A Long, Gnarly Paddle for a Fallen Lifeguard—And Local Community
Joe Stapleton is a city council member and the mayor of Newport Beach, California; he also owns a wealth management firm. He spoke as he trained to paddle 30 miles, on September 13, from Catalina Island to his Southern California community, in tribute to Ben Carson, a Newport Beach lifeguard who died on the job 11 years ago.
The paddle is a fundraiser for the Ben Carson Foundation, which provides scholarships.
"I told somebody if I ever the mayor of Newport, I’d do the paddle. I'm training 8 miles in the morning. I'll have 50 training paddles in by the end... It’s gnarly. Mother Ocean can be angry at times. The seas can be very rough. it’s been a spiritual journey for me…”
“It’s another great thing about Newport Beach where we take a tragedy and turn it into a legacy… What a great way to raise money rather than sitting in a ballroom…
"We’re a city of riches and we’re very blessed. We’ve got good sales taxes and hotel taxes [revenues]… We generate half a billion dollars… We're got a strong commitment to fiscal responsibility… we are paying down an unfunded pension liability.”
"We have First World problems, beach erosion, sand replenishment. We also have some opportunity crimes.... I’m mostly focused on public safety... We are launching drones as first responders, Sept. 10…Between that and our crime information center, we've protected the entire city and our residents. "
"I got elected [to the city council] in 2022. I love it. I don't see myself ever giving up public service."
