25 enter pool for City Council seat

Deirdre Newman

The City Council will need the brutal honesty of Simon from “American

Idol,” the consensus building skills of “Survivor” island dwellers

and the cool diplomacy of “The Bachelor” in choosing someone to fill

former Mayor Karen Robinson’s seat.

Which candidate will outlast all the others?

There are now a whopping 25 hopefuls to choose from. The council

will begin the selection process at its meeting Monday.

The list of hopefuls is diverse in age, ethnicity and experience.

Eric Bever, 43, has been active in community issues for the past

four years, including participating on the Community Redevelopment

Action Committee, which he resigned from recently.

“I’m interested [in the seat] because I think that Costa Mesa is

at a turning point and is heading in the right direction,” Bever

said. “I would like to see that it continues in that direction. I

think I can help to bring some unity to the council.”

Mirna Burciaga, 43, is a Westside business owner who was

instrumental in getting the Newport-Mesa Unified School District to

develop an English language development program so students who don’t

speak English as their primary language could learn it without

missing out on core curriculum classes.

Burciaga has also been involved with other community groups,

including Mothers Costa Mesa, a support group for Latina mothers.

“I think I’ve been involved a lot with different commitments to my

community, especially with the schools,” Burciaga said.

Michael Clifford, 55, ran for council in 2000. He is part of the

Community Redevelopment Action Committee and was also involved with

the Westside Specific Plan. Clifford said he became involved in local

politics when he moved to the Westside in 1998.

“I realized how important local politics are, with the way our

quality of life [is], especially since I moved to West 19th Street,”

Clifford said. “There’s a whole new world over here. ... I think it

should be just as safe to walk around here [at night] as it is in

Mesa Verde or somewhere else.”

Clifford also said he would donate any stipend he receives, if

appointed, to the city’s Police and Fire departments to compensate

for expected cutbacks.

Julia Cross, 38, was on the board of directors of the Monticello

Community Homeowners Assn. for more than three years. She said the

board and city officials have worked well together to rebuild

Monticello after two fires ravaged the neighborhood last year.

“I just sold my townhome a month ago and moved to the Eastside and

am looking for something to do,” Cross said. “I’ve gotten to know a

lot of people in the community and the community itself and would

like to be involved in some of the good things going on around here.”

Walter Davenport, who is in his 60s, served on the Planning

Commission for 22 years, until February, when he was not reappointed.

Davenport said the vast amount of expertise he racked up on the

commission makes him extremely qualified for the council.

“It certainly has given me a lot of experience in the area of

land-use issues, which is part of what the council has to do with,”

Davenport said. “I think my experience would also help with issues

outside of land use.”

Dennis DeMaio, 55, has been on the Planning Commission for two

months. The county sheriff who acts as the Villa Park police chief

said he is interested in the vacancy for the same reason he wanted to

be on the commission.

“To get involved in the community, to help with goals,” DeMaio

said. “[We’re] in the stage where [we’re] moving toward redevelopment

and revitalization for Costa Mesa, and I want to be a part of it.”

Katrina Foley, 35, is on the Planning Commission and ran for the

council last fall. Her reasons for wanting to be appointed are the

same as her platform during the election, she said.

“I believe we need professional leadership to continue to improve

Costa Mesa,” Foley said. “I also believe that during this economic

crisis, we need people who are going to work very hard to maintain

the kind of services that we offer our residents while still managing

the budget.”

Tamar Goldmann, 57, is an English professor at Orange Coast

College. She served as department chair for six years, which honed

her problem-solving and negotiating skills, she said. She moved to

Costa Mesa from Los Angeles in 1975 and wants to help ensure the city

she now calls home grows responsibly.

“I know that it’s important to protect one’s city very carefully

and have it develop and grow in a careful and measured fashion,”

Goldmann said.

Jennifer Kuo, 25, grew up in Costa Mesa and lives in Wimbledon

Village. She said she was concerned when she went to one of the

city’s Human Relations Committee meetings and witnessed discord among

the members.

Kuo works for the Orange County Asian and Pacific Islander

Community Alliance and said one of her interests is the 13.6% of

Costa Mesa’s population of Asian descent.

“I’m just interested [in the vacancy] because I went to school

here, grew up here, and the best way to get involved is serving on

[the council],” Kuo said. “I thought, ‘Why not try it?’”

Robert Love, 54, was on the Parks and Recreation Commission for

two years and was the chairman last year. He also is involved with

three Newport-Mesa Unified School District committees.

He said his experience working for the county for 25 years,

including five years as chief of staff for the second district

supervisor, will serve him well if appointed.

“I know the second district, which includes Costa Mesa pretty

well,” Love said. “I know schools and issues and want to stay

involved with community issues, so I think I have a unique background

for [the council] given the experiences I’ve had.”

Matthew Makin, 30, is the grandson of former mayor and city

historian Bob Wilson. He serves on the Redevelopment and Residential

Rehabilitation Committee.

“I always wanted to get into politics,” Makin said. “I was

planning to do something a while back, but couldn’t run [for the

council] last year because of work obligations. So now I work out of

the house, so it’s easier for me to dedicate the time the city would

need.”

Ralph Morgan, 82, was an avid supporter of an airport at El Toro

through his involvement with the Airport Working Group. He has a law

degree and has taught at the community college and university level.

“I think I could do a better job than the [other] people who are

going to be running because I’ve got a much better education and have

a lot of experience teaching at the community college level,” Morgan

said.

Bill Perkins, 27, has been on the Planning Commission for more

than years. He ran for the council in the fall.

Perkins said his experience serving the city will allow him to

bring leadership to the council.

“With a change in the council, there might be a chance for more

leadership and unity,” Perkins said. “I think Karen did a great job

as mayor and [as a] leader, but I think we need to direct some

efforts to improvements on the Westside. Something as simple as just

putting complete sidewalks down 19th Street on the Westside would

make a huge difference.”

Mike Scheafer, 49, is president of the Costa Mesa-Newport Harbor

Lions Club. He has served on the Parks and Recreation Commission and

was a director for the Costa Mesa Sanitary District.

“I’ve done a lot with the community,” Scheafer said. “I was born

and raised in this community. I’ve lived on the Westside for most of

my life. I think that will be helpful coming up. I’m just looking

forward to going through the appointment process.”

Bill Turpit, 49, has been on the city’s Redevelopment and

Residential Rehabilitation Committee for eight years and co-chaired

the city’s Census 2000 Committee. He is also a Westside activist.

“I offer to our city the values of a person who considers himself

to be a true Costa Mesan -- someone who wants his city leaders to run

a “tight ship,” someone who appreciates [individuality] and

independence yet actively participates in neighborhood and community

activities, and someone who loves Costa Mesa as an ideal place to

grow one’s family or one’s business,” Turpit wrote in his application

letter.

Other new candidates who could not be reached for comment are:

Linda Dixon, a former mayor who lost her reelection campaign in

November; James Fisler, who is on the Parks and Recreation

Commission; Wendy Leece, a former school board member who now sits on

the Parks and Recreation Commission, and Art Perry, a Costa Mesa

Sanitary District board member and Estancia High School activities

director.

Other candidates are Karl Ahlf, an 18-year old student; Terri

Breer, a Mesa del Mar resident; Bruce Garlich, a planning

commissioner; Frank Michelena, a semi-retired lobbyist; and Heather

Somers, a former councilwoman.

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

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