Where is Corona del Mar in this rancor?

It’s far too soon to figure out what the lasting effect of the furor

surrounding Newport Beach City Council Dick Nichols will be on his

ability to represent his constituents.

Councilman John Heffernan, alone with Nichols in opposing a rebuke

of Corona del Mar’s councilman, suggested that it might damage

Nichols’ effectiveness in office. That, in turn, would reduce his

constituents’ representation in city matters.

At the very least, the heated back-and-forth between Nichols and

Mayor Steve Bromberg over comments Bromberg said Nichols made to him

during a phone call strongly suggests Nichols will not be able to get

much done. It takes coalitions to be an effective politician, and one

would have to guess Nichols won’t be building many.

Readers will naturally jump to conclusions about who is to blame

for this, and judging by the comments at Tuesday’s council meeting

and the many letters and phone calls to the Pilot, those conclusions

will run the gamut.

But it is incumbent upon Newport’s elected officials to remember

whom they serve and to work diligently to ensure all of Newport’s

residents are well represented in City Hall. I am happy and relieved

that I didn’t run for an office that puts that work on my desk,

because in the present environment, it will be a Herculean task to

bring this council together.

To get there, it might take Nichols’ resignation or removal. It

might take some of his colleagues reaching out further than they want

and embracing him. It almost assuredly will take common understanding

that, so far, is lacking on one side, if not all.

But it is hard to deny that Newport Beach is wounded. It is a

wound in desperate need of healing.

AN INFORMED ELECTORATE

Earlier this month, a new Web site went up that provides reams of

information for government gadflies.

The site, run by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Media

Lab, is known as Government Information Awareness. It’s at opengov.

media.mit.edu.

What’s useful about this site is its comprehensiveness. It links

to Newport-Mesa’s congressional representatives (showing major

contributors, ages, religion) as well as to all the cities in the

area (Newport Coast and Corona del Mar get separate listings as part

of Rep. Chris Cox’s Congressional District; Balboa Island does not).

It’s still being put together, and not all the links and

information planned are up and running. But it does appear to be yet

another good tool for getting information on our government.

And an informed electorate is, we can hope, more likely to vote

smart.

HUSCROFT HOUSE DEMOLITION

As I write every so often, this column is not meant to be a forum

for opinions -- mine, at least -- but a place to examine what’s

happening on the political front in Newport-Mesa.

That said, here are a few words that border on opinion, directed

to Costa Mesa city leaders.

If the plans to move the Huscroft House to a Westside lot fall

through (especially in the next days and weeks), they might consider

adding it to the list of attractions for the Orange County Fair.

The basic idea: demolition. Interested people could pay $1 per

minute to go into the Huscroft House with a sledge hammer, maybe $5 a

minute with a chainsaw, and have at it. The money could go to

charity, maybe.

After all, where it sits now is right across the street from the

Fairgrounds.

I don’t know, it was always fun to destroy old cars at the fairs I

went to as a kid.

* S.J. CAHN is the managing editor. He can be reached at (949)

574-4233 or by e-mail at s.j.cahn@latimes.com.