Coad to Chair Supervisors

The county’s El Toro airport fight took center stage once again Tuesday with the reelection of Cynthia P. Coad, one of three pro-airport supervisors, as chairwoman of the county board. She will have airport critic Tom Wilson as vice chairman.

Although largely ceremonial in years past, the post now carries political weight and is critical in the planning of an airport at the closed El Toro Marine base. The chair also sets board agendas and represents the county to many private and public agencies, including the Navy and the Federal Aviation Administration.

Coad’s selection signals that the board’s pro-airport majority will continue to plan a commercial airport at El Toro despite growing voter opposition and an anti-airport initiative on the March ballot. If passed, Measure W would replace airport zoning at the 4,700-acre base with zoning for a large park and other development.

“I was pleased that the supervisors recognized that I had a good track record of working in the community,” Coad said.

The chairwoman’s term is for one year.

Coad is one of two supervisors up for reelection this year; she faces Fullerton City Councilman Chris Norby, who opposes an airport at El Toro. Supervisor Jim Silva is running unopposed.

But reelection as chairwoman may hurt, rather than help, Coad during her campaign because it points up her pro-airport stance, said Fred Smoller, director of the Henley Social Sciences Research Laboratory at Chapman University in Orange.

“Coad has been good for the Hispanic community and constituency service, but she has this El Toro airport around her neck,” Smoller said. “So if Measure W passes, will the electorate punish the people pushing for the airport?”

Because of that possibility, being board chair “will not help her,” Smoller said. “But it could potentially hurt her if voters target her as one of the main supporters for an airport.”

But Coad believes voters will not only recognize her record, but also the fact that she has been involved in “many big issues,” other than the airport.

“I hope that people realize that I have a lot of good things I’m working on, and I hope that they understand that with an airport, it will provide new jobs,” she said.

A bigger surprise was Wilson’s unanimous election as vice chairman, a position he has held twice before. Described as hard-working and energetic by board colleagues, Wilson’s anti-airport stance has prevented him from getting the board chairman’s job.

“The bottom line is that Tom Wilson has long demonstrated the capabilities of that position,” Supervisor Chuck Smith said.

Smith said he could not support Wilson as board chairman because that would be “too disruptive” to the airport planning process. “But I have worked well with Tom in the past.” Wilson said he was pleased with the vote and the board’s “vote of confidence.”