Monday, July 24, 2006
Measuring Mansoor
As we slide into the summer and, coincidentally, the campaign
season, I thought it was time to begin to assess some of the
candidates for City Council. We'll begin with our young
jailer/mayor, Allan Mansoor, who was elected to his position
almost four years ago, when he whipped then-sitting Mayor Linda
Dixon.
Do you remember how your parents used to back you up against a door jamb and mark your height to measure your growth. Well, since his election in 2002 Mansoor actually seems to have diminished in stature. Let us contemplate ten reasons we should not return Mansoor to the City Council in November.
1 - EASILY MANIPULATED
Although at first he looked and sounded like a nice, earnest young man who was eager to make positive change in this city, he has proven to be easily led and susceptible to direction by those among us who have a sinister agenda. One good example of this trait is his coronation as an honorary Minuteman by co-founder Jim Gilchrist, who stroked our young jailer/mayor so deftly I thought I could hear him purring. And, of course, there is the undeniable influence by one particular activist in town who spouts racist views in his voluminous internet essays.
2 - JOB CENTER CLOSURE
Despite the fact that the Job Center had proven to be a big part of a solution to loitering day-laborers after it was created by an enlightened City Council more than 17 years ago, Mansoor and his allies, Mayor Pro Tem Eric Bever and lame duck councilman Gary Monahan, chose to succumb to the intolerant whiners in our city and closed it at the end of 2005.
3 - BOGUS IMMIGRATION SCREENING SCHEME
Despite the fact that no experienced law enforcement leader in Orange County thought it was a good idea, Mansoor initiated a plan to cross-designate all Costa Mesa police officers as immigration screeners - a plan that would have cost the city at least $1.4 million initially and much more as time wore on. Although not a good solution, Monahan proposed a slightly less draconian plan - to follow the lead of Orange County Sheriff Mike Carona with his plan. That plan, to cross-train only Gang Unit members, detectives and jailers, would cost at least $200,000 initially, but would also require on-going training in perpetuity. Carona's plan would utilize federal government money - the Costa Mesa plan comes right out of the city coffers and the pockets of the residents. And, of course, Mansoor's plan is not necessary to accomplish what he used as his primary reason for pursuing it - to get dangerous felons off Costa Mesa streets. We already have laws and procedures in place to accomplish that goal. His plan, if launched, will only delay the process and keep highly trained officers off the streets, performing administrative minutia. The job of enforcement of immigration law is that of the federal authorities. It's actually pretty simple - if you try to do someone else's job, you can't do yours.
4 - ERRATIC, DISRESPECTFUL LEADERSHIP
During his 18 month tenure as mayor, Mansoor has proven to be an erratic leader, at best. He has demonstrated time after time that, despite his assurances that he wants to "hear from the public" on issues, he only listens to his small cadre of disgruntled "Improver" buddies and usually has his mind made up on major issues before he sets foot on the dais. He's treated the female minority on the council with disregard and disrespect and ignored any views they put forward.
5 - SHOOT FROM THE HIP STYLE
He has consistently demonstrated a "shoot first and ask questions later" style, which has caused apprehension and distrust throughout the community. A perfect example, one of many, is the way he and Parks & Recreation Commission Chairwoman Wendy Leece, announced their plan for the demolition of 25% of the municipal golf course, to be replaced by playing fields, without any contact whatsoever with the franchise holder, members of recreation programs leadership, golfers or other city leaders. He continues to assume that any idea he has must be good for the city simply because he has it.
6 - IGNORES COMMUNITY INPUT
The reason for the above move is that he and Leece were willing to subordinate needs of the many to the wishes of the few on the issue of lighting two more of the six fields at The Farm Sports Complex. Their choice was to ignore the needs of the children of the community by acquiescing to the complaints of a few residents near the fields. This certainly demonstrates his tendency to view issues in our city through a very narrow prism, usually focused for him by one or more of his cronies. There are many times when it seems as though he lacks the ability of independent thought.
