Millard remains predictable

Geoff West

As I recently predicted, on Tuesday activist M.H. Millard provided us

with the latest of what is beginning to look like a series of letters

and commentaries designed to denigrate candidates for Costa Mesa City

Council this fall who fail to share his vision for this city (“Need

to buck trends in Costa Mesa”). It was that myopic vision that gave

us Chris Steel four years ago.

This time his target is Councilman Mike Scheafer -- the

skin-of-his-teeth appointee last year who recently announced his

intention to run in November to retain his seat. I guess Scheafer

being a resident and businessman in this city for most of his life,

with a solid history of community service, is a negative as far as

Millard is concerned. I guess the fact that Scheafer has stepped up

and taken the lead on some dicey issues -- the long-delayed skate

park and the ever-contentious fireworks debate -- makes Millard

nervous. Could it be that Millard fears people on the City Council

over whom he cannot exercise influence? Seems like a good question to

me.

In his most recent letter he presents to us his view of Costa Mesa

today, comparing our town to Santa Ana, and bemoans the fact that

it’s not more like Newport Beach and Huntington Beach. He then gives

us couple of reasons why he feels that way and goes on to describe

his plan for the rehabilitation of our city by re-zoning the Westside

bluffs for high-end residential uses. He apparently feels that part

of town has “coastal influence” -- I guess that means you can feel

breeze but not see the sand -- that makes it so desirable. I find

myself wondering if that is really his motivation.

Recently I have been accused of presenting opinion as fact. Well,

let me present some facts. Over the past couple of years I’ve seen

Millard in action. I’ve watched him as he railed about a group of

issues before the City Council, Planning Commission, Redevelopment

Agency, and any other body that would provide him the time. Over this

same time frame I have also read his many letters to the editor and

commentaries published in this newspaper and others on these same

subjects. These issues are as follows:

1. Closure of the job center on the Westside of town. This

facility provides a conduit for connecting employers and workers,

most of which just happen to be Spanish-speaking men.

2. Curtailing funding for and/or removal of certain charities from

the Westside. These charities provide a critical support system for

low-income residents of our city, many of whom are Spanish-speaking.

3. Closure of the Orange Coast College Swap Meet, which provides a

source of social interaction and low-end commerce for, among others,

the Spanish-speaking residents of this city.

4. Re-zoning the Westside bluffs from industrial uses to high-end

residential development. If successful, this would eliminate a source

of employment for many of the Spanish-speaking residents of this

city, most of whom live near those businesses on the Westside.

5. “Malicious and illegal” soccer-ball kicking in community parks.

I always chuckle when he brings this one up, but never doubt which

demographic group he’s concerned about.

My opinion, based on these facts, is that there is a common thread

through his actions. I suspect I’m not the only resident of this town

who shares that view, but I won’t try to speak for others.

I’ve read many of Millard’s essays published on far right-wing web

sites, including one referred to by Planning Commission Chairman

Bruce Garlich in his recent response to an earlier Millard letter.

Having read those essays, and having watched Millard in action, I

have formed an opinion.

As I said before, I suspect we will hear much more from M. H.

Millard as the campaign season moves along through the summer. I

imagine other candidates will find themselves in his crosshairs if

they don’t agree with him. So far, he’s labeled a couple of them as

“good old boy candidates,” but I suspect Planning Commissioner

Katrina Foley doesn’t fit that mold. He will undoubtedly find another

label for her.

Thus far, Millard has targeted Garlich and Scheafer, two men who

have demonstrated a long-term dedication to this city by their

volunteerism and leadership on community issues. They have

demonstrated a commitment to improving the lives of all residents of

Costa Mesa, not just a disgruntled, vocal few. What they have not

demonstrated is buying into Millard’s party line -- reason enough for

me to seriously consider giving them my vote this fall.

As I read Millard’s most recent letters to the editor he begins to

look more and more like a candidate himself. Now, wouldn’t that be an

interesting scenario? With Westsider Mike Berry dropping out and

Chris Steel losing support, it looks like running himself might be

the only chance Millard has this time around to install a majority on

the council who share his views. That would be cataclysmic for this

city. Of course, that’s just one guy’s opinion -- not necessarily a

fact.

Community activist Judith Berry -- part of a very effective tag

team with her husband, Mike -- recently accused me of disliking M. H.

Millard. Well, I don’t really know him well enough yet to dislike

him. I sure don’t care much for what appears to be his motivation,

though. She also implied that my opinions are less valid because I’m

not out butting heads with her in one-on-one debates as Millard

apparently is. While I certainly do admire the work she and her

husband do on behalf of what they perceive are the city’s interests,

I think each of us do what we can, how we can, when we can, with

whatever tools we have. She and I work with a different tool box.

This is going to be one very interesting summer as the clock ticks

toward November.

* GEOFF WEST is a Costa Mesa resident.