EDITORIAL:

To the victor go the spoils.

We’ve said it before, but this 19th century phrase bears repeating amid the gnashing of teeth and slinging of mud that followed the appointment of Eric Bever to mayor of Costa Mesa.

When it comes to Costa Mesa politics, Bever, at least for now, is one of the victors.

So it should be of no surprise that his fellow victor, Allan Mansoor, would present his fellow majority member with a political gift — the position of mayor.

And all this just in time for the coming 2008 election season.

Now Mansoor, of course, says he just wanted others to join in the fun of being mayor and there was no political motive behind his move.

Wink, wink.

But really, there’s nothing wrong with this move regardless of what the stated reason is.

Political gamesmanship is all part of, well, politics. Those who hold the keys to power control the purse strings, set policies and steer the ship of state, even if that ship is the S.S. Costa Mesa.

We do have a problem, though, with the private conversations between City Council members before the vote. The 1st Amendment experts we consulted could not say for sure whether it was a Brown Act violation when Mansoor called Bever and Councilwoman Katrina Foley to tell them he was stepping down; but even so it does seem to skirt the spirit of the law, which is to ensure these decisions are made publicly, not in private before the meeting.

And would it be nice if 3/5 of the council would include the other 2/5 in decisions and not just dismiss their ideas wholesale?

Sure it would.

But that’s not required in a democracy. A simple majority calls the shots. And the minority can’t really do much about it, except on Election Day.

For now, however, the people of Costa Mesa have elected this current council majority, and Bever will now get his chance to ably represent them and the rest of the city, like it or not.

Indeed, that’s exactly what we will be watching for.

Bever can show just what kind of politician he is.

We hope he chooses to take the path of a respectable statesmen and eschew the sniping he and others on both sides of the aisle have engaged in previously.

Because we don’t believe that any of these council members sits up on that dais for their health or to get rich. Bever, Mansoor, Foley, Dixon and Leece all ran for public office because they wanted to improve things.

They may want to take the city on divergent paths, but in the end, their motives are the same: to enhance the quality of life in the city of Costa Mesa.

We should respect them all for that, regardless of their views.

So to Mayor Bever go the spoils. Good luck, and congratulations. We are eager to see just how you’ll use them.