Editorial

Debbie Cook as the mayor of Huntington Beach? Who would have thunk it?

But here we are in 2001 and Cook, the longtime nemesis of city

officials, the watchdog of developers and political corruption is now the

No. 1 politico in town.

How things change.

It was Cook, along with former Councilman Dave Sullivan and the forces

of Huntington Beach Tomorrow, who mounted a referendum campaign in the

early 1990s to preserve beach land and views that were increasingly being

threatened by development.

Cook and her team pounded the pavement and Measure C was born. It

passed by a landslide and now any development that takes place on beach

or park land must first get a majority approval in a citywide vote.

Their efforts managed to squash what would have been a monstrous

restaurant and retail development hooked to the pier and the parking lot

that would have wiped out public vistas and hindered access.

Thanks to them, now the pier has a more modest development that

includes the amphitheater and Duke’s and Chimayo.

This early precursor to the wildfire-like spread of slow-growth

measures today is a sound and reasonable policy that protects the lands

that are near and dear to the public.

Cook’s credentials are much more than that, though. She’s a fierce

critic of wasteful spending, of rubber-stamped development and government

abuse.

And through the years, while others have moderated their stance, Cook

has continued to beat the same strident drum.

At times, we’ve worried out loud that she is too strident and too

critical, but what’s never been in doubt, at least to us, is that she,

much like her council predecessor Sullivan, fights hard for what she

believes is the best interests of the people.

So for that, the residents of Huntington Beach should be grateful.

There’s someone with their interest at heart minding the store.