No mandates from this election

Tuesday’s election results, in a nutshell, appear to say something

along these lines:

In Newport Beach, while voters clearly want growth slowed and

controlled, development is not the only issue they care about. There

is no great mandate for change in the city, with only one

Greenlight-backed candidate, Dick Nichols, gaining a close victory

over his opponent. And that victory, it should be noted, was in a

three-person race; it is possible that without Laura Dietz running,

business-backed Bernie Svalstad might have triumphed.

Also casting a pall over the Greenlight forces, it would certainly

seem, is Allan Beek’s loss to Don Webb. A victory by Beek, the most

legitimate “Greenlighter” and the only one of the four endorsed

candidates who was a true insider, would have sent the loudest

message that voters wanted a Greenlight perspective on the council.

It didn’t happen.

In Costa Mesa, the “improvement” movement that was behind Chris

Steel’s election two years ago has proved its staying power by

helping get Allan Mansoor elected. No doubt there was again some

“bullet” voting by those behind Mansoor, who chose only him. But the

city’s newest councilman was likely helped as much by Mayor Linda

Dixon and Planning Commission Chairwoman Katrina Foley’s vote

splitting. Change seems inevitable, with Steel and Mansoor intent on

closing the job center and taking a tougher look at how charities in

Costa Mesa operate.

Councilman Gary Monahan, who was the top vote-getter Tuesday, is

now the logical choice to be the city’s next mayor. If so, it will

fall to him to manage what could be a divided, unfriendly council.

And the school board loss of Wendy Leece will result in two

changes: fewer interesting newspaper headlines and a board that is in

near lock-step. Leece continually argued that unanimity would not be

a strength for the district. The community now will find out if she

was right, as new trustee Tom Egan joins the team.

A MIXED NIGHT FOR THE AIRPORT WORKING GROUP

Would anyone have taken a bet that the Airport Working Group would

come out of Tuesday’s election with a clear victory in Costa Mesa and

a loss in Newport Beach?

First, the defeat in Newport Beach: Rick Taylor’s failure to get

elected. Taylor, a longtime Airport Working Group activist, ran as

the El Toro and John Wayne Airport expert against incumbent Gary

Adams. But, despite a slew of letters to the Pilot about the issue,

his expertise did not ring loudly enough with voters.

In Costa Mesa, the success was evident, though the methods a bit

controversial. In the final hours of the election, the Airport

Working Group Political Action Committee launched a tough anti-Dixon

phone campaign that, according to people who received the call, said

“Defeat Linda Dixon,” claimed she opposed the El Toro airport and

mentioned the flights over the Westside and Mesa Verde that have

irked residents in the past months, tying them by implication to the

mayor.

Coming right at the end of the campaign, there was no way for

Dixon to respond. Dirty politics or smart campaigning? It’s a thin

line between them.

The calls did explain what at first looked to be a goof on the

part of the working group. The group’s political action committee on

Oct. 31 sent out an endorsement of three Costa Mesa candidates,

Monahan, Mansoor and Planning Commissioner Bill Perkins, though there

were only two seats available.

As committee member Aaron Elders said, that was more an

“un-endorsement” of Dixon than a show of support for the trio.

The phone calls were just the nail in the coffin.

A win by any name

Newport’s Ron Winship has the dubious distinction of losing three

separate races on Tuesday.

In his attempt at the Newport-Mesa Unified School District seat

won by incumbent Serene Stokes, Winship pulled in 5,288 votes.

In his race for the District 4 seat on the Newport Beach City

Council won by Adams, he got 1,537 votes.

And, running for the Municipal Water District of Orange County

Division 5 seat, he received 4,184 while losing to Wayne Clark.

In all -- not figuring cross-over votes into the mix -- Winship

pulled 11,009 votes.

Unfortunately for the local firebrand, even that wouldn’t have

been enough to bring him a single victory.

His closest contest would have been the Newport council race.

Adams took in 11,454, which would have made for a nail-biter far

closer than what Adams ended up facing.

From there, though, the races get bleak. In the school district

race, with a larger pool of voters, he would have had to more than

double his returns, with Stokes collecting 24,045 in her victory.

And Winship would’ve been trounced by Clark, who received 41,157

in the water district contest.

There’s always next time for Winship, though. And plenty of races

from which to choose.

* S.J. CAHN is the managing editor. He can be reached at (949)

574-4233 or by e-mail at [email protected].