Mayor Boardman, Rise to the Occasion

Dear Mayor Boardman,

I know you by way of the Huntington Beach Bike Advisory Committee which you Chair; I attend as an unofficial representative of Newport Beach’s Bicycle Master Plan Advisory Committee.

As your City wraps up its Bicycle Master Plan I’ve been able to see you in action, to observe your vigorous leadership style. Anyone attempting to promote bikes over cars has learned how to buck the status quo; it’s a leap of faith you’re making which, as we look to other cities, we can be pretty sure will be realized. Thank you for allowing me to observe this process unfold.

I never imagined our worlds would intersect in this other realm – over the fire pits. I’ve toiled away for over a year, after suffering for more than a decade, but for you this movement to ban the fire pits came as a surprise; you were caught off-guard and pretty quickly you’ve been confronted with the potential total loss of a revered pastime, not to mention, a source of income to the City and to local merchants and hotels.

The AQMD data released last week shows exactly what the problems are with burning wood. It confirms what many within the agency predicted: that nearby residents are being dosed each night with unhealthful conditions including carcinogenic compounds and dangerous, microscopic particulate for which human lungs have no defense.

At one point during last Friday’s meeting at City Hall, as the public testimony wore on, you interrupted to assure everyone that, "If there are health risks to our residents there are a lot of solutions between nothing and banning the fire rings completely."

I think at some level you know that this is the case and it’s time to act.

You’re uniquely well positioned to lead everyone out of this puckish standoff.

Would you pause for a moment to consider the potential opportunity you’ve been given? This crisis that pits public health versus a long-held tradition could be your most distinguished moment in City government. No one else is so well respected, in the right place at this crucial moment, and able to lead the two opposing sides to a mutually satisfying resolution.

Instead of risking the loss of the fire pits by bucking the trend outlined in the AQMD report, you could lead. Your residents and those who cherish the fire pits would listen if you were to speak of compromise.

Some say the fire pits are already gone; that it’s just a matter of time before enough people learn of the adverse health effects. The genie’s out of the bottle and like major shifts in sentiment that we’ve both witnessed in our lifetime – gay rights and the civil rights movements – you could be the last of a breed to fight for the status quo or be the deciding factor in favor of change for the better.

It’s going to require a compromise. You would enjoy the support of almost everyone if you can come up with the courage, not to fight this once-in-a-career opportunity, but to find a way to save the beloved institution while striking a victory for public health.

Please reconsider your position and make a bold stand to keep the pits yet keep them clean and pollution free. It’s the opportunity of your tenure as Mayor; this will be something you’ll be forever proud of and you’ll be revered by your constituents at the same time.

Good luck,