7- PANDERS TO THE FEW
In consort with Bever, they cast aside the years of work performed by the Westside Revitalization Oversight Committee and it's predecessor organizations and initiated their own, much more wide-reaching plan for that part of our city. After a year of diligent, sometimes contentious, deliberations, the WROC participants had reached unanimous consensus on a plan that, based on what they presented to the City Council, seemed to be a reasonable, workable compromise which addressed the needs and concerns of all stakeholders. The plan Bever launched with the total support of his buddy, Mansoor, is now moving on down the track at warp speed, casts a much broader net and has made few of the initial participants - except the "Improver" faction - happy.
8 - POOR POLITICAL INSTINCTS
As unpredictable and capricious as he is on the City Council, our mayor also seems to have a peculiar lack of political instincts. He, for example, supported an opponent of his boss, Sheriff Mike Carona, in the recent elections. Carona has shown a vindictiveness against those who opposed him, having demoted a few of those who supported one of his lieutenants. Bill Hunt. Mansoor also openly supported Hunt. Of course, Mansoor probably has little to worry about, since he's apparently voluntarily chosen one of the least desirable assignments in the Sheriff's organization - that of a jailer. It would be hard for Carona to demote him from that spot - one usually reserved as the first assignment of rookies deputies.
9 - BIAS ON THE DAIS
Mansoor frequently shows that he uses a double standard on the dais, as he applies a different set of rules for those who criticize him than those who agree with - or praise - him. We've seen him cut off speakers with which he disagreed before their allotted time had passed, then permit those who praise him even more time than normal. We've seen him attempt to stifle debate on contentious issues by calling for a vote before an opposing council member had finished discussing it. This is not leadership, it's dictatorship.
10 - WANTS IT BOTH WAYS
He has proven to be a man who talks out of both sides of his mouth. On one hand, he sits on the dais and decries the imbalance of rental units to owner-occupied housing in the city. On the other, after commenting for a couple years about noise in his neighborhood he did what many have done - sold the home, pocketed his profit and moved into an apartment.
Perhaps these comments will be helpful to you as we slog through the campaign season. I hope they at least help provide you with a tighter focus on our mayor between now and November.
10:23 pm pdt
Do you remember how your parents used to back you up against a door jamb and mark your height to measure your growth. Well, since his election in 2002 Mansoor actually seems to have diminished in stature. Let us contemplate ten reasons we should not return Mansoor to the City Council in November.
1 - EASILY MANIPULATED
Although at first he looked and sounded like a nice, earnest young man who was eager to make positive change in this city, he has proven to be easily led and susceptible to direction by those among us who have a sinister agenda. One good example of this trait is his coronation as an honorary Minuteman by co-founder Jim Gilchrist, who stroked our young jailer/mayor so deftly I thought I could hear him purring. And, of course, there is the undeniable influence by one particular activist in town who spouts racist views in his voluminous internet essays.
2 - JOB CENTER CLOSURE
Despite the fact that the Job Center had proven to be a big part of a solution to loitering day-laborers after it was created by an enlightened City Council more than 17 years ago, Mansoor and his allies, Mayor Pro Tem Eric Bever and lame duck councilman Gary Monahan, chose to succumb to the intolerant whiners in our city and closed it at the end of 2005.
3 - BOGUS IMMIGRATION SCREENING SCHEME
Despite the fact that no experienced law enforcement leader in Orange County thought it was a good idea, Mansoor initiated a plan to cross-designate all Costa Mesa police officers as immigration screeners - a plan that would have cost the city at least $1.4 million initially and much more as time wore on. Although not a good solution, Monahan proposed a slightly less draconian plan - to follow the lead of Orange County Sheriff Mike Carona with his plan. That plan, to cross-train only Gang Unit members, detectives and jailers, would cost at least $200,000 initially, but would also require on-going training in perpetuity. Carona's plan would utilize federal government money - the Costa Mesa plan comes right out of the city coffers and the pockets of the residents. And, of course, Mansoor's plan is not necessary to accomplish what he used as his primary reason for pursuing it - to get dangerous felons off Costa Mesa streets. We already have laws and procedures in place to accomplish that goal. His plan, if launched, will only delay the process and keep highly trained officers off the streets, performing administrative minutia. The job of enforcement of immigration law is that of the federal authorities. It's actually pretty simple - if you try to do someone else's job, you can't do yours.
