COMMUNITY COMMENTARY:

John Moorlach, chairman of the Orange County Board of Supervisors, recently announced that because Orange County is expecting an $84-million budget gap next year, county officials may want to hand over unincorporated areas to other municipalities (“Annexation put back on the table,” Dec. 13). I support Moorlach’s actions and believe for many reasons now is also the time for Moorlach to step up to the plate on the airport issue.

Given the almost $100-million budget shortfall, and the concerns of Costa Mesa and Newport Beach, now is the time to take bold, responsible and decisive action. That is why I support the annexation of the unincorporated area south of Bristol Street, which now serves as the back nine of the Newport Beach Golf Course. The property would no longer be a drain on the county, and it would demonstrate Moorlach’s commitment regarding further airport expansion. Once annexed, the cities could enter into a ground lease with the owner of the golf course and demonstrate once again the supervisor’s dedication to fiscal responsibility and opposition to further physical expansion of the airport. If “ … getting unincorporated areas off the books is a priority for Orange County …,” let’s make this our highest priority.

THOMAS S. ANDERSON is a board member on the Airport Working Group and also serves on the Newport Beach aviation committee.