Commentary: I am thankful for our city employees

As we mark Thanksgiving Day this year, we here in Costa Mesa have much for which to be thankful. The 450 or so employees who still remain after nearly two full years of tumult and apprehension are most certainly thankful for their jobs. I know I’m thankful for their continuing efforts to provide superior service to the residents and visitors to our city.

We can be thankful that this most divisive political season in my memory is finally over, and as the dust begins to settle, we hope that the new City Council can get on with the important business of running our city without rancor and acrimony. The return of former Mayor Sandra Genis — and the civility for which she is known — is something for which we can all be thankful.

We can be thankful that Measure V not only failed to pass, but was soundly thumped by an electorate apparently more attuned to issues than the measure’s proponents anticipated. I’m not convinced we need a charter; but if we do, we can be thankful that this charter did not pass.

Personally, I’m very thankful for the folks who formed Costa Mesans for Responsible Government. That grassroots organization, composed of folks from all political backgrounds, demonstrated that citizen activism in our city can be an effective force against abuse by those governing. And I’m thankful that good folks like Genis, John Stephens and Harold Weitzberg stepped up to run for City Council.

I’m also very grateful to those in the local media who did their best to keep us informed. It’s a tough job these days, when most media outlets are shrinking. Our friends at the Daily Pilot and the Orange County Register kept on digging and reporting.

As always, I’m thankful for my lovely and patient wife of 45 years and our friends and family who support us in all we do. And, I’m thankful to those who read my words — here and on my blog — and take the time to share their opinions.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all.

Longtime Costa Mesa resident GEOFF WEST is editor of A Bubbling Cauldron.