With so much drama and intrigue focused on one of the Council races, there has been little attention drawn to the second race—that between Incumbent Brad Avery and challenger Nancy Scarbrough in District 2.
Part of this imbalance is the result of the candidates themselves. Both Brad and Nancy are earnest and not attention seekers. As was observed by a letter writer earlier in the election season, Brad Avery is a nice guy. I see him as a nice guy who made a bad decision—that decision being to get involved with a team with two other candidates.
As with any team, you lose your identity and you take on the characteristics of the team. Their actions and decisions become your actions and decisions.
In contrast, Nancy Scarbrough is admired and respected because it is obvious that she is proudly independent. Few people have come to Council with more sincere interest or more desire to get involved and make a real difference in Newport Government than Nancy. She has been a resident for almost two decades and during that time she has run her own business and raised a family.
Nancy is genuinely concerned about the issues in her district. She knows that something must be done about the traffic. Today I was walking in our neighborhood passing out fliers and was reminded of what a problem it is. Fortunately, my street does not have the traffic of those like Riverside, Tustin and Irvine where 40 to 50 miles an hour has become the average pace. It is exceedingly dangerous for pedestrians, particularly small children.
Another major issue of District 2 that is a concern of Nancy is unfettered development. As a project planner in her own business, she comes to this problem with the background knowledge and skills needed. Nancy has many good ideas and the benefit of enthusiasm for facing problems that others have neglected.
Brad’s biggest shortcoming was not focusing on the various problems of his district. He was missing often when his presence was needed and would have been appreciated.
Nancy promises to listen carefully to her constituents and represent them at Council and I believe her.
Lynn Lorenz / Newport Beach
