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Home My WebLink About14 - Calling an Election for a Proposed Charter Amendment to Provide for the Direct Election of the Mayor of the City of Newport Beach - PowerPoint-/- THANKYOU SHOULDVOTERS BE GIVEN THE CHOICE TO ELECT THE MAYOR? "Regardless of who any future elected mayor might be, I see the upside of this change to be crystal clear: agency, legitimacy, democracy.As a registered voter in the City of Newport Beach, I should be able to elect our Mayor, and so should you." — Ruth Kobayashi "The current push for the amendment of our city charter to allow for the council member in the mayoral position to be elected, rather than being rotated from one zone to another without any consideration to the necessity of a unified leadership of our city, is something that needs to happen." — Jordan Wachter SHOULDVOTERS BE GIVEN THE CHOICE TO ELECT THE MAYOR? "When has Newport Beach ever settled for "fine"? Our beaches, streets, community service, and so much more are excellent. Our current system to select our great city's Mayor is fine.We elect our City Council members and they select the Mayor for whatever reasons they decide makes sense that year. Sometimes the selection is great, sometimes it's fine, but the process itself in this day and age is just fine. So let's change it. Let's have the power and responsibility of choosing the City's symbolic and substantive leader be handled by the voters." • "I want to be able to Elect Our Mayor." — Barbara Eusey NEW POSITION; NEW TERM • Actual language: • "This section is not intended to change the limit on consecutive terms for a member of the city council enacted by voters in November 1992." • "The enactment of this measure shall not be interpreted or applied to reset or extend the limit on consecutive terms applicable to any person holding office as a member of the city council at the time this measure is approved by voters." • "No person shall be or remain eligible to hold the office of Mayor for more than two (2) four (4) year terms." — Lifetime term limit NEW POSITION; NEW TERM • "Any fair reading of the Elect Our Mayor initiative would conclude that (1) the city council term limits remain the same and (2) the current city council members aren't gaming the system with this change.The proposed new position of a directly -elected Mayor would have stricter term limits than city council.The proposed new position would have lifetime term limits, which the city council positions don't have." — Barbara Eusey • "The main attack seems to worry that a person could run for city council, win, and then run for Mayor eventual ly.Wh ich sounds like an election campaign attack ad rather than a swipe at the proposed system. If voters want someone with council experience as Mayor, fine. If they don't, fine. Either way, it's a choice that should be given to voters.A choice we are denied right now because people have thought for too long that voters can't be trusted to elect our Mayor." —Anita Rovsek AGENDA SETTING • "The basic function of the Newport Beach City Council is setting public policy.The sole ability for the City Council to accomplish this basic function is through agendas set well in advance of a meeting pursuant to "The Brown Act." In other words, the only way for a Council to actually accomplish its core responsibility is through the meeting agenda. But as it currently stands, the Council has delegated that authority to the City Manager. No matter how good a City Manager is (and ours is great), the City Manager is accountable only to the City Council and not directly to the people of the City of Newport Beach." — Hon. Noah Blom AGENDA SETTING "What you might not know — I certainly didn't — is that the city council doesn't set the agenda. It is set by the City Manager.We elect our council members and school board members.We don't elect our City Managers and our Superintendents." — Michelle Barto I AGENDA SETTING "As proposed, a directly elected Mayor would be able to set the agenda and be directly accountable to both the people and the City Council. Plus, City Council members themselves could place items on the agenda if three members voted to do so (similar to the current policy). If a Mayor didn't want to place an item on the agenda and three other Council Members couldn't be found to want an item on the agenda, why in the world would that item be worthy of staff time and consideration?" — Noah Blom PRIMARY OR GENERAL ELECTION? During next year's general election, there will be four City Council seats up for election. Voters and candidates need to know whether voters have approved the change because these four council members would be the first to serve under this new system. POPULATION SIZE DOES NOT MEASURE COMPLEXITY Simply compare Newport Beach to cities with a directly -elected Mayor • Anaheim - $380mm Santa Ana - $353.5mm Newport Beach - $233.7mm Irvine - $213mm Garden Grove - $155mm Costa Mesa - $154.4mm Orange - $120mm Tustin - $70mm • Westminster - $62.3mm Stanton - $64.9 mm POPULATION SIZE DOES NOT MEASURE COMPLEXITY Dana Point ($41 mm) + Laguna Beach ($72.6mm) + Lake Forest ($37.6mm) + San Clemente ($70.5mm) Newport Beach ($233.7mm) POPULATION SIZE DOES NOT MEASURE COMPLEXITY "While our city has maintained much of its charm through village atmospheres, there is no question that we are a modern city with complex issues. In our Harbor alone, we interact with the California Coastal Commission, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Orange County Sheriffs, the California Air Resources Board, and so many more governmental agencies.This doesn't even account for CalTrans on PCH, the FAA at the airport, Housing & Community Development for the state's housing mandates, etc." — Gary Williams "Newport Beach is a major league city with a minor league system for choosing its Mayor." — Kate Malouf TRUST TH E VOTERS • "We trust our voters to be informed and make the right decisions based on a ton of information they receive. I know plenty of people who take that vote very seriously. But no matter how seriously they take their civic participation, Newport Beach residents don't choose the Mayor. I've heard the position referenced as a "ceremonial," but we know differently, especially during trying times such as a pandemic." — Michelle Bendetti • "The system we have sets up voters for confusion. But there is a simple path. Elect City Council Members from the people who want to run for that specific position and elect the Mayor from people who run to be Mayor. No more intermediaries. No more accusations of backroom deals. It's well-educated voters choosing their vision." — Justin and Susie McKibbon TRUST TH E VOTERS • "In an era when governments across the board are taking away choices, Newport Beach's City Council can be the light shining through as one that gives its residents the ability to take the power of electing the Mayor back." — Michelle and John Somers • "Any person who wants to become Mayor in the new system would have to go through the gauntlet of public elections. Debates, fundraising, and asking for votes.We get the say in that situation.We, the voting public, have the power in that situation. Let's take that power back." — Jeanine Bashore • "Voters are trusted to choose City Council Members.We should be trusted to Elect Our Mayor." — Brandi Bagley -_/'-1.-I-- ' -/ THANKYOU