New planning commissioner no stranger to city issues
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Lolita Harper
WESTSIDE -- Eleanor Egan sat in her backyard Tuesday, careful not to
sit directly in the scorching summer sun, as a tiger swallow tail
butterfly landed on one of the many blooming flowers that border her
property.
“That is why I love Costa Mesa,” Egan said, pointing to the butterfly.
Originally from New York, Egan, 62, moved to Southern California in
1968 because she could not stand another cold winter, she said. After
finally settling in Costa Mesa, the 15-year resident has renewed her love
for the city by serving as its most recently appointed planning
commissioner.
Her roots in Costa Mesa precede her residency, as she was the
assistant city attorney for eight years, starting in the early 1980s.
“I was the legal advisor to the Planning Commission during those
years,” Egan said.
Now serving on the board she used to counsel, Egan hopes her history
of work with the city will make for a shorter learning period in her new
role.
“At least I already know the difference between a variance and a
conditional-use permit,” Egan joked.
Obviously a lot of things have changed over the last 20 years, and
Egan is excited to be part of the decision-making process again. Costa
Mesa no longer has any green fields to develop, and the city must work on
meeting the ever-increasing housing needs of its diverse population, she
said.
“There’s a whole new way of viewing the city and its future. We’re all
grown up now. The decisions that will be made over the next 10 years are
crucial. It’s a great time to be part of it,” Egan said.
Although she is new to a formal city commission, Egan and her husband
of 12 years, Tom, are no strangers to leadership positions in the
community. She is a member of the Costa Mesa Historical Society, sits on
the board of directors, serves as treasurer of the Costa Mesa Library
Foundation and, most notably, acts as co-chair of the Westside
Improvement Assn., a grass-roots organization to revitalize the city’s
Westside.
“I think my experience with the Westside and with that organization
has taught me a lot, and I will use what I have learned for the benefit
of the city as a whole,” said Egan, who met her husband through Mensa, a
club restricted to people with high IQs.
Egan said she will step down from her position in the Westside
Improvement Assn. to avoid any conflicts of interest.
The new planning commissioner said she has no specific plan or overall
vision for the city. Her role is simply to carry out the policies the
City Council sets and to find ways to attain the goals of the public, she
said.
An immigrant herself -- her parents moved to New York from Hungary
when she was 9 months old -- Egan said she is too close to the city’s
immigration issues to form an objective opinion.
“At least I can say that I am comfortable with other languages being
spoken around me, and I’m very comfortable in a diverse population,” she
said.
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