Venezia: Is talk of bullying a fundraising ploy?

“Should the Bully Be Recalled?”

That was the headline on the May 6 email blast from Bob “Stop the Dock Tax” McCaffrey and his organization, Residents for Reform.

The “bully” to whom McCaffrey refers is none other than his political archenemy, Newport Beach Councilman Keith Curry.

You may remember that McCaffrey, along with political consultant Dave Ellis, pulled out all the stops to get Diane Dixon, Scott Peotter, Kevin Muldoon and Marshall Duffield elected to the City Council, even giving their slate a catchy name, Team Newport.

It was a nasty campaign season with Team Newport attacking Curry on the building of the civic center and the increase in dock fees.

Apparently resentments are still running high.

In this latest email, McCaffrey accused Curry of “using his position to bully his political opponents.” McCaffrey says Curry accused one longtime harbor resident of profiting after the new council reduced the dock fees.

“I’m tired of bullies in public office like Keith Curry,” McCaffrey writes. “His mean-spirited attacks ... have no place in our city.”

McCaffrey did not respond to my email or phone requests for an interview.

His email to supporters also includes this survey question:

• “Is Keith Curry’s bullying of residents during council meetings appropriate?”

Potential answers are:

• No, elected officials need to be professional and diplomatic when speaking to constituents.

• Yes, as an elected official Curry has the right to bully anyone he wants from the dais.

Talk about a leading question!

And then there’s this one:

• “Curry’s behavior is unacceptable and needs to stop. What should we do?”

The potential answers are:

• Start a recall against Curry and throw him out of office.

• Demand the city require Curry to enroll in an anger-management program.

It’s laughable, but the way McCaffrey signs off this email is what’s really telling.

“Residents for Reform will stay active on the quality of life issues in Newport Beach that make our city a unique place to live. We are funded by donations from the community. You can safely donate online.”

Follow the money is what I always say.

For groups like Residents for Reform to stay funded and continue to appear relevant, they need to create issues so that people will send them money.

What McCaffrey isn’t telling folks is that recall campaigns cost, in time and money, upwards of $200,000.

Not exactly a great way to save taxpayer dollars.

So what does the recall process consist of?

First, the proponent of the recall serves the recall target and files notice of intention with the city clerk.

Then a notice of intention must be published.

The target has seven days to file an answer to the recall charges with the city clerk.

Next, the proponent has to file a proof of publication of the notice, as well as two blank petitions, with the city clerk, who then reviews all of this.

The next step is circulating a recall petition, which only Newport Beach voters can do, and it requires the signatures of 15% of the city’s registered voters. Once that’s done, signatures are sent to the clerk for verification.

If the recall gets this far, then the Newport council would have to certify the petition and call for an election.

The nomination process for new candidates would begin, and then an election would be held.

So this is not a simple process, not to mention that it could take the better part of a year.

Considering Curry is termed-out in 2016, recalling him now makes no sense.

Curry has his own ideas about this whole recall thing.

“I think we have people in town who feel they are self-styled political bosses and feel they can intimidate council members,” says Curry.

And of McCaffrey’s inference that he bullied that harbor resident at a council meeting, Curry says he welcomes anyone to view the meeting video, not just a clip that he says McCaffrey took out of context.

“These guys don’t seem interested in saving taxpayer dollars — the funds are for private party benefit,” Curry says of McCaffrey and Residents for Reform. “The entire campaign is manufactured and politically motivated to keep themselves looking important.”

I asked Curry his feelings on the newly proposed audit of the building of the civic center by Dixon and Muldoon.

Curry believes this is politically motivated. The “staff produced two feet worth of documents and not a single person read them. They are interested in headlines,” says Curry.

I also asked him about the media leak of a closed-session discussion regarding Assistant City Manager Steve Badum, whose relationship with Civic Center contractors is being reviewed.

Curry suggests the city attorney should polygraph everyone who was privy to the leaked closed-session conversation and documents.

Anyone found guilty should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law, he says.

Now that I agree with.

BARBARA VENEZIA lives in Newport Beach. She can be reached at [email protected].