Mailbag: Lobdell will be valuable asset to city

Politics in general these days boils down to constant bickering, the right vs. the left, communication or lack of communication and the overwhelming desire to be right (“City Hall hires columnist for contract, March 22).”

Costa Mesa is in the middle of a real battle to be right. We have a political council here that has an appetite to be right and win. This council has chosen a strong-minded path to implement changes in Costa Mesa with one objective — theirs!

Recent events within the city have caused the need for the city CEO and council to hire a communications expert.

William Lobdell is the choice; he writes well, lives in the city and has always provided quality journalism. He will bring a good pen to the table, just as long as he is able to maintain a clear line between objectivity and spinning what he is directed to by a council that appears very headstrong and wanting to be right regardless of how many people they step on in the process.

Getting back to the concept of all the political bickering, extreme viewpoints of all parties, right vs. left, me against you, and wanting to be right at whatever the cost, stop it! It is high time we all realize that it takes tremendous amounts of energy to maintain such extreme viewpoints and impose them on others. To maintain this tremendous energy takes away valuable time to accomplish meaningful change. Energy spent for the sole purpose of being right alienates the other 50% of the population that feels you are wrong.

Costa Mesa is at a crossroads, where the political machine needs to stop, look and listen. This council needs to communicate, listen for a response, and develop a plan that embraces moderate steps toward achieving a lasting change all the residents of Costa Mesa can live with. Hoarding all that energy for the sole sake of being right is not winning, and it very much hinders Costa Mesa’s ability to move forward as a united community.

Tom Neth

Costa Mesa

Save police jobs instead

How can it be possible that the city of Costa Mesa has been forced by financial concerns to lay off half its workforce, including some policemen, and then has the gall to hire a consultant — William Lobdell, lately of the Daily Pilot — for $3,000 per week? I find this absolutely disgusting and incredible and not justifiable.

Nancy Lynn Beck

Newport Beach

Newport’s leaf-blower ban

Congratulations to the City Council for finally acting on gas-powered leaf blowers. It will aid us all immeasurably, healthwise. If they also act on the electric leaf blowers, it will help even more, but they should do so quickly before people spend money on new electric machines they cannot use in the future.

Iryne Black

Newport Beach