Mayor needs to respond to city’s needs

Doug Sutton

For the last two years, I’ve spent considerable time and energy

presenting positive, detailed input to the Costa Mesa City Council

and in our local papers on issues I believe important to Costa Mesa.

So I thought my opinions had been widely and publicly voiced.

Personally, I think Mayor Linda Dixon is well-intentioned and has

given Costa Mesa her best four years. I commented in the Daily Pilot

on July 17 (Community Commentary, “Costa Mesa has reached a

crossroads”) that “while I believe Dixon has tried, she has clearly

shown she’s not up to our considerable challenges.”

Anyone elected to public office must be aware her actions will be

scrutinized. My concerns are for Costa Mesa, my communications are

neither personal nor attacks. Four years ago, I voted for Dixon; this

time around, I’ll vote for someone else. Here’s why:

The Huscroft House: Dixon fought valiantly to save and move the

Huscroft House to Fairview Park, arguing it had great community

value. She held a community meeting to rally support and argued with

passion from the dais that restoration could be led and largely done

by community volunteers and that this would be a wonderful

community-unifying project. When the Home Ranch project passed four

months ago, the Segerstroms committed $200,000 to the project, yet no

community planning group has even been set up.

When asked about the Huscroft House recently, Dixon referred the

question to staff. I think the community could build two “replica”

homes for what it will take to restore this Santa Ana legacy.

Noguchi Gardens: It is incomprehensible to me that Dixon fought

with such passion to protect the public value of privately owned

Noguchi Gardens “in perpetuity,” but doesn’t find Costa Mesa’s

greatest natural resource, Fairview Park, worthy of similar

protection. Clearly, the “passive” viability of Fairview Park is at

much greater risk and the park is something this council can protect

any time it chooses.

Dixon has said our schools are fine. Our schools are not fine.

It’s a shame Estancia High School canceled its exciting program

allowing qualified students to take Orange Coast College classes.

It’s a shame so many Mesa Verde families send their kids to

alternative schools. It’s a shame our mean performance isn’t higher.

And it’s a shame the mayor doesn’t recognize the community advantages

in dramatically improving educational opportunities for Costa Mesa

kids.

Councilman Chris Steel got the Segerstroms to ante up for the

Huscroft House. Yet I don’t know of a single time Dixon has supported

a proposal of Steel’s. I find it inexplicable that Dixon voted to

underwrite employment opportunities for dayworkers who don’t live in

Costa Mesa.

During the Home Ranch debate, Dixon argued that residents needed

to attend council meetings and show support. She voted for Home Ranch

but quickly forgot many residents supported it only because we wanted

to provide the city revenues to pay for important underfunded city

needs. All I asked was for the council to bring in our true community

leaders to build a consensus as to how this money should be spent.

Costa Mesa’s annual budget is now more than $100 million. It’s

time to elect council members who will take budget deliberation

seriously. Dixon has been on the council for four years, and it

appears her least favorite subject, based upon questions asked, is

the budget.

Dick Mehren’s Fairview Park group worked for 17 years, considering

every imaginable use for the park. When his committee presented the

“passive use” Fairview Park Master Plan to the council, Dixon

inserted a bark park. How can anyone express dismay that special

interest groups are now asking for their own perks?

I think it’s time to let Costa Mesa residents decide whether we

want to elect our mayor.

Dixon is opposed to this. I’d like to see us elect a full-time

mayor at a salary of $100,000 a year, but right now I’d settle for

one more council member who’s up for the challenge.

* DOUG SUTTON is a Costa Mesa resident.