‘Gadfly’ reference needs to be swatted I...

‘Gadfly’ reference needs to be swatted

I find the reference in the Friday Daily Pilot article, “Council

considers staff lawyer for new city attorney,” to Dolores Otting as

a “gadfly” to be a negative and demeaning slur of a valued community

member.

An abridged version from Webster’s defines gadfly as “a purposely

annoying or provoking person that stimulates by persistent criticism

of an irritating or pointed kind.”

It is generally considered to be a derogatory term reserved for

people who have no established agenda and disrupt political

proceedings simply for antagonistic effect.

Otting is one of the most respected members of the community. She

lost a seat on the City Council by a few thousand votes against an

embedded incumbent. I predict she will win in 2008. She should have

been referred to as “a former City Council candidate,” a “community

activist” or simply by her name. By implication, this defames every

activist in the community and turns people away from participation in

government, because if they dare speak out, they may be ridiculed in

the press.

Those residents who don’t like having their quality of life

destroyed, their tax dollars wasted or their parks privatized, and

who are unwilling or afraid to express their opinion, need to be glad

there are people like Otting who are willing to stand up for what’s

right. We don’t need the Daily Pilot using unnecessary derogatory

words in your reporting of the news.

ROBERT WALCHLI

Corona del Mar

Dredging money short but effort hasn’t been

On behalf of the city of Newport Beach, I want to make it very

clear how much we appreciated both Rep. Chris Cox’s support and the

hard work of U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein during the recent federal

appropriations discussions (“Bill doesn’t provide all that Newport

hoped,” Thursday, Daily Pilot).

Both Cox and Feinstein -- and their staffs -- were aggressive in

working on Upper Newport Bay’s behalf over the last days and weeks

leading up to the appropriations bill’s late passage. Thanks to their

efforts, we are confident that the required dollars and necessary

direction to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will be fully

authorized in the next congressional session. Newport Beach is

indebted to these good public servants for their cooperative and

bipartisan work on this project.

TOD W. RIDGEWAY

Newport Beach

EDITOR’S NOTE: Tod Ridgeway is the mayor of Newport Beach

El Toro site is a natural, ready at flip of switch

Bonnie O’Neil’s excellent letter reports the winners and losers

over the former El Toro Marine Corps Air Station land (“Problem with

‘Great Park’ up in the air,” Tuesday).

But she fails to make the case for opening an airport -- over the

objections of the housing developers -- and that El Toro is a natural

site for an airport.

It has two 10,000-foot runways and two 8,000-foot runways, and it

does not have to be built. All that is needed is to turn on the

lights. The pilots and airlines just love El Toro. It has

energy-efficient cross runways and long, low, straight-in approaches

over industrial buildings. No one is in the noise zone at El Toro.

If the flights begin at El Toro, we will all rush over to catch a

flight. A few will continue to use John Wayne Airport, which has been

polluting our bay.

DONALD NYRE

Newport Beach

Still giving thanks

for hospital care

Be thankful for Hoag Hospital, the doctors, the nurses,

everything. I’ve been a frequent flier -- several major surgeries

there in the last three years, and the doctors were great. We have

the best, and we all should be thankful, even if we aren’t all

frequent fliers there. But I’m extremely thankful, to all of you.

Hope you had a nice Thanksgiving.

FRED R. BOCKMILLER

Costa Mesa