Curry offers apology

After helping take the debate on where to build Newport Beach’s city hall up a few notches, Newport Beach City Councilman Keith Curry tried to bring it back down with a public apology.

City officials have struggled for several years over a new City Hall location. The discussion has become increasingly strident in recent months, with council members split over two Avocado Avenue parcels less than a mile apart and a ballot measure in circulation to settle the question in February.

Curry and Mayor Steve Rosansky have exchanged heated words on the dais, and in a July 30 opinion column and Aug. 8 letter to the editor, Curry wrote the pursuit of a ballot measure to build on the site planned for Newport Center Park are “dividing our city unnecessarily” and a response letter from Rosansky “demonstrates a failure of leadership.”

At Tuesday’s council meeting, Curry apologized to Rosansky and the community for the debate’s tone.

“It is the responsibility of us in elective office and the media to conduct debates on the issues in a manner which is respectful, proportionate and reflective of our community, and to the extent my own contributions to this debate have failed to meet this standard, I offer my apology to the community and my pledge to try and do better,” Curry said.

Rosansky said Wednesday Curry’s olive branch was “a pleasant surprise. I certainly don’t want to have bad relations with other council members.”