EDITORIAL

It is, presumably, the hope of new council members to take office with

a running start. And we’re sure many newly elected officials are tempted

to redo some of the actions of their predecessors.

But that’s a temptation they should resist.

While we understand the instinct to give projects and policies a

second look, and a third and a fourth, there is a fine line between

bringing up new concerns and rehashing old ones.

In reviving the debate over the skateboard park -- approved by the

Costa Mesa City Council in October by a unanimous vote -- Councilwoman

Karen Robinson and Councilman Chris Steel have not put anything new on

the table.

Yes, there are safety issues. There may be an alternate location to

the site on Charle and Hamilton streets. And there is always the question

of whether such a great demand for a skateboard park really exists.

However, those points were brought up from the very beginning --

nearly 10 years ago, when officials first started tossing around the idea

of a skateboard park. Those points were still being hotly discussed in

October, when the project passed. The dialogue will probably continue

when -- and if -- the park is built.

Robinson and Steel joined the skateboard park debate late. They may

have the best intentions in reconsidering the previous council’s approval

of the project, but it still seems a little too much like political

posturing.

The skate park is an issue that a portion of the population is

passionate about. It is a hot-button issue without being terribly

complicated or too controversial.

Reversing the already approved park without showing a new reason to do

so is equivalent to scratching open an old wound just to watch it fester

again.

Furthermore, the city has already spent money and devised the plans

for the project.

So, review the park. Look at it -- carefully -- from all angles. But

instead of repeating the concerns that have already been hashed and

rehashed, find something that hasn’t been brought up before.

And if there isn’t anything new, look forward.

Questioning the decisions of a past council is sometimes necessary,

but repeating history is almost always dangerous. Where does it end?

New council members are not elected to undo what previous officials

did in the past, they are voted in for what they will do in the future.

New council members should make their mark by taking strong strides

ahead, not by jogging in place or, even worse, running in the wrong

direction.