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This June, the voters in Newport Beach will have an opportunity to approve a charter amendment that would enable all voters and all community members in the city to directly elect their own mayor.
If approved, this means having a Mayor that is directly accountable to all of us – the Community – for the first time ever!
If that sounds good, then vote YES on Measure B!
Presently in the City, voters elect a councilperson for each district and then this small group of seven people goes into a back room in City Hall and literally picks the Mayor themselves. And each passing year a group of seven councilpersons re-visits the process, and they pass around the Mayorship like pinch-pint at a BBQ, regardless of the community’s opinion or that persons past performance.
Maintaining this archaic system is the real power-grab. Yep, hard to believe we still allow such an archaic process that promotes and rewards the game of political favors – “make me the chief today and I’ll make you chief tomorrow.”
People opposing Measure B are trying to keep this archaic approach in place. The “opposition” is headed up by some of the same unscrupulous culprits of the past.
You know them—many of the city’s well-connected “good ole boys (and girls)” and “insiders.”
These are the same folks who gave us a $240 million dollar Taj Mahal. The same ones who aided and abetted and profited from the over proliferation of drug rehabs throughout the City, and many of these folks are ex-councilman that couldn’t get re-elected in their own districts or even to a second council term – yea those same old insiders.
The funniest part is that this cabal has decided to name their campaign “No Elected Mayor: Stop The Power Grab.” What a joke!
You’ll probably hear them claim next that a vote for their side saves the children and brings us clean drinking water too.
The irony is, when you read the actual ballot question you will see just how simple the issue is. But don’t take my word, here’s how an impartial City staffer wrote the ballot question:
“Shall Article IV, City Council, and Article X, Elections, of the Newport Beach City Charter be amended ….. to provide for the direct election of the Mayor, who would be nominated (and elected) by residents and registered voters of the City of Newport Beach…”
In actuality, Measure B will decentralize power and put it back in the hands of our voters and community members. If we don’t like the direction a Mayor is taking the City or if a Mayor doesn’t hold to his promises, we can vote that person out too!
The Insiders don’t want you to pick your own Mayor. They believe you aren’t smart enough and can’t be trusted to elect your Mayor.
Reject that cynicism and let’s put the voters and community back in charge of deciding who should be the Mayor of Newport.
Let’s send a message to the Insiders and end THEIR power-grab. Vote Yes on B!
Bob Rush / Newport Beach
