City Council Review for Jan 5

2016 started off as if you were in a déjà vu machine and being compelled to watch the highlights from 2015. It was eerily reminiscent of days past –

· Scott Voigts told another lie.

· Scott Voigts broken another campaign promise.

· The “Gang of 3” (that refers to Voigts and his two BFFs, Dwight Robinson and Andy Hamilton) voted in lock-step 100% of the time.

· The “Gang of 3” tried to stifle discussion and jump to what looked like pre-ordained votes.

· Developers who gave thousands of dollars to the campaigns of Voigts and Hamilton were given approvals that earned them (the developers) millions of dollars while simultaneously taking away job opportunities for residents.

· Better qualified people were passed over so that the stranglehold of the “Gang of 3” would remain intact.

· Not a single one of the more than a dozen “Voigts Void” issues being held over from previous years made an appearance on the agenda.

On the positive side, Mayor Hamilton did not argue with the audience, did not tell them they couldn‘t laugh or applaud, didn’t instruct them not to speak, and at the end of the meeting he didn’t complain that he had been bullied.

While Mayor Hamilton extolled the virtues of “being kind”, City staff forced protesters to stand outside in the cold and the rain in order to exercise their first amendment rights. To their credit, the protesters peacefully handled out literature and obtained signatures.

More details tomorrow.

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 Town Hall meeting every quarter. The next meeting will be on Jan 30 at 2 pm at the Foothill Ranch Public Library.

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