Column: Recall effort illustrates differences between social and economic conservatives

Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve written about the effort to recall Newport Councilman Scott Peotter, what it takes to recall a sitting councilman and the ramifications of the Orange County GOP’s support for him.

Readers weighed in.

In a nutshell, the comments I received were split down the middle between those who feel the city shouldn’t spend the money on a recall vote -- an estimated $300,000 — and those who believe it should.

But what I found interesting is that those objecting to the cost weren’t necessarily Peotter fans. They’d just prefer to vote him out in 2018, when he’s up for reelection, rather than go through the process of a recall election in 2017.

From where I sit, Peotter isn’t popular either way with those who wrote to me.

That being said, the next phase of this battle will be waged in the court of public opinion.

On April 18, Peotter filed his official response to the recall with the city, as required. In it, he claims the recall will cost $500,000 (which is highly disputed) and that the recall makes no sense for a city $500 million in debt.

“Recalls should be used for malfeasance, not policy disagreements or fulfilling campaign promises,” he writes.

Peotter calls the recall “sour-grapes by former Councilman Keith Curry, who dug us deep in debt with expensive projects like the Taj-Ma-City-Hall and massive growth of pension debt.”

Peotter says he “defeated Curry’s hand-picked candidate, Michael Toerge, in 2014,” whom he calls a “recall candidate who declared his candidacy in the recall rather than wait a few months for the regular election.”

Peotter touts that he’s delivered his election promises regarding fire rings, the so-called dock tax, an audit of the $150-million Civic Center, the Taxpayer Protection Act and eliminating the business tax.

In reality, fire rings and the dock taxes don’t impact the majority of folks in Newport, so I’m not sure how much this argument will help his cause.

And as far as the Civic Center goes, or what he calls “Taj-Ma-City-Hall,” that might have struck a chord with voters three years ago, but will it now?

Peotter’s Team Newport members spent about what this recall will cost on a study, which basically found the city overpaid for the construction and found nothing criminal, just a lack of oversight, which, quite frankly, I could have told them — and did, in columns -- for free.

Couple that with the fact that many have now visited the Civic Center, enjoying concerts and such, that public perception seems to be turning from disdain to civic pride.

Marina Park is another project Peotter has criticized, though many locals fought for and are proud of it now as well.

Peotter hasn’t lived in Newport very long, which is why he’s probably missing the fact that folks here expect a higher standard of services and facilities.

That’s not to say people want their tax dollars spent foolishly, but they do want their money spent on projects that add value to the community, such as parks, community centers and such.

Let’s face it, Peotter’s detractors want to fire a kill shot here and tank his political career, which a successful recall vote would do. I doubt he would get elected to any position, in any city he chooses to move to next, with the stigma of a recall following him.

Changing his public persona won’t be an easy task for his handlers, as Peotter continues to stress his conservative values, as his strong point.

The political landscape in Newport and Orange County is changing. Many Republicans around here are fiscally conservative, yet liberal when it come to social issues; Peotter isn’t.

This crowd will be a hard sell for his camp.

Peotter could play the unfunded pension liabilities — the amount the city owes toward its pension obligations — card, but this can’t be solved on a city basis exclusively; the bigger solution remains in the hands of Sacramento.

As I see it, this recall effort will be a tough battle for Peotter.

The political strategy will be interesting to watch, as it unfolds on both sides.

The opposition is now “carefully designing and formatting the petition and expect to be on the street by May 11,” says spokesperson Lynn Swain.

She tells me she’s “overwhelmed at the amount of residents that have volunteered, donated and endorsed the recall.”

At this point there’s no doubt recall is Newport’s new reality.

BARBARA VENEZIA lives in Newport Beach. She can be reached at bvontv1@gmail.com.