Commentary: Newport Beach should continue to stay the course
As we approach the Nov. 4 election, Newport Beach residents have been receiving campaign literature in support of the candidates running for the City Council.
Some information being disseminated is critical of the past actions of the City Council and suggests the city should be taken in a new direction.
As a 43-year resident of Newport Beach, a former city attorney, mayor and a two-term elected member of the City Council, I am well qualified to dispel some of these unfounded accusations.
The record of the City Council over the past eight years will show many noteworthy accomplishments:
• Completion of construction of the Mariner’s Library, the Newport Coast Community Center, the OASIS Senior Center, the Central Library expansion, the Santa Ana Heights Fire Station and upgrades to the lifeguard headquarters.
• Opening of the Civic Center, Coastal Peak and Mesa Birch parks and commencing construction of the Sunset Ridge, Marina and Sunset View parks.
• Adoption of a program to synchronize the city’s traffic signals to better manage traffic.
• Added new bicycle sharrows, enhancing the bicycle ride trail system.
• Invested in upgrading the city’s 100-year old water and wastewater infrastructure facilities.
• Restored sand to the beaches and achieved the highest scores registered in California for clean water.
• Outsourcing some municipal services, such as tree trimming, beach cleaning, street sweeping and residential refuse collection, saving the city significant revenue while still maintaining the highest level of providing these services.
• Achieved recent success in extending the term of the John Wayne Airport Settlement Agreement, which, among other things, continues the curfew protection for another 15 years.
• Approved dredging of the Back Bay and the main channel of the Lower Bay. Toxic sediment in the Rhine Channel was removed and the material sent to an area set aside for receiving these materials in Long Beach at a savings of millions of dollars.
• Enacted a groundbreaking ordinance that reduced and regulated the concentration of group homes, providing overnight lodging for persons enrolled in drug and alcohol recovery programs
• Implemented a financial plan with balanced budgets that maintained high levels of public services while reducing full-time employees by more than 100 positions. There has been growth in the city’s financial reserves to more than $130 million, the highest level in city history.
• For the first time, employees pay more than $7 million of their own pension costs, and these contributions will increase under the City Council’s plan for pension reform.
Under the leadership of Mayor Rush Hill, the City Council reduced building fees by more than $1 million, resulting in more than $60 million of home-improvement upgrades, beautifying neighborhoods throughout the city.
The three bond rating agencies that evaluate fiscal management have all given Newport Beach their highest ratings for financial stewardship and management. Newport Beach is one of only five cities in California with this distinction.
It is disturbing to see that four candidates are running as a slate for election to the City Council. They refer to their slate as “Team Newport,” having a goal to control the majority on the City Council. They need to understand that serving on the City Council is not a team sport. It is a responsibility of elected representatives to carry out what they individually believe to be in the best interests of the city. It’s called a democracy.
We do not need a change in direction but should stay the course and charge ahead with the current City Council plan of action to continue best practices in maintaining financial stability, providing the highest level of municipal services and to ensure protection of the quality of life we enjoy in Newport Beach.
So I would ask those candidates and critics who object so strongly to the City Council’s record of achievements, “Exactly what would you change?” This no doubt would be a different city if those arguing for change are elected. It would, however, not be a better city!
DENNIS D. O’NEILL is a former Newport Beach mayor and city attorney.