Measure B, which amends the city charter to require the next city hall to be built on a 12.8-acre parcel of city-owned land next to the central library, passed with little more than a 5% margin. It was a vote so close some critics accuse Croul of buying the election. Croul gave the pro-Measure B group City Hall in the Park more money in the last few weeks before Feb. 5 than its opposition Newporters Vote No on B raised the entire year.
“Divide the vote total by $700,000 and that’s how much they spent per vote,” said Councilman Keith Curry at a No on B election night party. “It may be the most spent per vote ever in the United States.”
Rumors abounded in the weeks leading up to the election that Croul has designs on the old city hall site on Balboa Peninsula. Critics accused Croul of wanting to purchase the property and develop it as condominiums.
“I’m not a developer,” Croul said. “I’m an anti-developer.”
He said he hopes to see the old city hall site become a municipal park one day.
Croul said he never meant to spend as much as he did. “One thing led to another,” Croul said. “We were doing surveys from time to time and we thought we might not be winning as well as we thought. We had to do more mailers and more signs.”
Croul’s generous donations were “not exactly chump change, but ultimately, the residents decided where city hall should go,” said Councilman Steve Rosansky, who supported the measure.
If anything, Croul’s money might have hurt the City Hall in the Park campaign, Rosansky said.
“If I had to handicap it, the Yes on B people lost votes because of it,” he said. “The No on B people used that against us.”
