Council likely to pick next member

Alicia Robinson

The City Council will appoint someone to replace Councilman Gary

Adams, who announced last week that he’ll resign his seat this fall.

The question now is when the appointment will happen, officials said

Tuesday.

Adams, serving his second term on the council, plans to leave

because of a job promotion taking him to Washington, D.C. But he

hasn’t yet submitted a formal resignation.

Confusion over how he will be replaced led City Atty. Bob Burnham

to request an independent legal opinion to clear up what’s required

by the city charter. That opinion, from Los Angeles attorney Dana

Reed, said the charter requires council to appoint a replacement

within 30 days of receiving a council member’s resignation.

Mayor Tod Ridgeway said last week he thought council members have

the option to fill a vacancy by putting the seat on the ballot for

voters to decide, but he acknowledged Tuesday the charter does say

council must appoint a replacement for Adams.

Councilman Steve Bromberg, the mayor last year when the council

filled a vacancy by appointment, said the provision for an election

is just a backup in case council members can’t get enough votes to

confirm an appointee, he said. It doesn’t allow the council to let

the 30 days expire, so the seat can be put before voters, he added.

“It’s not [that] we can sit on our hands and let certain things go

by and then do an election,” Bromberg said. “The charter does not

give us any leeway.”

Ridgeway said the council could fail to appoint someone, since six

of seven council members will be voting, and there could be a tie.

“We will, [however,] use our best efforts to appoint within that

30-day period,” he said.

But when that period will begin is unclear because Adams has not

decided when he will submit his resignation. He said it will depend

on when he finishes obligations with local clients, when his house

sells and other practical matters.

“The [effective] date is probably going to end up being around the

end of August to mid-September,” he said. “I’ll do that as soon as

I’m confident of a date that makes sense. That may happen in a couple

weeks.”

Adams said he’s heard from a number of people interested in

replacing him, but he declined to name them.

One citizens’ group disagreed with the charter interpretation. The

Greenlight committee, a group advocating slow growth, issued a

statement saying the council should let voters select a replacement

for Adams.

“I think it’d be an affront to the people of Newport Beach to

appoint somebody,” Greenlight spokesman Rick Taylor said.

Taylor said he thinks Adams should officially resign by the end of

July so the issue can be put on the ballot in November, but the

city’s legal opinion said even if the council fails to appoint

someone, it’s too late for the fall ballot because the city clerk is

required to publish a notice at least 113 days before the election.

Only 111 days remain until Nov. 2.

* ALICIA ROBINSON covers business, politics and the environment.

She may be reached at (949) 764-4330 or by e-mail at

alicia.robinson@latimes.com.