Newport mayor calls for civility, unity in council, community

As Newport Beach rebounds from a contentious campaign season that resulted in a substantial changing of the guard on the City Council, Mayor Ed Selich used his State of the City address Thursday night to call for civility and a team effort between city leaders — old and new — and the residents they represent.

He kicked off his speech to a crowd of residents, friends and past and present city officials with a bit of humor to lighten the mood at the 34th annual Speak Up Newport Mayor’s Dinner at the Newport Beach Marriott.

Taking a cue from a comedy routine on “The Tonight Show” hosted by Jimmy Fallon, Selich solicited laughter as he shared sarcasm-laced thank-you cards to various public personalities and to city projects that have been hotly debated.

“We have been through a rough election cycle and campaign season this past fall,” said Selich, who has been a City Council member since 2006 and was selected as mayor in December. “I think it is important to step back and laugh at ourselves a bit to keep things in perspective.”

He “thanked” Dave Ellis, a campaign manager whose slate, dubbed “Team Newport,” swept the November council election with “all the candidates [Selich] didn’t support.” He also pointed out the Orange County Sanitation District for the traffic created by a sewer revitalization project along Mariner’s Mile, and the controversial bunny statues in Civic Center park.

“Although what we do is serious work, it should not be so serious that we cannot see the humor that emerges from it,” Selich said.

Selich gave a nod to the previous council, nicknamed the “Dream Team,” for the work it accomplished, but he also noted that it’s a new era for Newport Beach and a time to move forward.

“For the first time in 20 years, we had four new council members take their seats at the same time and join the remnants of the Dream Team,” he said. “So I say stay the course.”

Selich defended the Civic Center project, a point of contention leading to the election.

The $142.5-million project, completed in May 2013, drew criticism from some residents as well as Team Newport members Kevin Muldoon, Scott Peotter, Duffy Duffield and Diane Dixon, who were elected to the council in November. They have called the project a symbol of overspending by out-of-touch city leaders.

However, Selich said during his speech that residents asked for a Civic Center and a park, not just a city office building.

“Remember the slogan ‘City Hall in the Park’,” he said. “We had an open process that involved hundreds of residents creating the vision of what that should be like.”

Now, Selich said, is the time to “stop the derisive, cartoonish characterization of the Civic Center and the bunnies and embrace the Civic Center and park as our cultural and governance center.”

Selich listed dozens of accomplishments by previous councils, including beautification projects and new city parks. He also mentioned an ordinance regulating drug and alcohol rehabilitation homes, along with financial planning that produced eight years of budget surpluses.

He also highlighted the city’s ongoing pension reform effort. Most recently, the City Council voted to pay off the city’s unfunded pension liability 11 years sooner than previously expected.

Selich ended his address by forecasting a bright future for Newport Beach under the new council leadership.

“I believe we will do as past Newport Beach city councils have always done and come together to make our city even better,” he said. “As a result, the new will merge with the old and we will have a better city for it.”