SOUNDING OFF:

As a citizen, I watched in dismay as Councilwoman Wendy Leece spoke about the staff report and reasons to ultimately ban the use of legal, safe and sane fireworks.

As the president of both Costa Mesa Pop Warner and Estancia Football Boosters, I am saddened by an ill-conceived staff report and the stated disingenuous facts by city officials.

I do believe Leece’s intentions are driven by an honest belief that she has an issue that should be addressed. However, I would prefer a city leader be candid enough to say, “I would like to ban safe and sane fireworks.”

For many years, Costa Mesa has struggled to find ways to keep our youths involved in our own city’s youth sports organizations. Why? Well, simply put, our council spent more time on traffic timing and trip fees than they did on developing ways to attract and keep families in our city. Here we are again focusing energy on an issue that divides and is largely minority driven. At the direction of our staff, I watched with disbelief as the police and fire departments put forth expenditures that were patently phony, simply to justify a tax.

Under the logic presented in the recent study session, we will soon see restaurants and bars taxed for the cost of St. Patrick’s Day police overtime to identify and arrest people who drink too much. When the fire department claimed that having overtime with an additional fire truck saved a trash can fire from growing out of control, my contempt was complete. Under Leece’s direction, I believe that staff mischaracterizes legal fireworks and its use to find traction to push forward an effort to ban a 250-year-old tradition — our country’s independence celebration. Creating fees or taxing those who use fireworks legally is unnecessary and misguided.

Penalizing those who follow the law is un-American. I will not only vehemently oppose any efforts to penalize those who use legal fireworks, I will organize and lead the effort to oppose and remove officials who support these kinds of misuse of power.

I supported Leece in the last election with contributions and outreach efforts. I still consider her a colleague and friend. Philosophically, I have to surmise that she is confusing what she believes is a public safety issue with what most of us accept as a responsibility and privilege. The use of safe and sane fireworks not only generates $400,000 yearly for youth sports and academic programs, but it remains as a reminder to a tradition that brings us together.

I am reaching out to those like Leece to put forth energy in solving the real issues in our community that affect all of us the other 364 days a year. How many times will we allow our elected officials and staff to waste tax dollars on insignificant issues? Perhaps we should expect the police and fire departments to do their jobs without overtime.

STEPHEN MENSINGER is president of Costa Mesa Pop Warner.