Sounding Off:

In his column Saturday (“Rigonomics: Fair deal gets even stranger”), Costa Mesa Planning Commission Chairman and Daily Pilot columnist Jim Righeimer presented his readers with a convoluted account of what can only be described as improprieties in the bidding and auction process in the sale of the Orange County Fair & Events Center (the Orange County Fairgrounds).

He categorically states “...that a representative from Facilities Management West Inc. told me last Tuesday, two days prior to all the bidders being made public, that Craig Realty was one of the seven bidders. When I asked him how he knew that, he said he knew people inside DGS who could give him the information.” That comment sure did snap my eyes open!

He went on to tell us that he contacted the state Department of General Services (DGS) and apparently was told that they were unaware that any employee had leaked information. He tells us that the representative with whom he spoke said that they would investigate if they had that employee’s name.

Righeimer also told us that he subsequently contacted both of the principals of the successful bidder, Craig Realty Group President Steven Craig and his partner, sports agent Dwight Manley, both of whom denied any knowledge of any collusion in the sale process. Righeimer also had a second contact with a representative of Facilities Management West Inc.

Righeimer’s behavior is inappropriate for many reasons. First, if he had evidence of wrongdoing, he should have immediately reported it to authorities. I contacted the department about this situation. Its spokesman, Jeffrey Young, acknowledged that Righeimer contacted them and confirmed what he wrote. Young told me they are still waiting for Righeimer to get back to them with information they can actually use in an investigation — not just undocumented allegations and innuendo. They are eager to investigate this issue.

Second, as a sitting city official, Righeimer has allowed the line to blur between that role and his responsibilities as a columnist for this newspaper. He already excuses himself from any discussions dealing with the fairgrounds that come before the Planning Commission. He launched an organization called “Save the Fair” last summer, which probably places him in a conflict-of-interest situation with whomever might be the successful bidder, but his contact as a pseudo-investigative reporter with representatives of at least two bidders that we know of further exacerbates the situation.

Righeimer has overstepped his bounds on this one and exercised abysmal judgment. If he has valid information about collusion in the sale of the fairgrounds, he must report it. If he doesn’t, then he never should have brought it up in the first place, and certainly should not have written a column about it. His behavior places in question, among other things, the wisdom of permitting a city official to write a regular column in which he may, with impunity, present unsubstantiated issues that will come before him and the commission.

GEOFF WEST lives in Costa Mesa.