McEvoy unlikely to be appointed

COSTA MESA — High school math teacher Chris McEvoy lost a City Council bid by less than a 1,000 votes in the Nov. 2 election.

Yet as the council looks to fill outgoing Councilwoman Katrina Foley’s seat, McEvoy, who ranked third in votes for two open seats, is not likely to fill it.

McEvoy said he will apply for the post and recently wrote a letter to the Daily Pilot urging the community to support him.

“I don’t think I’m entitled to it,” he said Thursday, “but I do think I have a strong argument to get the seat. I had 26% of the votes. I think that should absolutely be considered, but I don’t think I’m entitled to it at all.”

Such an appointment is unlikely to happen, Councilman Gary Monahan and others have said, because McEvoy does not share the council majority’s point of view. Though Foley leans to the left, the remaining members, as well as Councilman-elect Jim Righeimer, are conservatives, while McEvoy is liberal.

Foley, who still has two years left on her second council term, ran for the Newport-Mesa Unified School District Board of Education. She decided to step down from the City Council after winning the school district seat. On Thursday she confirmed she is definitely headed to the school board, even though some have said she is sitting on the fence.

The council voted 4 to 1 Tuesday to invite interested community members to apply for Foley’s seat. Applications will be accepted through 5 p.m. Dec. 17. The council plans to make an appointment at its Jan. 7 meeting.

Resident Dan Goldmann said during Tuesday’s council meeting that appointing McEvoy is the logical option.

“We need diversity on the City Council, not another country club membership,” he said.

Sue Lester, who also ran for a spot on the council, spoke in favor of appointing McEvoy.

In a Daily Pilot op-ed piece, McEvoy also expressed his frustration with the process.

“What bothers me is a person who back in February was publicly in favor of Foley’s candidacy for her new seat is announced as a frontrunner, Planning Commissioner Steve Mensinger…,” McEvoy wrote in the commentary. “Learning from the past I wonder if and then what backroom plan will next be implemented.”

Mensinger has not publicly announced his interest, saying only that he would consider an appointment if asked.

Foley said the council should appoint McEvoy to replace her, as it is what the voters wanted.

“I think we just had an election,” she said. “The voters vetted the candidates. If other candidates wanted to run, they had the opportunity to run and they chose not to. We should take the third top vote-getter.”