Prepare to be told ‘so’

There is some measure of satisfaction to be taken in being able to say, “I told you so.”

Usually, however, the person saying “I told you so” has a short-term gain because the person or people listening don’t want to be reminded that they were wrong.

Five years ago, I tried to tell readers that the local school board was not experienced enough to handle the $163 million they wanted to borrow. Five years later, after greatly miscalculating the amount of money they really needed and mismanaging what they did have, they asked us to loan them another $282 million.

There was no satisfaction in saying “I told you so,” for I would much rather have had the board and the oversight committees function so the extra money was not needed. So I did not say it, spending my words instead on reasons why the new plan was faulty.

But that, as they say, is water under the bridge.

Now there is a new surge of water headed for the bridge, and an established but bruised and bloody group of people are getting ready to tell us all how much they told us so.

Earlier this week, it was revealed that the Orange County Grand Jury is looking into the business practices of the Irvine City Council and some other folks involved in the development of the Great Park, planned for where the El Toro air station once was.

There should be cause for concern. Some of the business practices of those involved need questioning; for example, nearly a dozen board members and staff went on a $50,000 trip to Barcelona, Paris and New York to conduct final interviews with design finalists who submitted plans for the park.

For most of us, the grand jury investigation is welcome. It is a chance to determine whether about $400 million in public funds are being mismanaged and, if so, to stop the hemorrhaging before it is too late.

There are already whispers that the park will be scaled back in order to raise more money by selling more land to developers. This is not good news, but neither is it “I told you so” news.

Those who supported a large, stinky, noisy airport only eight miles from here, where the park will eventually be built, are licking their chops over the grand jury development. They are delighting in the fact that we all may be suffering from the news of a possible financial fiasco.

This is not “I told you so” news.

“I told you so news” is when you tell a friend not to rent “Ishtar” and he does it anyway, and then tells you how bad it was.

“I told you so” news is when you tell your guy not to take the shortcut but he does anyway because guys don’t follow directions very well, and you wind up getting to your destination an hour late.

“I told you so” news is when you tell your kid that he can’t have an air rifle because he’ll “shoot his eye out” just like Ralph in the movie “A Christmas Story.”

That’s “I told you so” news.

So, let’s try this one more time. There will never be an airport down at El Toro. And who knows, there may never even be a Great Park.

For all we know, the land that is not turned over to developers may remain raw, just like most of the land in Fairview Park.

As long as there are no giant Airbus jets floating in and out of our backyard 24 hours a day, seven days a week, I’m not really going to care. For me, the Great Park is icing in the cake.

Those who are bitter about the loss in the El Toro war can carry their bitterness and hate with them forever -- that’s their choice. Or, they can acknowledge that fact that they lost and spend their energy instead on working to make sure our new park gets developed to the fullest extent possible.

As you can see from the first few paragraphs, I’m over the fact that my side lost the school board bond battle.

You can see that, can’t you?

* STEVE SMITH is a Costa Mesa resident and a freelance writer. Readers may leave a message for him on the Daily Pilot hotline at (714) 966-4664 or send story ideas to dailypilot@latimes.com.

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