Costa Mesa’s Councilman Wheeler

Regarding the story on Costa Mesa City Councilman Dave Wheeler (Jan. 20), it is gratifying to know that our governmental system still works to some degree. Of course, much depends on the voter exercising the right to elect officials who will truly represent his or her interests. Finding this person isn’t easy, but it seems that the voters may have done so when they elected Dave Wheeler as a Costa Mesa city councilman.

How refreshing it is to see this working. The big developers know how to use their money and political power to elect the officials they know will vote as they want them to. Their noses need more than tweaking, as Mary Hornbuckle says of Wheeler.

We, the voters, can stop them from encroaching on our rights if we will take note of what our vote did in the case of Councilman Wheeler and continue to vote responsibly and intelligently.

I personally voted for Dave Wheeler because it seemed that he might not just be a “team player,” as our mayor, Norma Hertzog, suggests he needs to learn to be. A “team player” in this case appears to mean going along with the council majority in allowing the developers to have what they ask for in spite of the consequences to the residents of Costa Mesa.

It is my hope that Wheeler will continue to stand up to and scrutinize both city government and the big developers. As to Councilman Donn Hall’s suggestion that Wheeler might need psychiatric help, perhaps someone should examine Hall to determine just exactly why he almost always votes for the developers.

JERELAINE LIPMAN

Costa Mesa