Agran’s Role in Irvine’s Success

Re “Now Irvine Mayor Is a Major Player,” Oct. 7:

Mayor Larry Agran says he “resents” the reference to him as a “puppet master.” It was Agran himself a number of years ago who declared that two attorneys with a dedication to their agenda could totally control a community. He obviously has his agenda, and he now has his fellow traveler attorney in Chris Mears.

Isn’t this just fulfilling his own prophecy? And was not that prophecy the real “insult to our entire community”?

Secondly, Agran refers to the “new priorities” candidates -- Mike House for mayor, Christina Shea and Chuck DeVore for council -- as “blisters, showing up after all the hard work is done.” Agran goes on to say, “I don’t recall a single instance in which they took part in that campaign.”

The main difference between Christina Shea when she was mayor and Larry Agran as mayor is that Shea actually put together the coalition of South County cities and officials and was recognized and acknowledged as the leader of that group while not worrying about who would get credit. She was consumed with getting the job done. In her world there was credit enough for all to share.

Ray Quigley

Irvine

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Despite the naysayers, Agran will not be swayed from his visions for the masterfully planned Irvine, which continues to be a beautiful, ever more vibrant city under Agran’s guidance. With the realization that he was spearheading the drive to stop the El Toro airport, I became confident that there would be no airport.

It is dismaying to read that Christina Shea and her cohorts claim they had a hand in stopping El Toro. As someone who followed events closely, I don’t recall anything significant being done by them. As for Shea’s comments about keeping Irvine a sprawling, green community: Who would not like to think Irvine could stay the place it was 20 years ago?

In anticipation of inevitable change, during his first term as mayor of Irvine, Larry Agran was instrumental in forging the agreements that led to the 34% permanent open space that Irvine now enjoys. Agran has never lost his willingness and drive to work for the betterment of Irvine, despite a very vocal and strident group of dissenters. He deserves, and is to be congratulated for, becoming a major player in Orange County politics.

Dixie Mitchell

Irvine

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Irvine and Orange County voters would do well to remember Agran’s comments in 1989 to the National Lawyers’ Guild: “As an attorney myself, I’ve concluded one of the most important things we can do as attorneys is to take control of local government. Most smaller cities or medium-sized cities can be easily controlled politically with about five lawyers and some of their supporters. It’s probably easier if you have only three lawyers and their supporters, and you can just decide what kind of community you want to live in.” It sort of gives a new meaning to “do it my way.”

Arden Reynolds

Santa Ana

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We have lived in Irvine since 1966 and are pleased with the way our city has grown in the area of cultural diversity. In today’s world, this is what makes a city rich in so many ways.

It was with horror that we read the statement from the “new priorities” team running for elected office in Irvine that “holding taxpayer-sponsored multicultural events at the City Hall” was a waste of taxpayers’ money. We attended such an event at City Hall this year, and the richness of the variety of cultures represented made us realize that we were indeed fortunate to live in Irvine.

Angelo and Marilyn Vassos

Irvine

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It is true that Proposition 51 is an undisguised boondoggle, a scam, an unconscionable pork barrel that cripples the state budget process and bypasses debate in the elected Legislature. The measure depletes the general funds of the state by a permanent diversion of $910 million every year. It rewards those who were in on its writing, and those who paid for the gathering of signatures, with pet projects. At 25 pages and nine times longer than the average ballot proposition, it contains 212 specific projects that must be funded.

The mayor of Irvine was on the board of the group that wrote Proposition 51. Many Orange County residents are angered at what is seen as Machiavellian scheming on the part of Mayor Larry Agran. But being angry is nonproductive and misses an important point.

Those who complain about Agran should remember that Niccolo Machiavelli was a highly intelligent, dedicated patriot who spent his life in efforts to protect his native city and its independence. The citizens of Costa Mesa and Newport Beach ought not be angry but should be envious, and maybe ashamed, that none of our mayors has ever been a match for Niccolo Machiavelli or for Larry Agran.

Paul Flanagan, MD.

Costa Mesa