As the Worm Turns: Rodman for Council?

Needing relief from the summer doldrums, I found it this week on the front page of the Daily Pilot. More bracing than a dip in the ocean and tastier than a double-dip pistachio, there it was:

Dennis Rodman might run for the Newport Beach City Council.

Oh, never mind that it’s a wholly unsubstantiated rumor and everyone from the Pilot on down is treating it as such. That didn’t stop the paper, various city officials and assorted residents from having some fun with the idea.

And why not?

What a tantalizing prospect. Assuming the council meetings didn’t conflict with his party schedule, it’d be a hoot to see Rodman on the council. On any council. No matter what the vote, he’d always be the odd man out.

Ridiculous, you say?

Well, as Inspector Clouseau used to say, “I will decide what is ridiculous!”

The notion is not nearly as cornball as you might think. Rodman, the former basketball star and professional media creation, has been visited about three dozen times by Newport Beach police on complaints of disturbing the peace, stemming from loud parties at his pink beachfront home.

What if Rodman is tired of being hassled by the man? What if, instead of getting mad, he decides to get even?

There’s no better way than to be the police chief’s boss.

It’s not like there’s no precedent for a fed-up celebrity taking on City Hall.

In 1988, a Times headline referred to a candidate’s “offbeat run for mayor of Palm Springs.”

That was former rock star and ‘60s counterculture figure Sonny Bono.

Bono ran for office in a pique, after the Palm Springs bureaucracy fought him over modifications he wanted to make to his Spanish-style mansion. Bono expanded that to a wider complaint that Palm Springs’ building codes were too restrictive.

Sonny Outlook Will Help

In language Rodman might want to jot down, Bono said then of Palm Springs City Hall: “This elitist group has this attitude that this is their town and they’ll run it their way.” In another remark that might serve now as a Rodman campaign slogan, Bono said: “I’m their worst nightmare.”

Despite being branded “a big nothing” by the then-mayor, not to mention a hippie and a squirrel (imagine what Rodman’s opponents would call him), Bono easily won the election and went on to serve for four years.

In what should serve as a cautionary note to those poking fun at Rodman, winning the mayoralty only whetted Bono’s appetite for public office.

He lost a primary race for the U.S. Senate in 1992, but Bono was elected to Congress in 1994 and served until his death in a skiing accident in 1998.

In contemplating a Rodman candidacy, let’s not forget another celebrity big guy with an attitude who also lived in a seaside resort town: Clint Eastwood.

The “Dirty Harry” star ran for mayor of Carmel in 1986, at least in part after City Hall vetoed his plans to build a small office complex next to an inn he partly owned.

Eastwood trounced the incumbent mayor by more than 2 1/2 to 1.

Do you see a pattern here? Don’t irritate the celebrity.

Preferring acting to politics, Eastwood served only a single term. Rodman, who doesn’t have a slew of acting offers, would more likely follow the Bono model and go off in search of higher office.

The Pilot couldn’t reach Rodman for comment. It did report, however, that he isn’t even registered to vote, so he does have at least one hurdle to jump.

No biggie. With the municipal elections still four months away, Rodman has plenty of time to meet with his political team and make a decision. And in a world that has made “Survivor” the top-rated show on TV, who can say that Rodman can’t win a council seat?

If he does, watch out.

In a new, crazy millennium, why couldn’t we someday hear these words:

“Ladies and gentlemen, I’m proud to introduce to you the senior senator from the state of California . . . “

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Dana Parsons’ column appears Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Readers can reach Parsons by calling (714) 966-7821 or by e-mail to dana.parsons@latimes.com.