Candidates and Corruption - Part 2

Yesterday we discussed the issue of corruption in government and the acceptance of special interest money by City Council members and candidates for City Council office. The sad fact is that 3 of the present City Council members (Hamilton, Voigts, Robinson) accepted over $250,000 of special interest money to put them in office or keep them in office. Even sadder to report, all of them voted 100% of the time to give their contributors what they asked for, whether it was a city contract, a variance, a re-zoning, or an ordinance.

IS IT A BRIBE?

“Isn’t this a bribe?” most people will think. After all, a bribe is “money or favor given or promised in order to influence the judgment or conduct of a person in a position of trust” (Merriam Webster dictionary)

But Politicians wrote a law in California that exempts money given to a “campaign committee” from the types of crimes that usually go along with bribes, payoffs, etc.

If you slip a Politician $1,000 he is guilty of taking a bribe. But if you give his campaign committee (controlled by him) that same $1,000, he is exempt from the crime of accepting a bribe.

IS IT UNETHICAL?

The City of Lake Forest has an ethics code. Here are some excerpts -

“It is central to gaining and retaining the public's trust in the City's government that public servants seek to avoid even the appearance of impropriety. Click Here

“Make impartial decisions in the best interest of the City of Lake Forest, free of narrow political interests, financial and other personal interests that impair independence of judgment or action, and are consistent with, but not limited to, the requirements of the Fair Political Practices Act and other state and local laws.” Click Here

“Safeguard ability to make independent, objective, fair and impartial judgments by scrupulously avoiding financial and social relationships and transactions that may compromise, or give the appearance of compromising, objectivity, independence, and honesty. When in doubt, avoid actions that create, in the mind of a reasonable observer, the appearance of impropriety, ethical lapses, legal violations, or actions inconsistent with the Leadership Principles.” Click Here

“City Council and commission decisions and work, therefore, must meet the most demanding ethical standards and demonstrate the highest levels of achievement in following these Principles.” Click Here

The City specifically requires Council members to avoid “even the appearance of impropriety”. Does it seem improper for Council members to take money and vote on issues from the people who gave them money? Of course it does. But who decides if it is “unethical”? The City Council! So when the majority of City Council members takes money and then provides votes, they continually decide that their actions are ethical.

BUSINESS AS USUAL?

Some people will argue "It's business as usual. Everybody does it." Of course the fact that other people do something is never an excuse for doing the same thing. It is true that most of the people who served on Lake Forest City Council accepted money from special interests. Peter Herzog, Richard Dixon, Kathryn McCullough, Mark Tettemer, and Marcia Rudolph all took special interest money. Dwight Robinson, Scott Voigts, and Andrew Hamilton also take special interest money. Yet 3 Council members didn't - Adam Nick, Leah Basile, and I took no special interest money yet we were able to make it onto the City Council. Bottom line - not everybody does it. More important, taking special interest money isn't necessary in order to get elected.

THE GOOD GUYS

Only three candidates responded to my e-mail – Tom Cagley, Stan Yombo, and David Glick. Tom and Stan made it clear that they would avoid taking money and also that they would support an ordinance against taking money. David said – “I will not accept any funds from any outside source. I will self fund my campaign with signs fliers and my personal marketing.” None of the others replied.

THE OTHER 3

Neeki Moatazedi and Frank Wagoner didn’t respond. That doesn’t necessarily mean they will take special interest money, only that they didn’t have the courtesy to go public on an issue of great concern to many.

THE MONEY TAKER

Mark Tettemer didn’t reply. But we don’t need a response from Mark Tettemer to know what he’s up to. Tettemer sat on the Lake Forest City Council for 8 years and during that time the money flowed freely from special interests into his campaigns. He took thousands from builders, developers, lobbyists, Political Action Committees, people wanting ordinances, and companies with city contracts or wanting city contracts.

BOTTOM LINE

Only 3 of the candidates for replacing Andrew Hamilton have agreed not to take special interest money - Tom Cagley, Stan Yombo, and David Glick. These are the only people you should consider after you vote "YES" to remove Andrew Hamilton.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr. Jim Gardner is on the City Council for Lake Forest. You can check him out on LinkedIn and/or Facebook and you can share your thoughts about the City at Lake Forest Town Square on Facebook. His comments are not meant to reflect official City Policy.

Dr. Gardner has office hours every Tuesday from 4 pm to 6 pm at the City Hall. In addition, he holds a mini town meeting every quarter. The next meeting will be on Dec 2 at 2 pm at the El Toro Public Library.