Drop the Steel signature case

As the courts have moved on, so should Michael Szkaradek.

Costa Mesa Councilman Chris Steel made mistakes when he signed

election nomination papers for a blind woman in 1998 and when he allowed a man to sign the 2000 papers for his wife. There’s no doubt

that in these decisions, he erred on the side of bad judgment.

Last week, an appellate court threw out Szkaradek’s appeal because

he had filed it too late. A technicality, yes, but also a sign. The

courts will not remove Steel from office for his mistakes. It would

have happened by now.

Steel, elected in November 2000, has less than a year and a half

until his four-year term ends.

So Szkaradek, himself a former City Council candidate, needs to

move on. If he really thinks Steel should be thrown out of office, he

should run for the seat or encourage the voters of Costa Mesa to make

it happen at the ballot box if Steel runs in November 2004.

Anyone who second-guesses any council member’s existence on the

City Council can try to do something about it. This nation allows its

voters this chance every election. The residents of Costa Mesa can

also make a run for the seat so they can give a City Council seat a

whirl.

At the same time, Steel, if he should run for reelection, has

learned a lesson and will more than likely be more responsible with

his nomination papers next time around. And Szkaradek is very welcome

to check those out, too. If those, too, have problems, then history

will prove that Steel hasn’t learned a lesson and should suffer the

consequences.

But until then, Steel made mistakes that the court has decided are

not worth pursuing punishments for. Everyone needs to accept those

decisions and stop wasting taxpayers’ money and the courts’ time.