READERS RESPOND

Yes, I will still vote for Barbara Venezia for City Council and will also encourage my friends and neighbors to write her name in on the ballot.

Venezia is just what the City Council needs — a breath of fresh air. She is intelligent, articulate, passionate about bettering our city and not afraid to speak her mind to make sure the right thing is accomplished. Barbara deserves our vote of confidence.

LISA WINTER

Balboa Island

Thank you for keeping us informed about the 4th District race for City Council.

Oh, OK, now I get it. Small-town politics is vicious. They [candidates] look for any angle to malign character; if this didn’t work they would have gone even deeper and lower. This is what I foresaw; it would only get worse as the election drew nearer.

The only reason they sunk their teeth in this early is because Barbara Venezia had a good chance of winning. I say early, because when a friend of mine ran several years ago, they waited until the night before the election to hand out fliers that maligned his character.

The Newport Beach City Council is the “old boys’ club,” and its members will make sure no one gets in but their own. One can only guess why they guard their territory so viciously and unscrupulously.

Venezia has the desire to do good, and the right doors will open for her to effectively do so. She was brave to run and brave to pull out. She is to be commended.

LOREN BLACKWOOD

Newport Beach

Politics is a tough business, not for the weak or faint of heart, and I really don’t blame Barbara Venezia for quitting; I’m just glad she quit now rather than leaving the council if elected. Newport Beach City Councilwoman Leslie Daigle has done a fine job so far and she wants to continue — more power to her. We are fortunate to have people in the city who are willing to run for these positions.

BOB KOOP

Newport Beach

If it saddens Barbara Venezia to drop out of the race, it is devastating to the residents of our community to consider the prospect of more years of disappointments and disregards, which has been our family’s experience under the Daigle regime. As an active member of our community, “the Bluffs,” we are very focused on locking down the limits on John Wayne Airport. It is mandatory for the council person who “owns” this district to be equally committed to that responsibility. I have given up trying to educate and connect with our district council member, Leslie Daigle. Further, I became curious about how Leslie even ended up in our district since it appeared as though she was a transplant from places unknown.

The defining moment, however, came when our community association recently hosted a candidate forum. The only person running who did not show up was Leslie Daigle. This is her district. Either she was so confident that she could run the competition out of town, apparently with “trickster” Dave Ellis, or she was completely indifferent to her own community’s needs. Whatever way you slice it, it stinks — and so my family (that being five of us) plans to vote for Venezia in the upcoming election. I encourage you all to do the same and make the statement: “We won’t put up with this any longer.”

JOAN RAMSTEDT

Newport Beach

I will vote for Barbara Venezia although she has submitted her resignation. I will also encourage my friends to do likewise. I am outraged that some politicians would lower their reputation and spread vicious rumors such as these. Newport Beach politicians are sinking fast.

Venezia truly loves this community and has contributed so much to this beautiful city. The city has lost a valuable candidate!

JOSEPHINE HANSON

Newport Beach

Regarding Barbara Venezia’s decision to withdraw from the council race: I am angry, disgusted and appalled at how low our political system has sunk.

Shame on Mark Bucher, the Tustin attorney, for allowing himself to even get involved. Shame on the “unnamed city resident” who was so concerned about propriety that he or she wanted to disqualify a candidate. If a resident was so concerned, why not come forward and take credit for “protecting the city”? Shame on Dave Ellis for “lurking in the shadows” and overseeing such a mendacious, deceitful and devious campaign.

And finally, shame on Councilwoman Leslie Daigle for refusing to comment on this debacle. She should have publicly denounced this appalling smear and the sidetracking of the real issues. One of those sidetracks seems to be how she has used rank to intimidate people. Threatening and bullying a security guard doing his job is behavior unbecoming anyone, much less a council member!

The entire incident with Venezia was such a non-issue and so inappropriate. The city had approved a contract and had been using a service for years before Venezia was even on the scene. Where is the conflict of interest? Hypothetically, even if the vote came up today and she was on the council, there are other council members who could outvote her if the choice was inappropriate.

Venezia is right in that competent, intelligent and capable people won’t even consider running for office. Who wants to subject themselves to what has become the “normal dirty business of politics.” Whatever happened to honest disagreement, debate and the exchanging of views and ideas?

I am sorry that Venezia has withdrawn, but she will still get my vote, and I hope the votes of many others as well.

CAROLYN FITZ-GIBBON

Newport Beach