Commentary: Questions that should have been asked at the forums

In our first two City Council debates we’ve had plenty of great questions (and a few head-scratchers), but there are four important questions that remain unasked, including:

Serious crimes in Costa Mesa were down more than 13% in 2013 and down another 2% this year. Why do you think that is?

My answer: First, we have a remarkable police department that does an excellent job protecting and serving our residents and business community. The value of that can never be underestimated.

And second, this City Council has taken a more holistic approach to public safety, from making sure our roads are smooth and our parks are tidy, to cracking down on problem motels that had been a hotbed of crime. Using our code enforcement officers and a new excessive-calls ordinance, police calls to our problem motels have dropped spectacularly.

How much of the city’s General Fund should be spent on infrastructure?

This is a fundamental question each candidate should have to answer and, if elected, be held accountable.

When I first got on the City Council, the city spent only about 1% of its General Fund on infrastructure. Our city had fallen into disrepair. We had a 45-year plan (45 year!) to repair alleys. Our streets were filled with potholes. At City Hall, employee computers were running Microsoft 2003 software!

Since then, we have increased General Fund spending on infrastructure by more than 500%, and residents and businesses can see the results in our repaved roads, beautified medians on Harbor Boulevard and elsewhere, and new and repaired sidewalks.

The City Council is looking at using the Neighborhood Community Center as the site for an expanded central library. Are you in favor of this?

For decades, Costa Mesans have wanted a first-class library to reflect our jewel of a city. But those plans went nowhere until this City Council made a commitment to fund a state-of-the-art library — really a technology center, study center and meeting place.

The city has also committed to developing additional meeting space throughout the city — at the Costa Mesa Country Club, the current Donald Dungan Library, and other city-owned facilities — so every group will have a place to meet.

Are you in favor of the Westside overlay plans going forward and what do you see as the future of the Westside?

The Westside promises to be the most exciting part of town. The Westside overlay plans — developed a decade ago by a broad spectrum of Costa Mesa residents and business owners to revitalize the area —are finally being implemented and the results have been spectacular.

Hip, modern housing with rooftop living spaces has replaced junkyards and dilapidated apartments. Hip businesses and restaurants are flocking to the Westside, taking the place of rundown bars and other low-end enterprises. The area has reached a tipping point, and it now has the reputation of being one of the coolest places to be in Orange County. And that reputation will only grow as the revitalization continues.

This is a major victory for our city; one that should be shared by those who envisioned the Westside overlay plan and those who finally implemented it.

The future is bright here in Costa Mesa.

JIM RIGHEIMER is the mayor of Costa Mesa. He is seeking reelection in November.