Electing for a race in Newport Beach

S.J. CAHN

Newport Beach’s fall election may have gotten more interesting.

That is, if the City Council decides to eschew appointing a

replacement for Councilman Gary Adams -- who on Tuesday announced

he’ll be stepping down in the fall to take a job promotion and

corresponding relocation to Washington, D.C. -- and putting the

choice to the voters.

It’s pretty clear, from the Pilot’s initial story Wednesday on

Adams’ announcement, that one group in Newport would like to see an

election.

Need I write that group is Greenlight?

Oh, you thought I was going to say the editorial staff at the

Pilot?

In the spirit of open government that’s a cornerstone of

journalists’ beliefs, I’m fairly confident that Pilot folk would like

to see an election (setting aside the increasing stories it would

produce). But, it is difficult to argue that, at least the last time

around, council members didn’t make a good pick when they named Steve

Rosansky to replace Gary Proctor.

All that depends on when, exactly, Adams leaves his post. By

announcing his intentions so early, though, it does seem to set the

ball rolling for an election, which could be planned out, rather than

a quick and unexpected appointment.

With Adams’ district stretching from Santa Ana Heights through

Eastbluff, it also will be interesting to see which of those

influential areas -- if either -- is home to his successor.

GOP BREAKS THE NEWS

My Tuesday morning e-mail played out a bit strangely.

The first mention of Sen. John Kerry’s pick of a vice-presidential

running mate came from the Republican National Committee (whose

e-mails I’ve written about in the past). This one quoted “Kerry

stepson Chris Heinz:” “I was very pro-[North Carolina Sen. John]

Edwards in the spring ... But now I think we may need someone with

stronger credentials on foreign policy.”

It appeared at 5:20 a.m.

The RNC followed that e-mail 50 minutes later with one titled “Who

is John Edwards?”

The short answer: “A disingenuous, unaccomplished liberal and

friend to personal injury trial lawyers.”

A longer answer can be found at www.kerrypicks edwards.com.

A second, more comprehensive anti-Edwards e-mail arrived at 7:25

a.m.

At 8:19 a.m., an RNC e-mail titled “Edwards at odds with Kerry”

continued the onslaught.

At 9:17, I received a “He said it” e-mail from the RNC, with this

from Kerry, as quoted from the Los Angeles Times: “‘I think the

American people want an experienced hand at the helm of state,’ said

Kerry, who has spent 19 years in the Senate compared with Edwards’

five. ‘This is not the time for on-the-job training in the White

House on national security issues.’”

Finally, at 9:25 a.m., I got an e-mail from Kerry, via the

Democratic National Committee, telling me that in a few minutes he

was going to announce his Edwards pick.

If organization is going to carry the day in November, the GOP has

a remarkably clear advantage.

Separately, and unfortunately for us in Newport-Mesa, the Edwards

pick seems to doom us to pretty much a presidential-free fall. As UC

Irvine political science professor Mark Petracca noted in the Pilot

on Wednesday, Edwards’ addition to the Democratic ticket pushes the

focus to the South. The Bush team likely will give up on California

-- bad news, by extension, for GOP Senate hopeful Bill Jones, who

won’t get a boost from Bush campaigning.

Of course, you never know how things will go in politics.

* 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.