Newport council may rebuke colleague

June Casagrande

Councilman Dick Nichols’ unfounded suggestion that Planning

Commissioners might have accepted bribes could result in sanctions

against the councilman.

Mayor Steve Bromberg on Tuesday asked city staff to prepare a

report on Nichols’ comments and to consider whether Nichols should be

punished.

Bromberg said he was withholding judgment until after the city

attorney prepares the report and after the transcripts have been

reviewed, but he noted: “Possible sanctions might be appropriate if

Nichols did suggest or imply that planning commissioners had taken

bribes and if it’s found that Nichols had no factual basis for saying

so.”

Nichols has written a letter apologizing for the incident.

“I am sorry that my remarks may have implied improper behavior; I

truly do not believe any zoning commissioner is being bribed,”

Nichols wrote. “I truly respect individually each of the zoning

commissioners and believe that each of them is trying to do a good

and honest job. My remark was meant to ask: Can the Planning

Commission reach equity in their decisions?”

But Bromberg said that Nichols’ apology comes up short.

“If the transcripts show that he actually accused them of improper

behavior, then apologizing for just implying it doesn’t really do

it,” Bromberg said.

Nichols addressed the Planning Commission on Thursday to weigh in

on a request for an addition to a private home. He disagreed with the

commission’s decision to deny the request, adding: “It sure doesn’t

look good. It looks like you’re taking money for this one.”

Commissioners and council colleagues have expressed outrage at

Nichols’ remarks.

“The context of my metaphor was not perfect,” Nichols told

colleagues at Tuesday night’s council meeting. “I did not want to

imply improper behavior on the part of the Planning Commissioners.”

* JUNE CASAGRANDE covers Newport Beach and John Wayne Airport. She

may be reached at (949) 574-4232 or by e-mail at

june.casagrande@latimes.com.