Direct Election of Irvine’s Mayor

Mayor Sally Anne Sheridan’s response on Measures E and F regarding Irvine’s November ballot (“Void Measure D and Get Irvine Elections Back on Track,” Commentary, Oct. 31) are the comments of a politician “begging off” on the real issues.

Her arguments in eliminating the direct election of the mayor mentions former Mayor Agran by name seven times. For a registered nurse “extraordinaire,” Sheridan is no Florence Nightingale when it comes to “her” promise of healing wounds!

Measure D has clearly damaged the Irvine community. It quite possibly cost Agran the election. However, it was written by the city attorney and approved by the voters. On the point of Measure D being bad, we’re all in agreement!

Let’s get to the heart of the real issues regarding the numerous merits of directly electing a mayor in Irvine. At incorporation, Irvine was a sleepy little town of less than 40,000 residents. Today there are “only” 105,000. At build-out the city will have close to 250,000 residents and 400,000 people working within it.

It is very likely that Irvine will be the pre-eminent economic juggernaut in Orange County and clearly one of the most powerful economies--for a city that size--in the world!

Did we need a directly elected mayor at incorporation? Probably not. Do we need one now? Probably so! Will we need one in the future when the value of the combined assets of business and residents is counted in the billions? Obviously!

Each of our first two “directly elected” mayors elicited strong emotions and support. Hundreds of citizens were actively engaged in the political process. It guarantees a higher level of community involvement than the “back-door” agreements that are usually made by city councils when they choose one of themselves to be the yearly “figurehead” mayor.

Irvine is quickly shedding it’s “tractor and plow” past for a 21st-Century lifestyle. The citizens and council need to exercise control during this inevitable time of change as much as possible. A directly elected mayor is clearly the best answer to assure the necessary accountability. Vote no on Measure E and make Irvine the best it can possibly be.

KEN BAXTER, Irvine