Mailbag: Despite qualifications, councilman passed me over for appointment

I am a victim of Team Newport.

After serving conscientiously for a decade on the city of Newport Beach Aviation Committee as the alternate for District 6, with the wonderful Shirley Conger, I felt kicked aside by my councilman.

I have the credentials and experience for the position of full member representative. I am a licensed pilot for both fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters and I am a flight instructor for instruments, multi-engine, at an Airline Transport Rating level. I know the Southern California airspace and John Wayne Airport traffic well.

As a retired reserve captain I had the pleasure of flying for the Orange County Sheriff’s Department for over 20 years. I am also a board member of the Airport Working Group (AWG).

Councilman Scott Peotter decided to step over me and appoint someone else to the member representative position and leave me as the alternate. Of the three vacancies, the other two council members, as is usual protocol, appointed alternates, and Peotter was the only one to assign a representative and passed me by.

I am sure his appointee is a fine woman and will do her best. It just seems a little unfair. It was hoped that maybe the other council members would at least have voiced some appreciation of my time served.

Let’s review. I am in District 6, and in the last City Council election supported a neighbor and friend, Mike Toerge. Since our city is not based on a district vote (as Peotter did win a majority of votes in his own district) Peotter was carried on the shirttails by the Team Newport group, which have pretty much taken over Newport Beach local government, as they said they would.

I had hoped that maybe some other council members might have voiced support for me, and I would have been able to help familiarize appointee Lauren Kleiman with the history of the committee and have her take my position when I left voluntarily. I wish her well and thank my fellow members on the Aviation Committee for their friendship and support, but I feel that resigning will save me further embarrassment in my endeavors to serve my city in this capacity.

I have reluctantly resigned.

Bud Rasner

Newport Beach

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Growth initiative puts residents first

Re. “Is Costa Mesa growth-control measure ‘Draconian’ or about ‘sound decisions’? Debaters disagree,” (April 27): If the ballot initiative by Costa Mesa First is so Draconian why did more than 5,500 Costa Mesa citizens already sign petitions supporting it?

Mayor Pro Tem Jim Righeimer was quoted as saying, “They’re called elections, you elect people to council, they put people on Planning Commission and, if they don’t do well, you unelect them.”

You can’t “unelect” planning commissioners, but you can do so to council members. I know a lot of people who have said they are going to take advantage of unelecting several council members. I know I am.

But if the ballot initiative by Costa Mesa First is such a bad idea, why is council now going to write a competing growth measure? They should have listened to their public and already done something to deal with excessive growth, especially the “cubist,” high-density construction methods.

Larry Courter

Costa Mesa