Newport candidate forum runs hurry-up offense
If the USC football team can run an entertaining hurry-up offense to the delight of audiences at the Coliseum, why can’t the same approach apply to political candidates in a public forum?
All eight candidates running for four seats on the Newport Beach City Council attended the third in a series of election forums Wednesday night at the City Hall community room. About 75 citizens gathered for the event hosted by Speak Up Newport, a non-partisan organization dedicated to promoting general welfare in the community since 1979.
The format was a one-hour, interactive semi-debate with brief discussion on several voter concerns ahead of the Nov. 4 election. The program was divided in four segments to compare the candidates’ quick responses on a wide range of topics.
Newport Beach entertainer Jim Roberts served as guest moderator, aided by a bell-ringing timekeeper to limit responses from 15 seconds to one minute, depending on the segment.
Candidate Diane Dixon, running unopposed from District 1, limited her participation to a two-minute opening statement outlining her experience and election platform. The seven other candidates all shared the dais with at least one other district opponent.
In the creative first segment, candidates were asked to rate the value of 10 civic concerns ranging from maintaining the city’s own police and fire departments to adding more dog parks. They were asked to rank their numeric responses from 1 to 10 on large flash cards and hold them up to the audience, a la Olympic-style judging.
Amusing contrasts to several questions included sitting Mayor Rush Hill (District 3) going off the charts with a +12 on the importance of a city water taxi service versus candidate Mike Toerge (District 6) responding with a 1.
A procedural correction diverted the program to what was originally scheduled as opening statements. Each candidate was offered one minute to outline general policy and leadership qualifications.
Several cited past experience in city government, including Marshall “Duffy” Duffield (District 3) who served 10 years on the Harbor Commission, Toerge (6), Scott Peotter (6), and Tim Brown (4) cited their service on the city Planning Commission and other posts.
A passionate Roy Englebrecht (4) stood and strongly expressed his opposition to taking any campaign contributions that he believes undermine trust in a candidate’s decision-making. Kevin Muldoon (4), a former Orange County prosecutor, mentioned crime concerns on the peninsula and stood on his platform of fiscal responsibility.
Segment two required a yes or no answer and a 15-second follow-up on issues from widening Pacific Coast Highway through the Mariners corridor to Balboa Village improvements.
The quick assessments displayed a range of split opinions on burning wood in beach fire rings, moving the police facility to a new location closer to downtown, and the sale or lease of the old city hall scheduled for conversion to a new luxury hotel.
One-minute responses during the third segment brought consensus approval of the airport settlement agreement set to confirm resident protections over the next 20 years. There were split opinions on city pension reforms, traffic solutions and property rights, with Engelbrecht reiterating his position as “the only candidate voting no” on Measure Y.
The final segment of the forum allowed each candidate an opportunity to ask an opponent one question. While several of the candidates declined amid the generally friendly atmosphere, one exchange emphasized the mood.
“I would like to know why it’s fair that I have to run against a man who always wears a tie,” asked Duffield, referring to his District 4 opponent Hill, the only incumbent among the candidates.
After the audience laughter receded, Hill responded in kind with, “And I would like to know why I have to run against someone who never wears a tie.”
A video recording of the forum is available on the Speak Up Newport website at https://www.speakupnewport.org and on the City of Newport Beach website at https://www.newportbeachca.gov.