Keith Curry named to City Council

Newport leaders vote, 5-1, to appoint financial advisor to seat left vacant by resigning member.NEWPORT BEACH -- The City Council on Tuesday appointed Keith Curry to replace John Heffernan, who resigned Jan. 11 after serving on the council since 2000.

In a presentation to the council, Curry recommended himself, citing his 19 years of experience running a financial management firm and his education in public administration and government. He also pledged to be a problem solver and to continue the council’s fiscal responsibility.

“Leaders, I’ve determined, have the responsibility to be willing to lead in the face of unpopular opinions,” Curry said.

“I believe I’m prepared by education, experience and professional knowledge to put my talents to work in our city,” he said.

After he was voted in, Curry said his top priorities would be getting the facilities financing committee running and addressing concerns about a community center planned for Newport Coast, which makes up a major part of his district.

Curry was one of five applicants for the seat. The others were community volunteer Nancy Jones, local activist Dolores Otting, architect Scott Peotter and employment agency manager Daniel Wampole.

Council members chose Curry by a 5-1 vote. Councilman Dick Nichols cast his vote for Otting.

A number of speakers at the meeting urged the council to appoint Otting and praised her for the time she spends on city issues.

“She deserves that seat because she earned it the old fashioned way,” said Newport Beach resident Jan Vandersloot.

Mayor Don Webb said that though Otting is educated on a variety of city issues, he expects Curry to take the city in a new direction with his financial knowledge.

“I felt that Keith expressed a lot of knowledge that I wasn’t aware of him having, particularly on financial issues,” Webb said.

The seven-member council now includes three appointees -- Curry, Leslie Daigle and Ed Selich -- who will face voters for the first time in November.

Some who spoke at the meeting repeated criticisms of the appointment process, saying that it circumvents voters.

Resident Ron Winship went so far as to say that any council member who doesn’t support changing the appointment process in the city charter should be voted out of office.

“Please change the charter. Fix this broken process; it’s a joke,” Winship said.

In addition to six of the seven council seats, the fall ballot also could include two resident-backed initiatives that would change how the city does business, and the council may seek voter approval of an update to the city’s general plan.

One of the ballot measures would put more voter controls on development projects and the other would make some city borrowing subject to voter approval.

With all that at stake, council members may want to present a united front to voters. Heffernan was an individualist -- some said a contrarian -- so his departure could offer a chance to do more consensus building.

Webb said he will always work toward consensus, particularly on the general plan, which will go before voters in the fall.

“It’s extremely important for us to get consensus on the general plan because that is the future of the city,” Webb said.

Heffernan won reelection in 2004 but resigned last month, citing family and business commitments. Curry will have to run in November to hold the seat until the term expires in 2008.

In November, Curry will likely face a familiar opponent in Otting, who said after Tuesday’s decision that she still plans to run for City Council.

* ALICIA ROBINSON covers government and politics. She may be reached at (714) 966-4626 or by e-mail at [email protected].

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