Greenlight endorses 2 council hopefuls

The Greenlight residents group has given its stamp of approval to just two candidates on the November ballot, bypassing Councilman Dick Nichols — one of the group’s only supporters to win a council seat.

An unprecedented six seats are on the ballot because, in the last two years, three council members resigned and were replaced by appointees.

Greenlight, a group that supports voter control over major developments, this week announced it has endorsed Brenda Martin, one of four candidates for the District 1 seat, and Dolores Otting, who is challenging appointed Councilman Keith Curry for the District 7 seat.

Nichols was first elected in 2002 with Greenlight’s backing. He has since angered some voters with controversial remarks about “Mexicans” at Corona del Mar State Beach and has often cast the lone opposition vote on the dais, but he has remained a staunch Greenlight supporter.

The group didn’t endorse him this time because it didn’t want to spread its resources too thin, and as an incumbent Nichols seemed to be in a strong position, Greenlight spokesman Phil Arst said.

“We don’t have the resources to get involved in more races,” he said. “We made that mistake four years ago — we got involved in four council races and couldn’t do a good job on any of them.”

In the last three elections, Greenlight has had limited success with its candidates. One of three Greenlight-backed hopefuls won in 2000, and one of four — Nichols — gained a seat in 2002.

Otting and Martin weren’t concerned about the group’s poor track record and expected Greenlight’s endorsement to help their campaigns.

“I know two years ago when I ran against John Heffernan, Greenlight was kind of a bad word, but it isn’t the same feeling anymore,” Otting said. “People don’t want to keep the City Council, they don’t want to keep the appointment process, and they don’t want the traffic…. It is time for the residents to have a turn.”

Curry said he wasn’t surprised or concerned about the Greenlight endorsements. Citing his support from the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce, the city firefighter and police associations, the Daily Pilot and numerous state and local elected officials, Curry added, “I’d be happy to stack those endorsements up against Greenlight any day.”

Arst pointed out that the group’s spending power to help the candidates is restricted because of contribution limits, and because most of Greenlight’s money is going to promote its ballot issue, Measure X.

Nichols said he was disappointed that the group didn’t back him, especially after he ensured Greenlight supporters would get to write the ballot argument against Measure V, the city’s general plan update.

Whether Greenlight’s candidates win, backers are taking the long view. Otting said who’s on the council is less important than the two ballot measures, which would control development in completely different ways.

“Measure X, when it passes, will be in effect for the long term — ostensibly forever,” Arst said. “Let’s say we put all our efforts into candidates, then in two or four years they can be replaced.”

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