Talk About Sore Losers

In Anaheim, two city councilmen stormed out of a closed-door session after their choice for city manager was rejected by the other three council members. In Tustin, the city clerk sued two councilmen whose votes were needed to approve polling places and precinct workers for a scheduled April 10 city election.

What is going on here? Is this city government or kindergarten? It’s time for the councilmen involved in these petulant and disruptive activities to stop this nonsense and get on with the real business of city government.

Here’s the scene in Anaheim: The former city manager retired and a search for a new one came down to two men, Assistant City Manager James Ruth and Philip Hawkey, city manager of Toledo, Ohio. There is some confusion over whether the council agreed at one point to hire Hawkey. In any case, on the final vote, Ruth got the job.

But that wasn’t good enough for Mayor Fred Hunter and Councilman William D. Ehrle, who favored Hawkey. They stomped out of the executive session and called a press conference to accuse the council’s majority of “unethical conduct” and conspiracy. Talk about sore losers.

And then there’s Tustin, where the City Council voted 3 to 0 last fall--with Councilmen John Kelly and Earl J. Prescott boycotting what they said was “an illegal meeting”--to move the city’s election from this coming November to April 10. Apart from the wisdom of the decision to change the election date, it was a simple enough matter. But Kelly and Prescott refused to leave it at that. They took advantage of a deadlocked council left by the resignation of one member by refusing to authorize City Clerk Mary Wynn’s routine resolution setting up voting procedures. Wynn filed suit to force a decision, and the ensuing legal mess is still going on. So far, it appears the election will go forward, but the matter still is under appeal. Meanwhile, legal bills are mounting as well as questions about who is responsible for paying them. Pity the candidates trying to conduct campaigns amid this uncertainty.

On second thought, comparing these scenarios to kindergarten does a disservice to 5-year-olds. This “I’m-gonna-take-my-marbles-and-go-home” mentality not only is hampering city business but also holding these two cities up to ridicule.