End of appointment debate applauded

Deirdre Newman

While Eric Bever’s attempt to replace Karen Robinson polarized the

council, his spontaneous decision to withdraw is earning accolades

from supporters and opponents alike.

Bever’s departure Monday night from the selection process cleared

the way for Mike Scheafer to be appointed in what eventually turned

into a unanimous decision by the council. Robinson resigned April 15

to become an Orange County Superior Court judge.

While Bever’s supporters -- who are known as “improvers” for their

repeated efforts to clean up the Westside -- basked in the glow of

their representative’s chivalry, it was diminished by a hollow

feeling of resentment with the status quo.

“We’re all still out here, we’re all still frustrated, we all need

to see some action,” lamented Paul Bunney. “We’ll give Mr. Scheafer a

chance. He has some potential of doing some good things ... I think

that what the City Council fails to understand is the direction the

city is heading. They’re dragging their feet.”

For the third time Monday, the council deadlocked between Bever

and Scheafer. As the council was close to the desperate point of

calling for a special election to fill the seat, Bever’s “fix-it”

mentality could not let him sit by idly any longer, he said. He

withdrew his name, leaving Scheafer as the only remaining candidate.

“I like finding solutions,” Bever said. “It did solve the

deadlock. It saved the city $100,000. It saved a bunch of people a

lot of work trying to run a campaign. It got the council back on

track. That’s great. It’s like being able to wave a magic wand and

have everything automatically go back into order.”

Scheafer said he was impressed with Bever’s sublimation of his own

goal for the betterment of the city. He expressed his desire to work

with those committed to improving the Westside.

“I’ve already talked to some of those folks, and a lot of what

they want I think is not far from what a lot of us want,” Scheafer

said. “I’m very open and want to sit down with whoever wants to talk

to me.”

Even those on the dais who did not support Bever admired his

actions.

“I think he was very gracious and, you know, I think that it

brought the culmination of the process to an end,” said Councilwoman

Libby Cowan, who supported Scheafer.

And Mayor Gary Monahan, who also supported Scheafer, expressed

relief that Bever single-handedly ended the arduous appointment

process.

“I’m very happy we were able to appoint someone because going to a

special election was not my first choice,” Monahan said. “I think

Scheafer will make a well-received council member, much [along] the

lines of our last appointment 10-12 years ago with Joe Erickson. And

I certainly hope that Mr. Bever will stay involved.”

Bever confirmed that he will continue to get involved and express

his feelings on issues he feels passionately about. He said he is

unsure at this time whether he will run in November, 2004, when

Robinson’s seat is up for re-election.

“I’ve always been kind of torn because on the grass roots level,

you can really speak out and be frank and address the issues in a

head-on manner,” Bever said. When you’re on a committee or a

commission, you’re limited to a degree in your public outpourings ...

To me it’s always a balancing act. I think a council seat could be

more effective because it not only allows you the ability to help set

the tone, but it does give you a point from which to communicate

ideas.”

* DEIRDRE NEWMAN covers Costa Mesa and may be reached at (949)

574-4221 or by e-mail at [email protected].