Mailbag: Civic center audit is a must-have

Re: “Commentary: Outside pressures contributed to civic center’s rising costs” (June 28):

The writer, Jeff Herdman, and I rarely agree on civic matters. While his logic is convoluted, he comes to the correct conclusion that the Newport Beach Civic Center project needs a completion audit.

Each month for 30 years, Newport’s taxpayers will write a $667,000 mortgage check to Wall Street to pay for the “Taj Mahal.” With debt service included, our wavy roof line furnished with $1,100 Eames chairs will cost $228 million.

By Herdman’s standards, this is a good deal compared with the $50-million project we were originally promised.

I was an early financial donor to the campaign that changed the zoning to relocate City Hall to Newport Center. When I first heard the pitch to move City Hall, it made sense.

We had a free parcel from the generous Irvine Co. The concept was to sell the old City Hall site, take the money and build a new City Hall with the funds from the sale. Simple. Sensible.

What happened? The politicians got hold of the process.

Herdman rattles off a list of “have-to-have” additions, including the hyper-expensive LEED certification, emergency response center and library expansion.

There was no self-control and no adults in the room to say “no” to anyone with a pet project. Yes, part of leadership is saying no.

I knew we were in trouble when on Feb. 21, 2014, former Mayor Rush Hill told the Orange County Register, “The architects we hired wanted to have the highest opportunity for design awards.... In the end, we did get an award-winning facility, but we paid for it.”

Spending other people’s money is infectious. Auditing the spending is the right thing to do because it’s our money.

Bob McCaffrey

Newport Beach