The Candidates Speak

Yesterday we announced the upcoming times to view the Lake Forest City Council candidate forum on Cox TV, and I pointed out what I thought were some strange comments. Here are some of the issues discussed at the forum and the answers, briefly, from each of the candidates.

TRAFFIC COMMISSION

Do we need to establish a Traffic Commission to help alleviate the congestion?

· Bass – No

· Cagley – Yes

· Gardner - Yes

· Hamilton – Says “yes” now, but said no before!

· Healey - Yes

· Miller - Yes

(BTW – Neither Voigts nor McCullough showed up at the forum, but in the past they have voted “no”)

PENSION LIABILITIES

Is this a problem for the City?

· Bass – Not a problem

· Cagley – a problem because we use the OC Sheriff Dept. where pension liabilities result in higher costs.

· Gardner – a problem because we use the OC Sheriff Dept. where pension liabilities result in higher costs.

· Hamilton – Not a problem

· Healey - a problem because we use the OC Sheriff Dept. where pension liabilities result in higher costs.

· Miller - a problem because we use the OC Sheriff Dept. where pension liabilities result in higher costs.

ACCEPTING MONEY FROM COMPANIES DOING BUSINESS WITH THE CITY (I.E., CORRUPTION)

· Bass – In Favor of accepting money – WHICH HE DOES!

· Cagley – Opposed

· Gardner - Opposed

· Hamilton – In favor - It’s “freedom of expression”

· Healey - Opposed

· Miller - Opposed

(BTW – Neither Voigts nor McCullough showed up at the forum, but in the past they have accepted lots of money from special interests)

TERM LIMITS

· Bass – Says 8 or 12, but authored the argument to make the law 24.

· Cagley – In favor, 2 terms only

· Gardner – In favor. Committed to 8 years only.

· Hamilton – In favor, but didn’t specify what the limit is.

· Healey – In favor, 2 terms only

· Miller – In favor. Opposed to proposed ordinance allowing 24 of 26 years.

(BTW – Neither Voigts nor McCullough showed up at the forum, but McCullough has already served more than 20 years and Voigts lobbied strongly for the 24 year ordinance)

There were more issues discussed, but it’s difficult to capture the answers to these questions succinctly.

SUMMARY

Voigts and McCullough didn’t have the courtesy to show up. That by itself speaks volumes. Of the 6 people who showed up, it’s pretty clear that there are two major points of view. On most issues Bass and Hamilton agree, although it’s hard to really know what they’re saying at any one time since both of them have a history of saying one thing and doing another.

The other four candidates all seem to agree on most issues. They all favor a Traffic Commission, oppose taking money from companies doing business with the City, are in favor of no more than 12 year term limit, and are worried about the rising costs of Police services.

If you take the time to look at the TV show and to think about what the people are saying and ask yourself whether or not they will do what they say, your choice should be easy.

About Jim Gardner

Dr. Jim Gardner is the editor of CITY WATCH on The Patch and a contributing editor to OC Politics and Voice of OC. He is running for City Council in Lake Forest. You can check him out on LinkedIn and/or Facebook.