Bromberg earns early support
S.J. CAHN
In an unprecedented show of support, the Newport Beach Firefighters
Assn. has already thrown its support behind City Councilman Steve
Bromberg, who is running for reelection this fall.
“It’s very early, and we recognize that,” Rich Thomas, the
association’s president, told me Tuesday. “It’s the first time we’ve
ever done this [so early].”
The association almost always waits until the filing period
closes, so members know for certain who’s running, Thomas said. But
they could come up with no scenario in which they wouldn’t support
Bromberg, who served as mayor in 2003.
“He’s been a particularly strong supporter of public safety ...
and a strong support of the men and women who provide public safety,”
Thomas said.
The only other time the association made a choice before the full
field was known was when former City Councilwoman Norma Glover was
running for reelection, he said. And then, it was only a week from
the close of the filing period.
Bromberg naturally said he was pleased by the show of support.
“I was surprised to receive an endorsement from any one or any
group this early,” he said. “The firefighters stated to me that they
felt that I was well-rounded and that I am doing a fine job for the
city as a whole. Needless to say, I appreciate their confidence as
well as being somewhat flattered by such an early endorsement. I have
since heard from a number of community leaders who are also letting
me know early on that they are supporting my re-election campaign.”
It will be interesting to see if the firefighters’ support
discourages opposition to Bromberg. (Is there any way it possibly
could encourage it?).
A call to Bromberg’s main opponent in 2000, Pat Beek, to see if
she might run again, possibly under the Greenlight banner, went
unreturned.
Greenlight’s election plans will be of particular note -- even
though the influence irks some in the city. Spokesman Phil Arst said
the group has no comment at this time about what kind of campaign, if
any, it will put together.
My guess, though, is that Newport Beach voters won’t be seeing a
slate of Greenlight candidates. Although seating only Councilman Dick
Nichols was not the knock-out political punch some have spun it as,
Greenlight, as a political movement, needs a solid win this time
around. (Greenlight as the growth-control law is on the city’s books
and is something else entirely.) Talks with people outside
Greenlight’s core group all edge toward a similar conclusion: that
the group will focus all its time and money on one candidate.
I see one core reason for such a strategy rising above all others.
And it’s not exactly what many might think. It’s not just about who
has the most money. After all, Greenlight-backed Rick Taylor (now a
member of the Greenlight Committee), spent $32,000 in his
unsuccessful race against Councilman Gary Adams, who spent $40,000.
It’s about being able to spend it wisely. And in the final days of
the campaign in 2002, Greenlight wasn’t able to combat the late
spending of “Team Newport,” which consisted of Adams, Mayor Tod
Ridgeway, Councilman Don Webb and the team’s only failed candidate,
Bernie Svalstad. That group congealed as an official political group
after the final pre-election filing date, so it was able to spend
$10,000 from each of the four candidates without any opponents
knowing.
It was a mild controversy a year ago when the group’s actions --
largely consisting of sending out a glossy slate mailer -- came to
light.
I’m sure Greenlight leaders won’t forget it, and my guess is that
the best way to ensure they can respond to any late campaigning is to
have all their money on one candidate.
Next question. Whom do they run against?
“Certainly, I’m the most vulnerable,” said the newest member of
the council, Steve Rosansky, who replaced former Councilman Gary
Proctor three months ago.
Rosansky’s honest assessment follows the conventional wisdom: He’s
had less time to earn name recognition and less time to raise money
for a reelection. But judging by all the homeowners’ groups he’s met
with and the near-universal praise for how quickly he’s gotten up to
speed on city issues, Rosansky won’t be a push-over.
Plus, in the next week of two, he told me, he plans to file papers
so he can begin raising money and running his reelection campaign.
And he has early support of his own.
“He has no personal agenda, other than wanting to serve his
community,” Bromberg said. “He has a strong sense of fairness and
clearly does his due diligence on issues before him. He has spent an
incredible amount of time learning the issues and bringing himself
current. I am extremely impressed with his work ethic which is why I
have offered to support him in his up-coming election -- or
reelection -- to whatever extent he wishes.”
Rosansky also sounded open to discussing issues with Greenlight
members, though his opposition to the measure in 2000 may be a
nonstarter.
“I’d like to think I’m open to talk to those folks as well as
everyone else,” he said during a phone conversation in which he
struck me as having a genuine, if not unusual, passion for the
process of being in government. “I don’t see them as the opposition
or the other side.”
He also talked about enjoying the job and sounded, over and over,
really enthusiastic about being on the council. Those qualities can
only serve him well during the campaign.
And it may just be that Greenlight won’t come after him, if one
final wildcard falls a particular direction. It is entirely possible
that Councilman John Heffernan, who has toyed publicly with the idea
of not running again and then somewhat changed his mind, won’t run.
If he doesn’t, his open seat would be a level playing field where
Greenlight could gather.
Of course, there’s an obvious problem with running just one
candidate. If that person loses, it could be a debilitating blow to
Greenlight. The group’s leaders will have to decide if that’s a risk
they are willing to take.
* S.J. CAHN is the managing editor. He may be reached at (949)
574-4233 or by e-mail at s.j.cahn@latimes.com.
All the latest on Orange County from Orange County.
Get our free TimesOC newsletter.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Daily Pilot.