POLITICS ASIDEHave your say on the Pilot’s Top 103 list

A short aside this week on a topic that, if past experience is any indication, just might play a role in this fall’s elections: the Daily Pilot Top 103 list.

Quick reminder: Our list of the most influential people (and occasionally objects or animals) in Newport-Mesa appears in the fall, and the paper throws a lunch for those on the list. Past No. 1s include Don Bren, Henry Segerstrom, school bond coordinator Mark Schultheis, former Rep. Chris Cox and last year’s most influential couple, Bill and Sue Gross.

We usually do a pretty good job, I think, of capturing the previous year’s most important people. A lot of the faces remain the same, of course ? city managers Homer Bludau and Allan Roeder will be on the list until they leave, most likely ? but there’s always movement, as old names disappear and new ones appear.

And I say it might play a role in the elections because I’ve seen political mailers that mention a person’s spot on our list.

I mention the list because already this year we’ve had a few inquiries about how we choose our top 103.

Well, there’s a big dartboard in publisher Tom Johnson’s office ? I’m kidding. The dartboard is only how we decide the top 10.

There is not, really, a formal procedure for how people get nominated or how the list gets put together. A collection of the top editors look through the previous year’s papers and get together with potential picks.

But that doesn’t mean that readers can’t make pitches. You should. Here’s how:

The best way is by e-mail, either to our main [email protected] address or to mine at [email protected]. Put in the subject line: Daily Pilot Top 103. Then give us reasons why your pick should be included. The more detail, the better. (Can you tell us when we ran a story about the person, if we did? That would help.)

You also could call me, but that’s not nearly as permanent a record, and it might not give you the chance to put forth the details you want.

You even can write us in the old-fashioned way. Send a letter to 1375 Sunflower Ave., Costa Mesa, CA 92626.

We’ll take all suggestions seriously.

Now, one final thought. With the elections coming, there will be plenty of players who might deserve a place, and like campaigns, incumbents have the upper-hand. (Costa Mesa Mayor Allan Mansoor, for lots of reasons, has been more influential than any of this challengers, right?) But just because someone is on the ballot doesn’t make them influential. That influence comes after they get in office and start wielding power.

But if you can make a case for what a candidate has done, perhaps behind the scenes or on city commissions or with neighborhood associations, let us know.

Just, please, everyone who is running: Have someone else make your pitch for you.