Monday, July 31, 2006
Mike Berry's Air Ball
Community activist Mike Berry - the lesser half of a "dynamic
duo" with his perky wife, Judi - presented us with his views on
the new political action committee, Return to Reason, in the
Daily Pilot this morning. He launched his disjointed sermonette
with a caution - to "be careful what we wish for."
Berry attempts to make a big deal of the fact that a few of the members of the group don't reside in Costa Mesa, implying there's something sinister about it. He neglects to mention that most of those non-residents are successful Costa Mesa business owners, who provide jobs and sales tax dollars, with a very large stake in how things go in this town.
He attempts to hypothesize the outcome of negotiations with Newport Beach on the annexation issues by candidates supported by Return to Reason, yet fails to mention that the current council - controlled with a virtual stranglehold by the ruling troika, including his pals, our young jailer/mayor, Allan Mansoor, and his trusty sidekick, Eric ('Lil) Bever - are the ones who have handled the current situation so badly. This began when lame duck Gary Monahan - the other member of the troika - admonished his peers to "play hardball" with Newport Beach on the annexation issue at a council meeting not too long ago. At a time when finesse and diplomacy was especially important, he basically laid his cards on the table, face up, and dared Newport Beach to call his hand. It's hard to imagine a less competent effort.
Berry mentions Huntington Beach's proposed plan to route treated water through Costa Mesa and wonders how candidates supported by Return to Reason might respond. Well, once again, his buddies on the current majority managed to shoot themselves in the foot on that issue. You might recall that, instead of listening to the proposal by the contractor and negotiating with officials from Huntington Beach, Mansoor basically slammed the door on the issue during the first hearing. Stupid is the kindest word that comes to mind on that one, because it seems there are legal remedies available that will allow proponents of the pipeline to plow up our streets for the pipes if they choose to do so. Could candidates supported by Return to Reason do worse? Not likely.
Berry's awkward attempt to raise a flag about Return to Reason was pathetic and far off the mark. His last line is, "What is it we are returning to?" Well, I can tell him the answer to that question. We are returning to a time when this city is governed by a city council concerned about all residents, not just a vocal few. We are returning to a time when we will not have to worry about, as one observer puts it, "Government by Ambush" - when the public and other council members are blind-sided by the majority. We are returning to a time when issues are fleshed out during study sessions, with the opportunity for input from the community, instead of going off half-cocked with half-baked ideas - like plowing up 25% of the municipal golf course to build playing fields instead of simply lighting a couple existing fields.
We are returning to a time when a city council works to unite the residents of this city, not divide them. We are returning to a time when integrity, intelligence, maturity and leadership are traits found among the majority on the council - unlike today. We are returning to a time when the majority on the city council does not pander to the bigoted few among us. We will leave behind a time when radical out-of-town groups genuflect at the feet of our mayor, make him an honorary member of their extremist organization and use him as a pawn to turn our city into the poster-child for intolerance and return to a time when Costa Mesa issues are decided by the stakeholders in our city.
To see just what we are returning to, I invite the readers to visit the Daily Pilot today - there's a link to the Daily Pilot on my "Useful Links" page - and read the interview with Joe Erickson, arguably the most respected elected official in this city's recent history. He tells us just why he is among at least four former mayors who decided to become part of Return to Reason. It's a great counterpoint to Mike Berry's pitiful letter and demonstrates precisely why a change in November is so important.
1:29 am pdt
Berry attempts to make a big deal of the fact that a few of the members of the group don't reside in Costa Mesa, implying there's something sinister about it. He neglects to mention that most of those non-residents are successful Costa Mesa business owners, who provide jobs and sales tax dollars, with a very large stake in how things go in this town.
He attempts to hypothesize the outcome of negotiations with Newport Beach on the annexation issues by candidates supported by Return to Reason, yet fails to mention that the current council - controlled with a virtual stranglehold by the ruling troika, including his pals, our young jailer/mayor, Allan Mansoor, and his trusty sidekick, Eric ('Lil) Bever - are the ones who have handled the current situation so badly. This began when lame duck Gary Monahan - the other member of the troika - admonished his peers to "play hardball" with Newport Beach on the annexation issue at a council meeting not too long ago. At a time when finesse and diplomacy was especially important, he basically laid his cards on the table, face up, and dared Newport Beach to call his hand. It's hard to imagine a less competent effort.
Berry mentions Huntington Beach's proposed plan to route treated water through Costa Mesa and wonders how candidates supported by Return to Reason might respond. Well, once again, his buddies on the current majority managed to shoot themselves in the foot on that issue. You might recall that, instead of listening to the proposal by the contractor and negotiating with officials from Huntington Beach, Mansoor basically slammed the door on the issue during the first hearing. Stupid is the kindest word that comes to mind on that one, because it seems there are legal remedies available that will allow proponents of the pipeline to plow up our streets for the pipes if they choose to do so. Could candidates supported by Return to Reason do worse? Not likely.
Berry's awkward attempt to raise a flag about Return to Reason was pathetic and far off the mark. His last line is, "What is it we are returning to?" Well, I can tell him the answer to that question. We are returning to a time when this city is governed by a city council concerned about all residents, not just a vocal few. We are returning to a time when we will not have to worry about, as one observer puts it, "Government by Ambush" - when the public and other council members are blind-sided by the majority. We are returning to a time when issues are fleshed out during study sessions, with the opportunity for input from the community, instead of going off half-cocked with half-baked ideas - like plowing up 25% of the municipal golf course to build playing fields instead of simply lighting a couple existing fields.
We are returning to a time when a city council works to unite the residents of this city, not divide them. We are returning to a time when integrity, intelligence, maturity and leadership are traits found among the majority on the council - unlike today. We are returning to a time when the majority on the city council does not pander to the bigoted few among us. We will leave behind a time when radical out-of-town groups genuflect at the feet of our mayor, make him an honorary member of their extremist organization and use him as a pawn to turn our city into the poster-child for intolerance and return to a time when Costa Mesa issues are decided by the stakeholders in our city.
To see just what we are returning to, I invite the readers to visit the Daily Pilot today - there's a link to the Daily Pilot on my "Useful Links" page - and read the interview with Joe Erickson, arguably the most respected elected official in this city's recent history. He tells us just why he is among at least four former mayors who decided to become part of Return to Reason. It's a great counterpoint to Mike Berry's pitiful letter and demonstrates precisely why a change in November is so important.
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