I have a morbid fascination with bad behavior, which is why the last days of election season are so much fun. Common sense is nowhere to be found.
I'm carrying the mail into the house the other day; I notice the edge of one peeking out among the others. Pictured is a handsome man lounging in a sea of blue water in what looks like an exotic beach location.
His naked muscular chest glistening in the sun, his face turned away looking into the distance. I thought it was an ad for a gay cruise, then I put my glasses on, pushed the other mail aside – it was an Ed Reno campaign mailer insinuating opponent Rush Hill would turn Newport into "Bell by the Bay".
Under the lounging man it said "Retired Newport City Manager $193,000.00"
Was the Reno campaign doing a remake of "From Here to Eternity" with former city managers?
Who was the retired city manager the flier referred to? Homer Bludau? Well, unless Homer's been hitting the gym hard, dyed his hair black and got a transplant and became a male model, the picture sure doesn't look anything like him, (no offense, Homer).
What did Homer think about the mailer? "Rush was never one of my bosses, so my retirement pay has nothing to do with anything he's ever done. It's totally unfair to hang the public retirement system around his neck".
Homer also pointed out," Of my 10 years with Newport Beach, I managed 850 employees with budgets exceeding $120 million dollars. People who run corporations with budgets of that size retire with a lot more than what I get."
"My integrity is golden, many have told me that. It's pathetic, and a huge disservice to the community that a paid political campaign (consultant) like Dave Ellis is willing to go to any lengths to get his candidate elected, even if it means discrediting good people who did everything in their power to serve the community honorably."
My guess, Homer's not voting for Reno.
I called Reno twice for an explanation, no return call.
The flip side of this mailer pictured Bell City Manager Robert Rizzo being led off in handcuffs and an unflattering mug shot.
WOW! I had no idea Newport was that close to becoming a "Bell" now that Newport just got a AAA credit rating from each of the big three rating agencies: Moody's, Standard & Poor's and Fitch.
I asked Mayor Keith Curry what he thought, since he endorsed Reno early in the race. Keith said, "We are not becoming Bell by the Bay. Yes, pensions are high, and we have been working it out and these actions were recognized by the three rating agencies."
He was quick to remind me that he has now also endorsed Rush Hill.
OK, I understand he's trying to be politically correct here, but his endorsement of Rush speaks volumes at this stage of the race.
(For those not in the political loop, dually endorsing is what politicians do when they've realized they made a huge mistake and can't tell the candidate they've already endorsed, 'you're embarrassing me.')
The Republicans endorsed Reno. They've now un-endorsed Costa Mesa incumbent Wendy Leece. All things considered, I bet that'll help her more than hurt her.
Freelance writer Barbara Venezia's opinion column appears online each Thursday and in The Current every Friday. Email BV at bvontv@earthlink.net
No comments:
Post a Comment