4 - ERRATIC, DISRESPECTFUL LEADERSHIP
During his 18 month tenure as mayor, Mansoor has proven to be an erratic leader, at best. He has demonstrated time after time that, despite his assurances that he wants to "hear from the public" on issues, he only listens to his small cadre of disgruntled "Improver" buddies and usually has his mind made up on major issues before he sets foot on the dais. He's treated the female minority on the council with disregard and disrespect and ignored any views they put forward.
5 - SHOOT FROM THE HIP STYLE
He has consistently demonstrated a "shoot first and ask questions later" style, which has caused apprehension and distrust throughout the community. A perfect example, one of many, is the way he and Parks & Recreation Commission Chairwoman Wendy Leece, announced their plan for the demolition of 25% of the municipal golf course, to be replaced by playing fields, without any contact whatsoever with the franchise holder, members of recreation programs leadership, golfers or other city leaders. He continues to assume that any idea he has must be good for the city simply because he has it.
6 - IGNORES COMMUNITY INPUT
The reason for the above move is that he and Leece were willing to subordinate needs of the many to the wishes of the few on the issue of lighting two more of the six fields at The Farm Sports Complex. Their choice was to ignore the needs of the children of the community by acquiescing to the complaints of a few residents near the fields. This certainly demonstrates his tendency to view issues in our city through a very narrow prism, usually focused for him by one or more of his cronies. There are many times when it seems as though he lacks the ability of independent thought.
7- PANDERS TO THE FEW
In consort with Bever, they cast aside the years of work performed by the Westside Revitalization Oversight Committee and it's predecessor organizations and initiated their own, much more wide-reaching plan for that part of our city. After a year of diligent, sometimes contentious, deliberations, the WROC participants had reached unanimous consensus on a plan that, based on what they presented to the City Council, seemed to be a reasonable, workable compromise which addressed the needs and concerns of all stakeholders. The plan Bever launched with the total support of his buddy, Mansoor, is now moving on down the track at warp speed, casts a much broader net and has made few of the initial participants - except the "Improver" faction - happy.
8 - POOR POLITICAL INSTINCTS
As unpredictable and capricious as he is on the City Council, our mayor also seems to have a peculiar lack of political instincts. He, for example, supported an opponent of his boss, Sheriff Mike Carona, in the recent elections. Carona has shown a vindictiveness against those who opposed him, having demoted a few of those who supported one of his lieutenants. Bill Hunt. Mansoor also openly supported Hunt. Of course, Mansoor probably has little to worry about, since he's apparently voluntarily chosen one of the least desirable assignments in the Sheriff's organization - that of a jailer. It would be hard for Carona to demote him from that spot - one usually reserved as the first assignment of rookies deputies.
9 - BIAS ON THE DAIS
Mansoor frequently shows that he uses a double standard on the dais, as he applies a different set of rules for those who criticize him than those who agree with - or praise - him. We've seen him cut off speakers with which he disagreed before their allotted time had passed, then permit those who praise him even more time than normal. We've seen him attempt to stifle debate on contentious issues by calling for a vote before an opposing council member had finished discussing it. This is not leadership, it's dictatorship.
10 - WANTS IT BOTH WAYS
He has proven to be a man who talks out of both sides of his mouth. On one hand, he sits on the dais and decries the imbalance of rental units to owner-occupied housing in the city. On the other, after commenting for a couple years about noise in his neighborhood he did what many have done - sold the home, pocketed his profit and moved into an apartment.
Perhaps these comments will be helpful to you as we slog through the campaign season. I hope they at least help provide you with a tighter focus on our mayor between now and November.
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