SOUNDING OFF:

At the Costa Mesa City Council meeting Tuesday night, I realized how fortunate our city was that Jim Righeimer did not get elected.

Sitting in the packed council chamber for 3 1/2 hours, I listened to residents plead to the council not to pass an ordinance that would take away their parking spaces.

All of at least 50 speakers opposed Righeimer’s idea. Most of these people got a flier that day or the day before describing the ordinance. Kudos to whoever passed out the flier.

I thought “This is Jim’s mess. Where is he?” and tried to visualize his reactions to every public comment. Based on the opposition, it was probably a good thing he wasn’t there.

I started counting city staff whom we pay to attend the meeting. I counted 14 city employees who sat through this.

Let’s see: 14 people times 3 1/2 hours equals 49.

So Righeimer’s pet project cost our city 49 hours of work. This was at Tuesday night’s meeting alone and does not include staff time used to prepare the report.

Righeimer is a developer by trade. Think Irvine: that’s what he does. He is the chair of our Planning Commission, and these were his parking ordinances. I think this man stands for all that Costa Mesa residents don’t.

Righeimer is smart and uses this to get his way, which makes him more dangerous. Righeimer during his campaign for City Council claimed to be an environmentalist. However, he feels the best way to preserve Banning Ranch is to develop it.

Righeimer has lived in our city for maybe only three years, which I think is a generous assumption. Many people consider him to be a carpetbagger. I recently looked up that word and, yep, I think Righeimer is a carpetbagger.

Like I said, we are lucky that Righeimer did not get elected to our City Council. His parking ordinances need to be the red flag that motivates every single Costa Mesa loving resident to write themselves a little note to put on their refrigerator for future reference: Do not vote for Righeimer in 2010.

CHRIS MCEVOY lives in Costa Mesa.