Ballot Measure B

Should you choose who your Mayor is? Or should someone else choose for you?

A candidate for Mayor should have to talk to you, the voters, about their priorities for our city. And you should get to vote for the candidate of your choosing.

If you believe that you should choose who your Mayor is, then vote yes. It's that simple.

Right now, council members from districts all around the city gather in a room once a year and pick from amongst themselves who will be Mayor. Even though Newport Beach has over 60,000 voters, the Mayor is selected by only seven people!

This “Elect Our Mayor” initiative places the power in the hands of voters, not politicians. 

This measure also places the strictest term limits in our city on the position of Mayor. A person can serve only two terms total in their life.

A candidate for Mayor should be talking to all of us about their priorities, stand for a city-wide vote, and be accountable to all of us. 

We the voters should choose our Mayor. Vote yes.

For more information, please visit www.ElectOurMayor.com.

Hon. Will O'Neill, Newport Beach City Council Member
(Mayor 2020)
Hon. Noah Blom, Newport Beach Mayor Pro Tem

     Due: Friday, January 14, 2022
     Examination Period: January 15-24, 2022

The proponents don't mention passage of Measure B would not only provide for direct election of the mayor,  but would add dangerous new powers the Newport Beach mayor currently doesn’t have, including near complete control over the council agenda’s content.    

They claim their proposal would make city government more responsive when in actuality it would be less:  one of the six city council districts will be represented by both a mayor and a council person, giving one district greater decision-making authority. That minimizes the voice of other council members and the residents they represent.

The effectiveness of our current City government lies not in the power of one elected individual, but in the power of the residents making their opinions known to City Council members sharing equal decision-making authority. It is the same method used by almost every city of our size and has served us well. 

Further, the proponents state that their proposal imposes  stronger term limits when the opposite is true. Under    
Measure B, a person could serve two terms on council 
and two terms as mayor, sixteen years in all, erasing our
current term limits. 

In addition, a mayor with the proposed new powers would
bring unwelcome power politics to Newport Beach,          
attracting outside interests and resulting in mayoral campaigns costing more than $500,000. 

Don't let big campaign donors decide the future of Newport Beach, and don't let one person make the decisions on how the city is run. 

Vote No on Measure ­­­­B.

Nancy Gardner, former Mayor, Newport Beach 
Homer L. Bludau, former Newport Beach City Manager
Evelyn R. Hart, former Mayor, Newport Beach
Clarence J. Turner, former Mayor, Newport Beach
Seymour Beek, former Harbor Commissioner

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DIRECT ARGUMENT AGAINST MEASURE B

REBUTTAL TO ARGUMENT AGAINST MEASURE B

  
      Due: Tuesday, January 4, 2022
     Examination Period: January 5-14, 2022  

Should Newport have a politician who rules over city council and city hall?  No.

Our city’s incredible success and financial stability demonstrates the strength  of our current council system. Our city does not need a King.

Measure B allows any person who has lived in Newport Beach 30 days or more to run for Mayor. Whoever wins the mayorship would become a super-councilmember, dominating the council’s agenda, overseeing city departments, and directing the city manager. If the elected mayor did not govern as voters expected, they could remain in office for four years, possibly eight. That’s too much power for too long.

For 67 years, Newport Beach has had an elected council of seven
members who share power equally. This system serves our city well,
providing steady leadership while keeping any one councilmember from dominating city hall.

Citizens already elect Newport’s mayor by voting for councilmembers who eventually are nominated and elected to mayor by their peers. This system builds community and council consensus.

A council of equals ensures that each district in our city can be represented by the mayor for one year. Council members serve as a check on each other and collectively ensure that the city is well-managed.    

Elected mayor cities tend to generate political machines for ambitious
politicians. That may be good for someone hungry for state and
national office, but our mayor should focus on our city’s needs, not their political futures.

Measure B reduces the number of council districts from seven to six. The mayor would not represent a district. This dilutes the power of voters. It also reduces the attractiveness of serving on council if it is dominated by one person. Would you serve on such a council? 

Vote no on Measure B (NoKing4Newport.com).

Brad Avery, Council Member, former Mayor
Joy Brenner, Council Member

     Due: Friday, January 14, 2022
     Examination Period: January 15-24, 2022

This initiative gives you a choice: do you want to choose your Mayor?  You don’t make that choice now, but do you want to make that choice going forward?  If the answer is yes, then vote yes.

That change is significant because it takes the power away from politicians and puts the power in voters’ hands.  And a directly-elected Mayor will develop longer and more consistent relationships to advance our city’s interests.

The initiative is otherwise not a very big change at all.  You are represented by seven people who seek election city-wide, which would be true under the initiative too.

A directly-elected Mayor will be one vote of seven without any veto authority. There is nothing in this change that would authorize more staff hiring. It is not a “strong Mayor” system like New York or San Francisco.

City Council term limits remain unchanged.  But this directly-elected Mayor will have the strictest term limits in the city — being able to serve only two terms, and then banned from the office for life.

Opponents don’t want voters to choose their Mayor and have formed a Political Action Committee called “No Elected Mayor.” 

Should we have no elected Mayor?  Or should voters choose their Mayor?

If you want to choose your Mayor, then vote yes.  It’s that simple.

For more information, please visit www.ElectOurMayor.com

Hon. Will O'Neill, Newport Beach City Council Member (Mayor 2020)
Hon. Noah Blom, Newport Beach Mayor Pro Tem