Cameron Cosgrove

We are reminded by last week's political convention that elected officials must represent all of their constituents and not just their supporters if they are to be successful. This is particularly true for those elected to local office, such as mayor and city council. The recent events leading up to and surrounding Measure D have provided an opportunity for the new majority on the Irvine City Council to take advantage of the under-representation on the City Council. Flexing its muscles, the new majority seems to have wasted no time in ignoring the obvious will of the people of Irvine.

Participants in a lawsuit challenging City Councilman Cameron Cosgrove's right to hold office concluded the first part of their trial Thursday, as a Superior Court judge took the matter under advisement. Saying he hoped that it would be a "matter of days, not weeks," before he rendered an opinion, Judge Claude M. Owens concluded the portion of the trial devoted to debate of legal matters. Owens will rule on whether the legal issues alone are enough to decide the case.

Four challengers will seek to unseat three incumbents in Dana Point's first municipal election since incorporation, while in Irvine Mayor Larry Agran will face a fellow City Council member for that city's top elected spot on the June 5 ballot. Dana Point City Council members Eileen Krause, Ingrid McGuire and Michael Eggers met the Friday deadline and filed the necessary documents to run for reelection, City Clerk Mary Carlson said.

It's been 18 months since Cameron Cosgrove was sworn in as a member of the Irvine City Council, but some residents still refuse to call him "councilman." One speaker at a council meeting last week strode to the podium and introduced herself to the staff, members of the public, Mayor Larry Agran, "members of the City Council and Mr. Cosgrove." She leaned heavily on the "Mr.," denying Cosgrove the title accorded his office. From his seat, Cosgrove quietly burned.

A lawsuit challenging the right of Irvine City Councilman Cameron Cosgrove to hold his council seat will be heard in Orange County Superior Court on Wednesday. Judge Claude M. Owens will determine whether a full trial is necessary. The lawsuit contends that Cosgrove became a councilman illegally in July, 1988. In June, 1988, the voters approved Measure D, which makes it possible to force a special election of the third highest vote-getter in a city election under certain circumstances.

I don't understand why Mayor Larry Agran of Irvine promoted Measure D, and then voted to deny the people of Irvine the right to elect our city representatives. (Measure D is a city charter amendment that allows residents to petition for a special election to fill a seat left vacant when a council member becomes mayor.) I was present the night Councilman Cameron Cosgrove was sworn in, despite the city attorney's objections. It is apparent that Cosgrove has become a pawn in Mayor Agran's chess game.

The City Council has voted to include a measure on the June ballot that would keep the overpasses on Yale Avenue limited to pedestrian traffic. The council voted 4 to 1 to approve the measure offered by Councilman Cameron Cosgrove after a four-hour discussion at Tuesday's meeting. Councilwoman Sally Anne Sheridan voted against it. Cosgrove's measure is meant as an alternative to the so-called Yale Initiative, which would widen the bridges to accommodate two lanes of vehicular traffic.

An incumbent, a former military general and a professional negotiator are among the six people seeking two City Council seats in Irvine's June 5 election. Councilman Cameron Cosgrove, who has sided with Mayor Larry Agran on a number of issues, filed papers last week seeking reelection. Cosgrove retained his post despite a court battle to unseat him. The other incumbent, Councilman Edward A. Dornan, dropped out of the race earlier this month.