Wednesday, October 11, 2006
The DP 103 - Heavyweights, Bracketed By A Foul Ball and A Dead Fowl
I'm sure our young jailer/mayor and his merry band of minions
were all a'flutter today after the Daily Pilot released their
most recent edition of the DP 103 - a compilation of movers and
shakers in the Newport-Mesa area who met their standard as being
"influential" in our community.
Numero Uno, and cover boy for the supplement distributed with the Pilot today, was the one, the only, Mayor Allan Mansoor! I must admit that no one has been more "influential" in our community this year than our misguided young jailer/mayor. In my conversations with associates today, not a single one was surprised by Mansoor's nomination as the Big Kahuna this year. Most of us, however, would have preferred this particular edition to have been published on November 8th.
Mansoor certainly deserves to be recognized as an "influential" person this time around. His penchant for making boneheaded moves and dividing this city certainly meets that definition. He certainly has influenced our city by ignoring residents and other council members. Through his influence he has made our city known world-wide as a bastion of intolerance. However, being named the most influential person in our area doesn't necessarily mean he should be considered the most admired - unless you're one of his angry acolytes or out-of-town supporters. For example, old Jim Gilchrist - father of the Minuteman Project - is probably giggling tonight.
At the other end of the spectrum, at number 103, is Rupert, the black swan that was recently mowed down by a Harbor Patrol boat rushing to investigate reports of a corpse in Newport Harbor. Amazingly, this isn't our former feathered friend's only visit to the 103, but will likely be his last, unless some of those folks who gave him a burial at sea a couple weeks ago decide to do a seance next year and conjure up his ghost.
In between the mayor and the dead fowl were several dozen people who actually deserved the recognition for their contributions to our little slice of heaven. I'll give you the link for the DP103 here, http://dailypilot.p2ionline.com/SpecialSection/ss/index.aspx?view=pv&type=page, and you can scroll through the list at your leisure. You'll have to copy and paste it into your browser's address line.
Of course, the editors of the Daily Pilot always like to have fun with this little project, so this year they've recognized a building - the Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall (12); a school bond - Measure F (37); some beach cottages - Crystal Cove Cottages (46); some Osprey chicks (62) and a couple miles of main thoroughfare - The Harbor Boulevard of Cars (69).
The remainder of the list is made up of real, honest-to-goodness, hard-working, dedicated members of the community without whom our two cities would be much less appealing. You'll recognize those folks as you scroll through the list and read the notes about them.
However, for every rule there are exceptions. You will find one of those about mid-way through the list, at #53. When I nominated this person - who very much resembles my theoretical character, Your Neighbor - to the editors this summer I did so in all seriousness, although I didn't think they would actually choose him. Most of the other nominees were selected for their positive, important contributions to the community. This guy, while certainly meeting the definition of "influential", is far from a positive influence in this city. Through his racist essays and his clever manipulation of gullible, frightened residents like our young jailer/mayor, he has succeeded in aiming this city down a dark road. I'm glad to see the editors of the Daily Pilot are willing to acknowledge "influence", regardless the form it takes. I hope this particular guy, who is so very obviously not happy living in Costa Mesa, finds a place that meets his demographic requirements - maybe someplace in Utah or Idaho. I certainly hope we don't see his name on the list again next year.
So, thanks to the editors of the Daily Pilot for, once again, giving us an opportunity to appreciate those around us who make living in Costa Mesa and Newport Beach such a rich experience. And to each of the recipients of this honor (except our misguided mayor and his mentor, #53), I appreciate your efforts. Congratulations and keep up the good work.
10:12 pm pdt
Numero Uno, and cover boy for the supplement distributed with the Pilot today, was the one, the only, Mayor Allan Mansoor! I must admit that no one has been more "influential" in our community this year than our misguided young jailer/mayor. In my conversations with associates today, not a single one was surprised by Mansoor's nomination as the Big Kahuna this year. Most of us, however, would have preferred this particular edition to have been published on November 8th.
Mansoor certainly deserves to be recognized as an "influential" person this time around. His penchant for making boneheaded moves and dividing this city certainly meets that definition. He certainly has influenced our city by ignoring residents and other council members. Through his influence he has made our city known world-wide as a bastion of intolerance. However, being named the most influential person in our area doesn't necessarily mean he should be considered the most admired - unless you're one of his angry acolytes or out-of-town supporters. For example, old Jim Gilchrist - father of the Minuteman Project - is probably giggling tonight.
At the other end of the spectrum, at number 103, is Rupert, the black swan that was recently mowed down by a Harbor Patrol boat rushing to investigate reports of a corpse in Newport Harbor. Amazingly, this isn't our former feathered friend's only visit to the 103, but will likely be his last, unless some of those folks who gave him a burial at sea a couple weeks ago decide to do a seance next year and conjure up his ghost.
In between the mayor and the dead fowl were several dozen people who actually deserved the recognition for their contributions to our little slice of heaven. I'll give you the link for the DP103 here, http://dailypilot.p2ionline.com/SpecialSection/ss/index.aspx?view=pv&type=page, and you can scroll through the list at your leisure. You'll have to copy and paste it into your browser's address line.
Of course, the editors of the Daily Pilot always like to have fun with this little project, so this year they've recognized a building - the Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall (12); a school bond - Measure F (37); some beach cottages - Crystal Cove Cottages (46); some Osprey chicks (62) and a couple miles of main thoroughfare - The Harbor Boulevard of Cars (69).
The remainder of the list is made up of real, honest-to-goodness, hard-working, dedicated members of the community without whom our two cities would be much less appealing. You'll recognize those folks as you scroll through the list and read the notes about them.
However, for every rule there are exceptions. You will find one of those about mid-way through the list, at #53. When I nominated this person - who very much resembles my theoretical character, Your Neighbor - to the editors this summer I did so in all seriousness, although I didn't think they would actually choose him. Most of the other nominees were selected for their positive, important contributions to the community. This guy, while certainly meeting the definition of "influential", is far from a positive influence in this city. Through his racist essays and his clever manipulation of gullible, frightened residents like our young jailer/mayor, he has succeeded in aiming this city down a dark road. I'm glad to see the editors of the Daily Pilot are willing to acknowledge "influence", regardless the form it takes. I hope this particular guy, who is so very obviously not happy living in Costa Mesa, finds a place that meets his demographic requirements - maybe someplace in Utah or Idaho. I certainly hope we don't see his name on the list again next year.
So, thanks to the editors of the Daily Pilot for, once again, giving us an opportunity to appreciate those around us who make living in Costa Mesa and Newport Beach such a rich experience. And to each of the recipients of this honor (except our misguided mayor and his mentor, #53), I appreciate your efforts. Congratulations and keep up the good work.
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