Election 2016. Nick vs. Robinson, Part 1.

Absentee ballots will appear in our mail boxes this week. About 50% of the voters in Lake Forest vote using an absentee ballot. The other half show up at the polls on election day.

Signs have already started to appear and soon our mail boxes will be inundated with people asking for our vote.

Here’s my current take on the City Council election. We’ll start with the incumbents.

Two incumbents seek re-election. They represent very different philosophies and are very different types of people. Here is my point by point comparison along the top 5 dimensions I believe are important.

1. KEEP YOUR PROMISES

It’s vital that we can depend on what people promise to do. We need to make politicians accountable for what they say they are going to do.

In 2012 Robinson made 6 promises and broke every one of them. Most of the time he actually did the opposite of what he promised. Click Here for more information.

In 2012 Nick made 7 promises and kept every one of them, either by achieving them or at least trying to get them accomplished. More times than not, the Gang of 3, led by Robinson, outvoted him so he was unable to achieve what he promised. But at least he tried. Click Here for more information.

Conclusion – Robinson breaks promises, Nick keeps his promises. I think this is a major difference and one that is important in evaluating a candidate.

2. AVOID CORRUPTION

We need our elected officials to have only one interest – the people of Lake Forest. Taking money from special interests compromises their ability to make decisions.

Robinson takes money from companies doing business with the city and also takes money from companies wishing to get zoning changes, variances, and other types of favors. 100% of the time he votes in favor of people/companies who gave him money. He also appoints anyone who gave money to him or his Gang members (Voigts and Hamilton), and often overlooks better qualified individuals. Click Here to read more.

Nick takes money from no one. He self-finances his own campaign.

Conclusion – Robinson is in the hands of special interests, Nick is independent.

3. BE RESIDENT CENTERED

We elect people and we expect them to focus on making our lives better. Elected officials need to focus on the needs of our residents and businesses.

Robinson refuses to give preferences to Lake Forest businesses. He refused to let Meals on Wheels operate out of vacant City Hall space. He voted against a Community Foundation to help the needy in the City. He voted against a Traffic Commission. He voted against a no-kill animal shelter. He refused to change the dangerous plans for Saddleback Ranch Rd until he was recalled, then did an about face. Etc. etc. Robinson is in the pockets of the special interests and he has no time for the needs of the ordinary citizens.

Nick says he “on your side” and it’s true. He has championed the no-kill animal shelter, Meals on Wheels, changing Saddleback Ranch Rd, etc. He has been the go-to guy on many issues. He shows up at Senior Center planning meetings, at Lake Forest Elementary when people were worried about the insect bites, etc.

Conclusion – Nick is on “your side” and Robinson is in the pockets on the special interests.

4. BE A TRUE FISCAL CONSERVATIVE

Elected officials need to be cautious with taxpayer money.

Robinson poses as a “fiscal conservative” but his voting record betrays his true self. He voted against cutting the fact from the City’s $43 million dollar budget. He’s voted to give tens of thousands of dollars to the City Manager as a “bonus” even though the City Manager already gets $300,000+ a year in compensation. He voted to spend nearly $1 million helping the county build a new animal shelter in which we have no equity, and then wrote a 10 year blank check for them to continue to provide bad service and one of the highest kill rates in the U.S. etc. etc.

Nick voted against giving money to the County to build the animal shelter. He voted against the 10 year contract. He pushed the plan to pay off our pension liabilities, saving us millions of dollars. He pushed the vote to require a "super majority" before taxes or fees can be raised.

Conclusion – Nick is the true fiscal conservative.

5. ADVOCATE FOR GOOD GOVERNMENT

Robinson voted against the Sunshine ordinance. He voted against campaign finance reform. He voted for a bogus “term limits” ordinance that allows a Council member to remain for 22 out of 24 years.

Nick has championed government reform. He pushed transparency, and today we have one of the most transparent websites of all the cities in the region. He got the Council travel expenses straightened up so that Council members no longer travel around in limousines or buy food for their spouses.

Conclusion – Nick fights for good government while Robinson stifles reform.

SUMMARY

On every dimension that’s important to me, Nick has done a much better job than Robinson.

That doesn’t mean that Nick is superior to Robinson on every possible dimension. For example, Robinson has a much better relationship with the County Supervisors than Nick does. It’s important to have a good relationship with the County Supervisors, but it’s not one of the top 5 things I look for in an elected official. Quite frankly it might not even make the top 10. In fact, having a good relationship with County Supervisors may work to the disadvantage of Lake Forest residents. Robinson has refused to get competitive bids for our police services contract with the County and refused to consider an alternative to the high kill disgraced County shelter. For his unwavering support of the County, Robinson got the endorsement of County Supervisor Bartlett. But is this what the people in Lake Forest want? Don’t we want to get competitive bids for all services? Don’t we want to be free from a monopoly? By cow-towing to the County Supervisors, Robinson in fact has played into the hands of another set of special interests, trading their endorsement for the well-being of our residents.

Next time we’ll go beyond these dimensions.

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 in November at the Foothill Ranch Public Library.