this bubbling cauldron, we drop neophyte Councilman Allan

Mansoor without so much as a lifejacket, hoping he can tread water,

get his bearings quickly, and become the new voice for change the

voters of this city thought they were electing.

In the meantime, those citizens who make it a practice to observe

our City Council must be more vigilant than ever. If this council’s

actions during the leadership elections are a bellwether of things to

come, we can’t take our eyes off them for a second. So far, they have

not shown us that the city’s best interests come before their own

political aspirations.

Stay alert, Costa Mesa.

GEOFF WEST

Eastside

Demand for air passengers and cargo will only grow

“Let me see if I have this straight” is a quote from the opening

paragraph of a letter from Douglas K. Blaul in the Tuesday Daily

Pilot “Mailbag.”

As I read through the maze of Blaul’s letter, it occurs to me that

the details in this letter may not be exactly straight. It is not

obvious what his point is, but his intent seems to be to show an

inconsistency in the Newport Beach position on the airport issue. I

hope he had the opportunity to read the front-page article on this

subject in the same issue of the Pilot.

The city’s position that there will be a constant increase in the

demand for air passengers and cargo is consistent. Their attempt to

convert the military airport at El Toro to a civilian one is quite

understandable, since it would have prevented the need to continually

increase the load at John Wayne.

The first increase in John Wayne traffic is already here. When the

John Wayne traffic reaches its maximum capacity, future increases in

demand will have to be spread to other airports. It’s a simple

concept. It’s “straight,” and the consistent growth of population and

industry in Orange County will cause it to happen.

CONRAD T. TIMPE

Corona del Mar

Don’t even joke about removing caps on JWA

In our local newspaper, Douglas K. Blaul writes from Trabuco

Canyon in the Tuesday “Mailbag” that Newport Beach and Costa Mesa

should open up John Wayne Airport to handle all the flights they’ve

been saying they need for El Toro, or else they should lower the

estimates. They can’t have it both ways, he argues.

Only someone with a callous disregard for human suffering would

make such a statement. There are people in the noise zone at John

Wayne Airport.

When the planned El Toro International Airport opens, and its

30-million annual passengers are served, John Wayne Airport will drop

to 5-million annual passengers, which it should, to get people out of

the noise zone.

The beauty of opening El Toro, which basically is ready to go, is

that no longer will housing developers control the agenda. They’ve

wasted enough taxpayer money trying to build houses on toxic waste

sites and unexploded munitions. They lost on Proposition 51 and

Measure B. Their Measure W is a flimsy argument. It’s time to turn on

the lights and start the flights at El Toro.

DONALD NYRE

Newport Beach

Thanks to Newport Beach Police Department

I would like to express my appreciation to the Newport Beach

Police Department. I live in New England, my daughter is in Newport

Beach. Because she has some health problems, I recently became

alarmed when I was unable to reach her at a prearranged time. In

desperation, I called the police and asked them to check on her. They

responded with efficient, empathetic professionalism. Within 30

minutes, they had called me back.

Those of you who live in Newport Beach are fortunate to have them.

JACQUELINE CROSS

Famington, Conn.