Newport Beach voters should have known...

Newport Beach voters should have known better

I’m rather appalled about reading this latest article about the

phony phone calls (“Phony phone calls may be nothing new,” Dec. 11).

I’ve been following this story for a while now. What really upsets

and disturbs me, being a Costa Mesa resident, quite frankly, we tend

to look at Newport Beach in a better light.

I’m appalled that there are members of the City Council, sitting

as well as recently elected -- Mayor Steve Bromberg, Gary Adams, Tod

Ridgeway and, to a lesser degree, I would guess this fellow Don Webb

-- whose campaigns were managed by this guy Ellis. I’m amazed and I’m

really, quite frankly, amazed the people of Newport Beach aren’t

smarter than that.

I would definitely like to see some major campaign reform.

MARK READE

Costa Mesa

Counties need to come together on an airport

My experience is that the Southern California region is about 30

years behind most areas in this country with this kind of population

in terms of airport facilities. The counties of San Bernardino,

Riverside, Orange and San Diego represent a region and shouldn’t be

so provincial, so that each one can have its own little boutique

airport. They should work together and provide the residents a

regional airport that would serve all parties and be more efficient

and create less traffic in the air.

RON TRAVERS

Newport Beach

Campaign tricks then and now should be punished

I read in today’s Daily Pilot about Pat Beek feeling that she lost

her race a few years ago because of dishonest phoning that was

provided by a campaign manager, Dave Ellis (“Phony phone calls may be

nothing new,” Dec. 11). The Greenlight organization indicates that

Ellis was a manager for several other council people who may have

participated in the same dishonest activity. I feel this should be

condemned and, if [the tactic was] illegal, the appropriate measures

should be carried out by the city police.

JEROME TOBIS

Corona del Mar

Newport needs conflict of interest guidelines

Newport Beach council hopefuls, as well as those elected, need

conflict of interest guidelines such as those modeled after Los

Angeles’ guidelines and as have been proposed by Councilman John

Heffernan. Conflicts of interest are to be avoided, whether between

council candidates and election consultant-mentors or between

successful candidates and city contractors or development interested

applicants.

In our small city, council candidates are familiar people, if not

our friends. They lose our respect simply by signing on with

anything-goes, pay-to-play consultants whose only goal is a winning

client regardless of the after stench, or once elected, have legal,

but highly questionable business connections with municipal

contractors or development interests.

TOM HYANS

Balboa Peninsula

* Tom Hyans is a Greenlight activist.

Protest photo showed what makes the country strong

Regarding the Dec. 10 letter, “Cover photo a frightening omen of

the Pilot as propaganda.”

Please remember that individual beliefs often do not coincide with

those of prominent leaders. The beauty of this country is that an

Iraqi student can voice her opinions without fear of government

reprisal (usually); in Iraq, this same student would be jailed or

worse. How can we think that this or the demonstrations of the 1960s

are in any way bad? The Vietnam War was not lost because of the peace

protesters; it was lost because we went into it without clear

objectives to win. When you fight “not to lose,” the end result is

never good.

The letter writer states that “we can be destroyed when those

freedoms [peace and freedom of the press] are used by our enemies ...

against us.” We can never be destroyed as a result of the freedoms

that our constitution guarantees; these freedoms make us strong (even

if, occasionally, vulnerable).

Lastly, why is it propaganda when an Iraqi student preaching peace

appears on the front page but not when the picture is of Defense

Secretary Donald Rumsfeld preaching war?

J.B. LITVAK

Costa Mesa

Settlement agreement doesn’t add up to protection

Accolades for the John Wayne Settlement Agreement while we’re

waiting for the airlines to sue caps out of existence? What devious

political machinations have caused us to end up with an

ever-expanding John Wayne while El Toro sits there empty and a Great

Park is a useless figment of some demented imagination? Who should be

made to answer for this?

If it walks like a saint and talks like a saint, watch out.

BERNICE HASIN

Newport Beach