Measure F needs real oversight

It’s hard not to write about the Measure F results without sounding bitter, so I won’t even try to hide my disappointment. There is the nagging feeling that had the bond’s supporters been telling the whole truth from the start, a more informed voter would have made a different choice.

Even a B grade from the office of the county treasurer was not enough to do the trick, although I have no doubt that the poor grade did knock some people off the fence to the no side.

So, the battle is over. And it was a battle.

Those of us who fought against the new tax were outspent, out-mailed and out-distorted by some powerful forces that were determined to get Measure F passed.

For proof, just look at the list of corporate money that flowed early into the campaign. Anyone care to bet a steak dinner at the Bungalow that McCarthy construction won’t get the lion’s share of the construction contracts from the new tax?

One good piece of news from the bond is that with the exception of a couple of letters from renegades in the Daily Pilot, the campaign was not personal, for which we should all be thankful.

No sir, this one was run on a good old-fashioned distortion of facts.

The idea now is to have all of this money overseen by a hand-picked group of at least seven people, including someone “active in a senior citizen’s organization,” “a member that is a parent or guardian of a child enrolled in the district” and “a member that is both a parent or guardian of a child enrolled in the district and active in a parent-teacher organization.”

I’m sure these will all be very nice people. But if we’re not restricted to seven members, I’d like to suggest some additions to the committee to help ensure that we don’t run out of money early the way we did with the Measure A funds.

On this committee, I recommend a plumber, a drywall hanger, an electrician, a framer, a roofer and a cement guy (sorry to get so technical).

The construction guys must not have any ties to McCarthy Construction or whatever company winds up getting the jobs. They need to be there so they can review time cards and invoices to check whether our hard-earned tax dollars are being spent appropriately.

The construction guys are needed because the bond language charges the oversight committee only to “to ensure bond proceeds are expended only for the school facilities projects listed in the Bond Project List.”

Even the annual financial audit language is weak: “The Board shall conduct an annual, independent financial audit of the bond proceeds until all of those proceeds been spent for the school facilities projects listed in the Bond Project List. “

There isn’t a syllable in the committee’s duties or in the duties of the auditors about making sure that we are being charged acceptable rates for labor and materials. We need tighter oversight, and we need it on more than just an annual basis.

The “take-aways” from the bond are two.

First, that an informed voter will make a rational, not an emotional, decision. That has been proven in countless elections, and it is why some organizations purposely engage in distractions instead of facts when they realize their candidate or their cause is weak.

The second lesson is an old one: Every vote counts.

Tuesday, 18-year-old high school senior Michael Sessions became mayor of the small town of Hillsdale, Mich., by topping the incumbent mayor by two votes.

The day after the election Tuesday, my friend Ed revealed to me that he had not voted, which I thought was unusual considering his propensity to offer his expert opinions on everything that is wrong with government these days. (I knew there was a reason I liked him.)

“One vote isn’t going to make a difference,” said Ed, who lives in South County.

Then I told him about the vote on Measure F on Tuesday night.

I told Ed about the vote-tally difference between holding those in power accountable for their mistakes and giving them a no-strings-attached check for $282 million. As of Friday night, it was 448 votes. Just 448 votes.

Ed shook his head and said, “Wow.”

The point was made. Then he asked me, “Could I have voted no on that?”

“No,” I said, “you don’t live in the area.”

“Oh, too bad” said Ed.

Too bad, indeed.

* STEVE SMITH is a Costa Mesa resident and a freelance writer. Readers may leave a message for him on the Daily Pilot hotline at (714) 966-4664 or send story ideas to [email protected].

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