Righeimer voted new chairman

In a contentious 3-2 vote, Jim Righeimer was elected chairman of the Costa Mesa Planning Commission on Monday night.

He replaces outgoing Planning Commission Chairman Donn Hall. Before the vote, Vice Chairman Jim Fisler, who felt he would be a better fit for the leadership role than Righeimer, emphasized the importance of experience.

“The more years you have [in the community], the more you have learned about the history of Costa Mesa and the more you’ll be able to guide the public meetings,” Fisler said.

Righeimer is a relative newcomer to the city, moving to Mesa Verde about two years ago. He was appointed to the Planning Commission shortly after his arrival in Costa Mesa and is in the middle of his first term.

Fellow Commissioner Sam Clark also favored Fisler and voted against the appointment of Righeimer as chairman, but the two were outvoted by Righeimer and newly seated Commissioners Steve Mensinger and Colin McCarthy.

It’s a pivotal time in Costa Mesa and the commission needs to encourage the type of development that is going to attract younger people to the community, Righeimer said.

He is a commercial developer by trade and as such says he’s intimately acquainted with the inner workings of how development projects get done.

Aside from being responsible for running commission meetings, the chairman is the public face of the city’s Planning Department and plays a big role in what projects get presented for the city’s consideration.

“The chairman carries weight with the development community,” Righeimer said.

Reporter ALAN BLANK may be reached at (714) 966-4623 or at [email protected].