Is Hamilton the Worst Mayor Ever?

Twice in the past I noted that Scott Voigts was the “worst Mayor in the City’s history”. The first time was in 2013 and the second was in 2015. Now I have to reconsider. Maybe Andy Hamilton is even worse. Let’s discuss.

The issue came up at the Special Needs Resource Fair we had recently. One of the participants asked me where the Mayor was. I said he wasn’t there. She asked why he never attended the Special Needs Dances we have quarterly. I said he’s a married man with a family, and a job (Mesa Water District), and I guess he didn’t have a lot of spare time. She opined “So why did he want to be Mayor in the first place?” I shrugged.

It’s a good question.

Hamilton does not attend any of these types of events. In addition, he doesn’t attend the seminars and workshops that the City holds, like the Media Workshop a few weeks ago, or the Civic Center Workshop, or the Senior Center Workshop, or the Hotel Roundtable, etc. I attend all of them, so I usually take on the duty of welcoming the people on behalf of the City.

When I go to these events I rarely say a word. I meet people on a one-to-one basis before the event and during breaks, and I sit, listen, and take notes. Also I often write about it in The Patch to share what’s happening with the broader community, and often we discuss it on the Lake Forest Town Square. How else can you do your job to represent the people unless you are out there listening to what they have to say? Hamilton is rarely present.

In addition, Hamilton rarely attends the Grand Openings or the Ribbon Cuttings for new businesses in the City. By my count he’s missed 90% of them. Scott Voigts or I fill in, so no one notices that the City isn’t represented. Sometimes I’m the only one at all, and when that happens it is noticeable but I give excuses for their absence, as I did in the case of the woman at the Special Needs Resource Fair.

When a person opens a business it is their hopes and dreams for a good future for them, their families, and all the people who work with them. It’s a really big deal. When they choose our City to do this, it’s an honor to us. Our Mayor should be at 100% of these events, thanking the people for having confidence in us and showing that the City cares about them. Hamilton is absent 90% of the time.

So if Hamilton rarely attend City seminars and workshops, City events, ribbon cuttings and grand openings for local businesses, what exactly does he do as Mayor.

Apart from the ceremonial functions he misses, the Mayor’s chief function is to preside over the City Council meetings. We all know how that has been going. One award winning journalist refers to it as “Hamilton’s Folly” (Click Here) and calls him “a first year mayor with a zero-experience credibility problem”.

Hamilton has made the City a laughing stock because of his antics. For example –

• · He interrupts people in mid-sentence and asks them to leave the podium during public comments.
• · He allows Voigts and Robinson to attack members of the public when they say something that criticizes what they’re doing.
• · He orders residents not to laugh or applaud when they respond to a comment that is critical of him or his Gang, but allows it when they are responding to something favorable about them (a rare occurrence).
• · If someone is saying something critical of him or his Gang he cuts them off at 3 minutes, but on the rare occasion when they are saying something he wants to hear, he lets them drone on interminably.

• · He orders people not to speak to each other during Council sessions, even while he often speaks to one of his Gang members on the dais while others are speaking.
• · He puts residents, staff, and Council members in “time out” if someone in the audience is annoying him by speaking, even if the comments being made are so difficult to hear that sometimes I am completely surprised at his actions.
• · As Mayor he starts meetings late, and sometimes arrives more than an hour late.
• · He gets easily upset and walks out of a meeting, not even asking for a motion to end a session, violating Roberts Rules of Order and every Parliamentary process known to the civilized world. After all, he is Mayor, Not King. A journalist noted “Hamilton called it quits in front of six residents—six—and only one who was deemed unruly.” If he can’t control six people, how can he control a full house?

Hamilton has been reprimanded by the City Attorney, by me, and by residents, but he persists. Anyone who doubts this can watch any meeting of the City Council to get confirmation. All of these actions happen almost all the time. The journalist noted after a long article – “He’s not ready for the job.”

Outside the City Council chambers, Hamilton has not been a model citizen either. There have been many complaints that he tries to intimidate recall petitioners and people wishing to sign the recall petitions to get him thrown out of office. I witnessed this myself at the Snowfest, one of the few events Hamilton attended. In addition, he secretly videotaped people and then posted these videos to his website.

A busy user of social media, Hamilton cuts and pastes words and videos to misrepresent what people say. I was the victim of his antics in this regard as have been several others.

All things considered, it’s not a very commendable record. In fact, it’s downright terrible. But is it worse than Voigts? Does Hamilton deserve the new title? Let’s talk about that next time.

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 August 13 at 2 pm at the Foothill Ranch Public Library.

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