Save Newport Real News in Newport Beach
What a ton of changes! Last night, we saw the exiting of our old council, and the incoming of the new council. The old council– along with Keith Curry– continued to tout that the city was in great fiscal shape, that nothing was over-spent, and that they’d do it all again in a heartbeat.
The last part is what got me. Considering the voters overwhelming stated that they were displeased with what the council had done– why would they do it again in a heartbeat? It honestly felt like they were still campaigning– over a month after election day made it clear what the voters thought. Oh well, it was a good night nonetheless… BECAUSE:
The new council came in. They each gave a small speech about what it means to them, how grateful they are, and gave thanks to many people who helped them along the way. They also listed their mandates for what they’d like to see agendized for January. The list is as follows:
Diane Dixon:
1) Would like to have the city of Newport officially honor Mimi Walters.
2) Would like to take the first steps in auditing the City Hall project.
Duffy Duffield:
1) Wanted an audit of our notoriously poorly run harbor budget. Duffy made it clear that this was “not a witch hunt”, but in this writers opinion– you don’t need to hunt for fish if you drop a grenade into a bait ball. This will be an interesting unfurling.
Kevin Muldoon:
1) Kevin called for a review of the Dock Tax.
Scott Peotter:
1) Called for a review of the fire rings, how we can restore wood burning to the fire rings while pleasing both the California Coastal Commission and the AQMD.
All and all, it does appear that our new council members will remain true to their public promises– hey, there is a first time for everything, right?
The general feeling is positive, refreshing, and the immediate action requested on those items have certainly quelled the public’s fear about anyone being a “standard politician” and going back on their words. Lest I speak to soon: there is still a long battle ahead for all of these items, and it will take dedication, gumption, and a ridiculous amount of paperwork to see it through. So far, though, it appears we have the right people for the job.
