Give Supervisor John Moorlach a Chance First.

Everyone regarding John Wayne Airport is touchy. We can see that.

Newport Beach (understandably so) is very touchy in regards to the potential/pending expansion of John Wayne Airport.

And Orange County Supervisor John Moorlach is very touchy (also understandably so) about any claims that he's not working on Newport Beach's side regarding the potential/pending expansion of John Wayne Airport.

But calling the Daily Pilot, Joseph Bell, and the Newport Beach residents who took the time to write letters to the Daily Pilot regarding the potential/pending expansion of John Wayne airport "clueless?"

Well...that's a bit rough.

We just don't want John Wayne Airport to expand.

And we are nervous about it (unlike our City Manager)...

With that said, I think we should let Supervisor Moorlach a chance to fight for Newport Beach (and Costa Mesa) in regards to limiting the Airport expansion once the settlement agreement expires in 2011 (since he'll still be on the Board) before knocking on him about it.

And Supervisor Moorlach should give the residents (who voice their concerns via letters to the Daily Pilot editors) some leeway regarding the potential expansion of a city killer (larger John Wayne airport) before calling them "clueless."

We just don't want John Wayne Airport to expand.

Anyway, here's Supervisor's response to this Daily Pilot article.

Last night I spoke to the annual meeting of the Airport Working Group. Of late the Daily Pilot has been printing articles and letters that give the term “clueless” a whole new meaning. I’ve already forwarded to you Joseph N. Bell’s column. Even as recently as Sunday, the Daily Pilot’s lead editorial stated that “[Newport Beach] officials must keep the pressure on county and airport officials to curb growth.” In their Saturday issue, a letter writer stated there were “backroom plans by the county and people who run the airport” regarding “the addition of runways, flights and passengers.” Give me a break. What backroom deals? With whom? Why? When I have a thirteen-year record of transparency and of opposing any haywire proposal that some have tried to perpetrate on the taxpayers of the OC? Give me a break.

To wrap up, I stated that I’m not the enemy that Newport Beach needs to get all worked up about. There are individuals in South County that still believe that JWA OC should be expanded. Not me. Focus a message to rebut these individuals. Develop a good PR strategy. Stay cool, calm and collected. The settlement agreement can not be legally renegotiated until 2011. Newport Beach residents have to quit chasing nonexistent issues, like name changes, the back-nine holes that never would have happened anyway, or debating terms such as “expansion” versus “remodel/improvement.” They need to focus their time and resources on a message that resonates with the entire County, such as the need for all County residents to work together to develop a regional ground transportation system that moves passengers to airports whose communities support expansion.

I did not name names, but the crowd sure did. So today’s Daily Pilot article opens with the conclusion of my remarks. I prefer not having reporters at my speeches so I feel less inhibited. This way I can communicate a message to a targeted audience and deal with the real issues. But, even with two or more present, I decided to let loose anyway. It was great to have my Chief of Staff, Professor Mario Mainero, present to work with one reporter while I was responding to individual questions from attendees at the conclusion of the event.