Time for accountability on Measure L

The resounding defeat of Measure L at the ballot box should send a

loud and clear message to the City Council, about not only the

concern over unfettered development of Newport Beach’s assets, but

the manner in which the City Council operates in general.

The city’s failure to articulate the details of the proposed

project and its obstinacy in dealing with public concerns doomed this

project from the start. The proponents of Marinapark need to look no

further than the city for its collapse.

When a municipal entity wants to convert a public asset into a

private profit, it had better be prepared to provide excruciating

details as to the benefit to the citizenry.

In this regard, the city failed. Initial inquiries were dismissed

as clerical inadvertence. When serious questions were raised about

the legality of the contract, the legitimacy of the council’s

approval of the final agreement, and violations of the city’s

charter, they were summarily dismissed as political rhetoric.

Well, the election is over and the people of Newport Beach have

spoken. Now it is time for the city to answer. Questions remain as to

why the city thought it was dealing with a limited-liability

partnership when it was not. Did the proponent misrepresent himself

or did the city merely believe that for three years and after

multiple amendments it was dealing with someone else? Why was the

last agreement modified without council consent? Was the Brown Act

violated? Who approved changes in the contract? Why did the city

invest so much time and money defending an indefensible agreement?

Where was the city’s due diligence in evaluating the plan before it

rushed to promote it?

We, the taxpayers, deserve answers to these questions. We deserve

better from a council laden with lawyers and businessmen-developers.

The City Council needs to regain our trust in their handling of

the public’s goodwill and projects of this nature in the future. They

campaigned long and hard for their seats at the dais. Our trust in

voting for them is now their fiduciary obligation.

The city should appoint an independent counsel to review the

entire process, from the initial requests for proposal to the final

contract. Each and every council member should join in the request.

The city’s credibility has suffered as a result of its handling of

this project. Its citizenry needs reassurance in the incredible power

it has placed in the council’s hands.

RICK TAYLOR

Newport Beach

* EDITOR’S NOTE: Rick Taylor is a member of the slow-growth group,

Greenlight.