Lolita Harper If a toy were fashioned...

Lolita Harper

If a toy were fashioned after Costa Mesa resident Allan Mansoor,

advertising executives could have a field day with the marketing

gimmicks.

They could promote Human Relations Committee Member Mansoor. City

Councilman Mansoor. Orange County Sheriff’s Deputy Mansoor (complete

with badge and night stick). Mansoor the Improver. Grass-roots

Mansoor. And the inaugural, limited edition Daily Pilot Newsmaker of

the Year Mansoor (a collector’s item).

Each talking doll -- ahem, action figure -- would come equipped

with a special outfit, brief description and original quote.

NEWSMAKER OF THE YEAR MANSOOR:

(Wearing tailored black pants, button-down shirt and designer silk

tie, holding an issue of the Daily Pilot)

In the past 365 days, the 38-year-old has graced the pages of this

paper for a variety of reasons, including allegations of intolerance,

his various comments at public meetings and his successful City

Council campaign, upsetting the incumbent mayor. Each subject filled

inches and inches of copy and prompted a great deal of comments from

readers on all sides of the issues.

Lift his left arm and Newsmaker Mansoor says:

“I’m not the newsmaker. The real newsmaker is all the issues that

have been coming up, and I think it is great that we are talking

about them.”

DEPUTY MANSOOR:

(Classic Orange County Sheriff’s uniform, badge, nightstick and

gun)

The first in the line of Mansoor memorabilia, Deputy Mansoor

boasts a fine career with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. He

works the Orange County jail in Santa Ana and keeps order around the

cell blocks.

(This original action figure is not equipped with a voice box.)

MANSOOR THE IMPROVER:

(Jeans, tennis shoes and polo shirt, holding an American flag)

He speaks up for more street repairs, quiet neighborhoods, better

crime enforcement and reduced traffic. He frequently attends council

meetings and offers constructive criticism about future developments

and public works projects. This Mansoor has the support of a dozen

other improvers (each sold separately) who also believe in cleaning

up the city, limiting social programs and renovating dilapidated

buildings.

Squeeze his right hand to hear:

“Everyone deserves a peaceful, quiet, clean neighborhood.”

HUMAN RELATIONS COMMITTEE MEMBER MANSOOR:

(Khaki pants, loafers and a white T-shirt with a target on the

front)

This Mansoor was the subject of an attack by a little-known group

of young activists who claimed the Human Relations Committee member

was posting links to hateful and homophobic articles on a Web site

dedicated for Costa Mesans. His ultra-conservative posts, linking

readers to articles that condemned homosexuality, were not

appropriate for a person serving on a city committee established in

1987 to “encourage the education about and communication between the

various cultures residing in Costa Mesa,” the group argued.

Mansoor vehemently denied harboring any ill will based on a

person’s sexual orientation, religion or ethnicity. His postings were

mistaken and the attack was completely unfounded, he said.

Raise his left arm, and Human Relations Committee Member Mansoor

says this about the trumped-up controversy:

“People have gotten a chance to get to really know me, hear my

views and see what I am all about. I have always been respectful and

spoken on issues, not people.”

GRASS-ROOTS MANSOOR:

(Jeans, tennis shoes and Mansoor for City Council T-shirt)

This Mansoor can be found walking Costa Mesa streets in search of

political support for his successful City Council bid. Although

Mansoor raised the least amount of money between the five contenders,

he won his seat on the City Council dais thanks to the unbending

efforts of dedicated volunteers.

Dozens of Costa Mesa residents pounded the pavement with Mansoor

and ended up securing a Cinderella story victory for the political

newcomer. Mansoor ousted incumbent Mayor Linda Dixon -- who had

raised three times as much money -- and proved the political muscle

of old-fashioned elbow grease.

“I don’t deserve all the credit for this news. It’s been a lot of

people who have helped me with grass-roots support and stand for the

same ideals I do.”

CITY COUNCILMAN MANSOOR:

(Dark suit, light blue button-down shirt, designer silk tie and a

binder full of staff reports)

This Mansoor will not back down from his campaign promises to get

Costa Mesa back on track. He plans to take a hard look at the city’s

budget, traffic and social programs to see where more efficient

methods could be used.

In his short time on the dais, he has already been criticized for

allegedly racist motives after heavily scrutinizing the Orange Coast

College Swap Meet. A resident suspected Mansoor’s real motivation to

“upgrade” the venue was to get rid of the working class Latinos who

frequent the shopping venue.

Mansoor again denies harboring any ill will toward any group of

people and said the scrutiny is driven by issues, not individuals. He

guarantees people will play the race card on other problems he plans

to address, such as the overuse of the city’s soccer fields.

Raise his left arm and City Council Mansoor says:

“There are definitely some definite sensitive issues, but there is

still an obligation and responsibility to deal with them, and I fully

intend on bringing these issues up.”

All Mansoor characters can be found the first and third Mondays of

each month at Costa Mesa City Hall. Look for more news on Mansoor in

the upcoming issues of the Daily Pilot. City Councilman Mansoor has

promised to keep filling empty pages and has said things are going to

get interesting.

“I’m not trying to retain the title, but if they want to bestow it

upon me, so be it,” Mansoor said. “I am only trying to do what I said

I was going to.”

* LOLITA HARPER covers Costa Mesa. She may be reached at (949)

574-4275 or by e-mail at lolita.harper@latimes.com.