Letter of the week

After reading the Daily Pilot’s editorial, “An open call to fix

derailed government,” I realized that it is just another snafu on the

part of the newspaper to think it runs Newport Beach.

Not only did the Daily Pilot neglect to mention the Irvine Co. and

Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce as being coauthors of Measure T, but it

stated that we now have a prevailing fear in our city as a result of

these two measures. Where do the editors get their facts?

The Daily Pilot has decided that it can put an end to this fear by

having a luncheon, so is inviting the proponents of both Measure S and

Measure T to lunch and it will pick up the tab.

How generous of the paper, considering that Measure S had 18,626

proponents and Measure T had 9,972 proponents. Wow, that’s 28,658

invitations. and where could the paper possibly hold a luncheon for all

those proponents, unless of course that’s not exactly what the editors

had in mind.

Perhaps their intention is to invite only a chosen few to sit down and

have a nice, cozy luncheon behind closed doors, thus establishing a new

inner sanctum within the city to discuss how best to implement the

“difficult language of the law” that in their opinion is “not the best

solution.”

The editorial ends by stating that the “sitting council members, the

businesses and development communities take notice and begin to listen.

We [Daily Pilot editors] certainly have.”

Well, have they? If the Daily Pilot really got it, it would realize

that the citizens of Newport Beach and Measure S proponents don’t want

any more back-door deals, violations of the Brown Act, conflicts of

interest or collusion.

If the Daily Pilot really got it, it would realize that we have a very

generously paid city staff that works at the pleasure of the council with

open meeting laws, just to do this very thing -- implement Measure S.

The people of Newport beach have spoken, and hopefully the Daily Pilot

will not try to rewrite Measure S behind closed doors so it comes out

smelling like a T.

DOLORES OTTING

Newport Beach