A firestorm on Balboa Island

An unexpected firestorm erupted on the top of a two-story home at the

final Newport Beach Planning Commission meeting in May.

During discussion about whether to approve construction on a

Balboa Island home that goes above what city code allows, an

incredulous City Councilman Dick Nichols stood before the commission

and said: “It sure doesn’t look good. It looks like you’re taking

money for this one.”

This statement, that someone might be taking a bribe,

understandably upset members of the commission, as well as others in

City Hall and within the city’s government. Nichols’ colleagues on

the council are taking it so seriously that it may result in his

being sanctioned.

These groups are right in being upset, but it is important that

any anger and most certainly any punishment be handled properly and

not get lost in related, but ultimately tangential, arguments about

Nichols’ right to speak his mind or his duty to serve his

constituents.

This is not a case of freedom of speech or an example of a

councilman doing what was best for the community. Nichols has his own

opportunity to speak at council meetings and his own direct line to

City Hall to work on behalf of Newport Beach residents. It is a case

of propriety and civility, of a councilman stepping out of bounds and

making unfounded and unsupported charges in a public setting. Had

Nichols had proof of these serious charges, the firestorm would be

burning elsewhere. But he did not.

In a letter to the Daily Pilot after the meeting, Nichols wrote:

“I am new to the city government.” At some point, being new is no

longer an excuse for such serious missteps.

He also wrote, “I ran for office to truly represent the residents.

This requires making waves that are unpopular with the entrenched

powers-that-be.” That certainly can be the case. But those waves will

crash into nothing when unleashed in Nichols’ way.

Should Nichols’ be sanctioned? Early evidence seems to create a

case that he should, but like the City Council, residents should

withhold judgment until the city looks into the incident further.

On a wider level, this incident provides Newport Beach with the

opportunity to put in place a censure policy in the event anything

like it occurs again. Such a policy would ensure that any misdeeds

would be handled fairly and impartially. Its creation should be part

of the city’s discussion.