City Council infighting is wasting time

If you didn’t know better, which of the following would you guess is under scrutiny -- a member of a city council spending city money on supporting nonprofit groups or a council member spending that money on a fancy cell phone with a wireless ear piece?

If you guessed the cell phone, you’ve made the logical choice, but logic is not much in vogue these days in Costa Mesa City Hall, where Councilwoman Katrina Foley has been called out by colleague Eric Bever for giving money to organizations such as the Davis School PTA Jog-A-Thon and College Park Fast Tutoring program. Bever, incidentally, is the one who spent money on a cell phone and Bluetooth ear piece.

The issue boiled over at a council study session on Oct. 11, when Bever and Foley exchanged heated words that included Bever suggesting the council was “functioning outside the law” and saying Foley was being “arrogant about this whole thing” and Foley responding that Bever was making “defamatory accusations toward me” and speaking over Mayor Allan Mansoor.

At issue is Foley’s spending of her allocated “discretionary” city money, $2,000 the council members have and typically spend on conferences, computers and, yes, cell phones. While she used a smaller portion on attending a conference and Internet access for a city computer, she gave the bulk to nonprofit groups in the city.

That change from the norm proved to be enough of an opening for Bever -- who has denied that his questioning of the spending is in anyway politically motivated, a claim that crumbles given this unusually petty council, where sniping is more the norm than solidarity -- and his own approval of Foley’s spending when it came before council. If Bever had concerns about the money, he should have raised them then. But perhaps he didn’t realize what he’d voted on until after the fact, an oversight that we trust is not typical of the council.

Now, as a result of Bever’s questions, the council likely will look more closely at how these “discretionary” funds are spent and establish clearer guidelines that will nullify any real discretion council members have. If that is the council members’ will, so be it. It is certainly a minor matter, and this council has more important issues to deal with than how $10,000 a year is being spent.

The most important just may be figuring out how to stop this continuing infighting. Disagreements on a council are expected, even desired, if they are substantive and help lead toward better decisions, better planning, a healthier business environment and a more content constituency.

Debating such nonissues as the spending of discretionary funds simply debases the discourse and does the Costa Mesa City Council and the city it represents unnecessary damage.

The division on this council -- largely but not exclusively between Foley and Councilwoman Linda Dixon on one side and Bever, Mansoor and Councilman Gary Monahan on the other -- is hindering its members from getting work accomplished. It is time this council figured out how best to serve the city.

If not, it is time for residents to start deciding whom they want representing them.