O.C. PERSPECTIVE : Failure of Leadership

The apparent unraveling of an agreement for planning the future of the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station represents a classic failure of leadership by the Board of Supervisors.

Not all bear responsibility; Supervisors Thomas F. Riley and Gaddi H. Vasquez did yeoman’s work in cobbling together a sensible agreement that would share power between the county and the cities. It was obvious from the start that Washington would turn a deaf ear to Orange County’s bid for federal help without such unity.

But Chairwoman Harriett M. Wieder and William G. Steiner have withdrawn support, offering unconvincing plans and explanations. Roger R. Stanton, whose district’s mayors are opposed to the agreement, has been invisible. While these officials waffled, a few disgruntled cities were able to build momentum and cast the issue as North County versus South County.

It was always clear that the southern cities next to El Toro should get a weighted vote, and that others should be represented at the table. Otherwise, how could 31 cities and a county agree on anything? And under the existing agreement, there would have been an opportunity for all cities to have a say on an advisory panel that would select development plans.

But some supervisors have been listening to the drumbeat of politics. Wieder apparently didn’t know that the League of Cities already had washed its hands of the matter; she proposed it become the cities’ representative.

Orange County deserves better than this kind of inattentive and weak leadership.