Greenlight hopes to put reform on ballot

June Casagrande

In what could be the most significant political move since Measure S

changed the way the city approves large developments, the Greenlight

Committee will try to put campaign reform on a ballot.

The announcement deepens the divide between Greenlight and the

mainstream city leadership, who each accuse the other of abuse of

power.

At a study session last week, council members said they would be

willing to consider at a later meeting two proposed changes to city

campaign rules. One would require that candidates, political groups

and their treasurers attend training on how to file campaign finance

statements. The other would require that scripts of telephone

campaign messages and other campaign communications be filed with the

City Clerk’s office. They discarded five other campaign restrictions.

Greenlight leaders have called these changes “inconsequential” and

are pushing for adoption of some campaign reforms that council

members shot down during the study session.

“We think there are conflicts of interest that are not being

disclosed and appearances of conflicts of interest that need to be

better addressed,” said Greenlight spokesman Phil Arst, who explained

that the ballot initiative would only apply to municipal ordinances

and guidelines.

As part of its proposed ballot initiative, which is subject to

change after legal review, Greenlight is pushing for tighter rules on

“granting money or awarding contracts to persons who have a close

relationship with a councilman, such as major campaign contributors

or consultants, business partners, clients or customers. Disclosure

of even the appearance of conflicts of interest will be required.”

This idea was first prompted by Councilman John Heffernan after

Airport Working Group consultant Dave Ellis was paid about $438,000

out of a grant the city gave the working group for airport education.

Though this is legal, critics say that because Ellis had worked as a

campaign consultant for some of the council members who later

approved the grant, it should not be legal.

“For now, any effective change to our campaign ordinances is dead,

which is my largest personal disappointment during my time in

office,” Heffernan wrote of the council’s failure to consider a

restriction on such relationships.

Though Heffernan is considered a Greenlight councilman because he

was endorsed by the group in his 2000 council campaign, he said he is

not involved in the proposed initiative. Greenlight Committee members

drafted the proposed initiative without input or communication with

Heffernan.

“For the same reason I didn’t take money in the last election, I

feel I should stay away from this,” Heffernan said. “It’s their

deal.”

The ballot initiative would also require that the city’s Web site

contain links to pages for council candidates, where up-to-date voter

information and discourse could be posted.

Mayor Steve Bromberg said he was worried that the ballot

initiative was really a power grab.

“Greenlight said two years ago that once Measure S has passed,

we’ll be done. Our work will be done. Now it passed, it’s the law,

but they won’t let go. When someone can’t let go, this suggests to me

in the strongest terms that someone is looking for control.”

Measure S was the Greenlight Initiative to require voter approval

for all developments that significantly exceed the city’s general

plan.

Arst said the matter could appear on the March 2004 ballot, but

more likely would come before voters in November 2004. To put the

issue on a ballot, the group must collect about 7,700 verifiable

signatures on a petition in support of the move.

Already scheduled for the November 2004 ballot is a proposed

110-room hotel at the Marinapark Mobile Home site on the Balboa

Peninsula.

* JUNE CASAGRANDE covers Newport Beach and John Wayne Airport.

She may be reached at (949) 574-4232 or by e-mail at

[email protected].