Plans to serve the whole community

Deirdre Newman

Mike Scheafer found out he was one of two remaining candidates for

the vacant City Council seat while luxuriating on a Caribbean cruise

to celebrate his 30th wedding anniversary with wife Sandi.

“I was thrilled,” Scheafer said. “With 26 people, you have to be

surprised.”

The 47-year Costa Mesa resident, who is still tan and relaxed from

his trip, will be considered for the seat along with Eric Bever on

Monday. The council is trying to replace former Mayor Karen Robinson,

who resigned April 15 to become a Superior Court judge.

Scheafer and Eric Bever are the last two of 26 hopefuls who

survived the first round of the selection process to replace

Robinson. If the council is not successful in picking someone by May

15, the process will automatically become a special election.

Scheafer grew up on the Westside, lived in Halecrest and now

resides in Mesa Verde. That has given him one of his strongest

attributes, he said: the ability to see the big picture as far as the

city is concerned.

“Some candidates over the past few elections focused on one

particular thing,” Scheafer said. “I see the wider picture of how the

neighborhoods can work together. You can improve one area, but you

need to do a lot more with the city as a whole.”

The walls of his office reflect Scheafer’s passion -- working with

youth through Little League baseball, which he helped bring to the

city in 1986. He also served on the city’s Parks and Recreation

Commission until he resigned under pressure from the city attorney

after he wrote a letter to the Daily Pilot criticizing the

commission’s plans for a skate park on Charle Street.

“Should I have resigned?” Scheafer asked. “Maybe not. But it

seemed like the right thing to do.”

Scheafer has also been a member of the Lions Club since 1985,

following in the footsteps of his father. Scheafer has been president

three times and has been a district governor overseeing 60 of the

clubs. The Costa Mesa club has formed the “Leo division” at Estancia

High School to inspire younger members to participate in community

service.

“I believe in community service to the Nth degree,” Scheafer said.

‘I believe one of the things our society has lost is community

service.”

While he ran for the council in 1994, he said, he didn’t run last

fall because he was working so hard to get the Fish Fry back on its

feet after legal problems sidelined it for a few years.

During the first selection round on April 21, Councilman Gary

Monahan nominated Scheafer. He touted Scheafer’s middle-of-the-road

philosophy.

“Quite frankly, his political ideology is on neither side of the

fence,” Monahan said. “He cares about the whole city, and that’s what

you’re looking for.”

Scheafer said the skills he would bring to the council include

being a good listener and being open-minded.

“I envision myself as a team player,” Scheafer said. “My

background in baseball has to do with that.”