The City Council Candidates - Leah Basile

The first time I saw Leah Basile was in August 2015 when she was one of several people from Portola Hills who came to speak about the dangerous changes being made to Saddleback Ranch Road (SRR). I was impressed by her sincerity and demeanor, and by her ability to stay within the strict time limits imposed by the Mayor. She spoke again, but it was to no avail. Despite what was obviously going to be a disaster, the Gang of 3 refused to agendize a discussion of the SRR project, and they collectively decided to wait until people were actually injured before considering the design features. The City Manager backed them up, claiming that it was impossible to halt the construction now that it started. The City Attorney backed them up, saying that there were legal problems that couldn’t be overcome. Councilman Adam Nick and I pleaded for them to reconsider, but like so many things, the Gang of 3 prevailed.

Flash forward to the next Council meeting and Leah came up to each Council member and gave us a sealed envelope. I didn’t get the chance to open it, but when we were seated at the dais I asked Scott Voigts what was in the letter, and he said “We’ve been served.” Holy cow, I thought, and not having read the contents myself, I thought I had been served too. Later I discovered my letter was a “Thank You” note and only the Gang of 3 had been served. Rightfully so.

In less than a week, the problem was solved. The City Manager acted faster than I had ever seen him act, put together a meeting with residents, and the impossible- to-do halting of the construction happened; without the inevitable legal problems we had been assured would happen. I thought then that if this woman were on the City Council we could do wondrous things.

Flash forward 10 months and she is running for City Council. Thank God.

In the intervening 10 months I’ve gotten to know her much better. Here’s why I think she may become the best City Council member we’ve ever had –

· She is bright. She can absorb and analyze information, look at all sides, and come up with reasonable conclusions. They don’t necessarily agree with my own conclusions, but they are based on relevant facts and valid analyses and that’s all you can ask for.

· She doesn’t look to others to tell her what to do. She listens, but she doesn’t obey. (I am constantly amused at how Mayor Hamilton fawns over every word from Councilman Robinson, and when Robinson doesn’t want to talk, Hamilton is often left speechless.)

· Her concern is with the welfare of the residents. At the end of the day, a good Council member asks “How does that impact the quality of life for our residents?” I’ve seen her do this many times. The question should not be “Will it be popular?” or “How much money can we get if we vote for them?”

· She has high ethical standards. During the recall campaign, many people urged her to take the low road illustrated by the Gang of 3’s racist and slanderous attacks on Councilman Nick. I heard her say many times – “But then we would be like them!” and then she would advocate for a fact-based approach. Having high ethical standards is essential in restoring the people’s trust in government. The Gang of 3 has damaged the image of Lake Forest in the eyes of our residents and the entire County. We need a good, decent, honest person to replace Robinson.

· She is independent. People worry that Leah will be part of a new Gang of 3, that includes Councilman Nick and I. The truth is Nick and I differ on many issues, and the voting record shows we vote together about 50% of the time on contentious (i.e., non-unanimous) issues, unlike the Gang of 3 whose record is nearly 90%. So there is no “Gang of 2” right now, and Leah would certainly not become a Gang of 3. Instead you would have 3 independent voices, something this Council has never had.

· She has experience. Leah is the President of her HOA and according to people I know who live there, she did (and is doing) a good job. Being President of an HOA is about the best preparation you can have for handling the job on City Council. In addition, her experience working with the City on the Saddleback Ranch Road issues, and her many appearances at Council meetings gives her a good understanding of the issues and the players.

· She is a woman. Right now we have an all-male Council. It’s the first time in our history that no woman has been on the Council. Almost no other City in the County has an all-male Council. I wouldn’t want someone just because she was a woman, but being a woman is certainly a plus in this case.

Leah Basile is probably the best candidate for City Council in the City’s history (with maybe one exception). She deserves your vote.

Next time we’ll look at Dwight Robinson.

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 is not running for election in 2016.

Dr. Gardner has office hours every Tuesday from 4 pm to 6 pm at the City Hall. In addition, he holds a Town Hall meeting every quarter. The next meeting will be in November at the Foothill Ranch Public Library.