Commentary: The Civic Center audit will provide a necessary third-party review

A unanimous Newport Beach City Council on June 16 approved a third-party audit of the Civic Center project. It was a wise and thoughtful decision by each of my fellow council members.

The audit was proposed by Councilman Kevin Muldoon and myself because of lingering questions, skepticism and, frankly, divisiveness that after many months — indeed, years — have not receded.

It is important for everyone to understand that this will be neither a witch hunt nor a whitewash. It will be a professional third-party review, as far removed from politics as possible.

As someone with more than 30 years’ experience in the senior leadership of one of the top corporations in America, I can tell you that a review of this sort is a common and non-controversial procedure in the private sector with every major construction project. A close-out audit is a line item in any major capital project.

It is important to get to the facts about how the course of this project, from inception to design to construction, fits with best practices in the industry.

For my part, I want to know what guidance and choices led to us spending upward of $600 per square foot and approving some 800 change orders for what is essentially an office building. And I want to know this not to cast blame or score political points. I want to know this so we will understand what to watch out for in the future — so we never again overspend the taxpayers’ dollars on a building project.

Conversely, if the audit reveals that the Civic Center project was completed within the scope of best industry practices, and within an appropriate budget for the scope and time and cost estimates, it’s important that the community understand and know that information.

I also want to know the facts so we can finally move beyond the political back-and-forth on this, and go forward with a common understanding of what went wrong and what went right — and there were many things that went right — in the Civic Center project.

It’s the right thing to do. The lessons of this process-and-performance audit in enhanced understanding of large-project management will save taxpayer dollars in the future. I am convinced of that.

We can now look forward to the selection of an independent audit manager and audit firm to complete this review as expeditiously as possible.

DIANE DIXON is the mayor pro tem of Newport Beach.