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Politics & Government

I am Andrew Hamilton and the conversation continues . . .

Due to popular demand, I have decided to respond to accusations – even though they are so outrageous

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Andrew Hamilton, Community Contributor
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[At the 2015 Grand Opening of our “Barker Ranch” Dog Park with my dog who was rescued, Mayor Scott Voigts and Councilman (and former Mayor) Dwight Robinson]

Thanks again for reading my posts. In case you missed my two previous ones, here are the links:

MY REPSONSE TO THE RECALL

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Ok, ok. So many people have contacted me saying they want a response to the allegations.

Growing up, my first instinct when anyone in authority asked me if I made a mess, broke a plate, or spilled a drink was to promptly respond with the truth. “Yes, I spilled my milk” or “No, I didn’t cheat on my homework.”

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However, one thing I have learned is that wild accusations don’t deserve a response. That is why I haven’t responded earlier. THESE ALLEGATIONS ARE SO PATENTLY FALSE THAT THEY DON’T DESERVE A RESPONSE.

But many of you have said you want a response, so I selected a sample of 10 issues (and believe me, I had another 50 items I could have refuted). Here it goes [items in “Quotes” are allegations against me and my response then follow]:

  1. ALLEGATION: “In fact, Cindy Hamilton sucker punched a senior citizen . . . Shameful behavior must run in the family” – Cindy Hamilton is a very nice lady who volunteers her time as a soccer coach. I have been shown videos where SHE was attacked outside Stater Brothers. I am very sad that a nice resident like her was attacked both physically and on a campaign flier. I can take the political attacks, but it crosses the line when lies about someone else are spread. Another lie – we aren’t related. Look around on Facebook – there have been multiple posts and discussions on this issue.
  2. ALLEGATION: “To receive endorsements from County Supervisors for his reelection campaign, cash deciding votes as Mayor” – If I recall correctly, I only received an endorsement from Supervisor Lisa Bartlett. This isn’t true – I don’t trade votes for endorsements. But I also think there is some conspiracy theory-type allegations here. Was my phone tapped or Supervisor Bartlett’s phone (for a phone call that didn’t ever happen)? Didn’t happen – no proof.
  3. ALLEGATION: “Voted against creating a Traffic Commission” – I voted for a government Traffic Committee where the city council appointed residents Derek Weiske, Scott Drapkin, Mark Armando, John Irish, Tim Redwine, Don Stoll and Grady Glover. I really appreciated all of their input and report they produced with city staff which was presented to the city council. Semantics.
  4. ALLEGATION: “Absent: Civic Center Project” – as I wrote earlier this week, I am very passionate about this issue and met with two licensed architects to improve city processes to ensure proper construction oversight. I believe there have been 4 different civic center events which I have attended at least 3 of them (grand opening, recent tour with staff, first concrete poured for project). Nobody else attended more than myself.
  5. ALLEGATION: “Rarely attends city events” – I have attended over 30 events just in 2017, the vast majority of which have been highlighted on my city council Facebook page – www.Facebook.com/AndrewHamilto...
  6. ALLEGATION: “AWOL Councilman” (a whole campaign mailer was devoted to just this topic) – this was mentioned on a recent campaign flier which parrots what Jim Gardner has said about me on the Lake Forest Patch. The only problem is that it isn’t true. Of approximately 90 city council and closed session meetings (~ 30 each year), I have missed 3 - over 97% attendance record. I have proudly missed one for my daughter’s graduation on the same night. I also missed two meetings because of family vacation/reunions that I could not schedule around. I am very conscientious to attend council meetings, but my family comes first.
  7. ALLEGATION: “No new roads” – my youngest daughter and I frequently take the Alton Parkway extension to In-N-Out, a family favorite that has been completed in the last few years. Also, my family and I take the Rancho Parkway extension at least once each week when we attend Saddleback Church, travel to RSM, etc.
  8. ALLEGATION: “No new infrastructure” – Our new Lake Forest Sports Park is where my family has watched our daughters play soccer and volleyball. I have also been a referee for numerous soccer games there. This is truly a gem in Lake Forest!
  9. ALLEGATION: “Help Stop Corruption” – this baseless accusation has not resulted in convictions or even investigations of me. My ethics are such that my conscience would plague me forever if I came anywhere close to corruption. I have never even considered it. I am also a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), a professional license, issued by the state of California. My career is very important to me and I would never do anything to jeopardize it. I have been in two very difficult ethical situations in my career where I was asked to perform illegal acts. Through much prayer and support, I successfully navigated these situations while maintaining my integrity.
  10. ALLEGATION: “Votes 100% with contributors” – this is patently false. There are numerous contributors that I have voted against. I have even mentioned this at council meetings but Jim Gardner doesn’t seem to believe me. I also tell contributors that there are no strings attached and nobody has ever asked for a favor. In fact, I have spent the least amount of money, either by a councilmember or their campaign, in recent memory on political spending. As an aside, and is their legal right, Jim Gardner reported spending $30,000 on the 2016 recall campaign and Adam Nick reported spending $131,000 on this 2017 campaign.

Recalls should be about when illegal acts are committed or laws are broken, and I have done neither.

Other elected officials see through this unwarranted recall and baseless attacks. I LITERALLY spent a few minutes and got the following bipartisan endorsements:

  1. Senator John Moorlach
  2. Orange County Supervisor Lisa Bartlett
  3. Congresswoman Mimi Walters
  4. Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez, former
  5. Lake Forest Mayor Scott Voigts
  6. Lake Forest Councilman Dwight Robinson
  7. Joe Moscatiello, Peppino’s owner
  8. Don Stoll, Former Water Polo Coach - El Toro High School
  9. Doug Cirbo, AYSO Area Director
  10. Former Lake Forest Mayor Kathryn McCullough
  11. Irvine Mayor Don Wagner
  12. Irvine Councilwoman Melissa Fox
  13. Orange County Taxpayers Association PAC
  14. Orange County Register

Allegations have never been investigated by the media, because they are so outrageous and untrue. In fact, the media has advocated against the recall:

Based on all of the above, my accusers haven’t proven their point. They need more proof than just wild accusations.

RECALL ADVOCATES’ INVOLVEMENT

Before I started down this road, I really debated whether I should write the following paragraphs. However, I decided my writing is not a personal attack against anyone. Rather, I have consciously tried to limit my editorial and just present the facts.

“[Larissa] Clark [who is the recall leader] said [Adam] Nick has been involved only to the point of providing legal and procedural counsel. She said he’s delivered the documents because she works far from the city and can’t make it to City Hall during business hours.” http://www.ocregister.com/2017...

The only problem is that Larissa Clark works at the Spectrum, which is a mere 4 miles away from our City Hall – not that far at all. Surely, she could easily get to city hall from this short distance.

Ironically, she is employed by Stantec (https://www.linkedin.com/in/lk...) who is a company in the residential development industry (https://www.stantec.com/en/abo...). Does anyone see the irony of her working in the development industry?

How is Adam Nick involved? “Nick, who was critical of Hamilton during his time on the council, supported the previous recall effort that targeted Hamilton, Scott Voigts and Dwight Robinson.” http://www.ocregister.com/2017...

Why try to hide that Adam Nick is behind the recall? Maybe it is due to articles written about him by the media:

Again, I have stuck to the facts. I believe that is what Lake Forest needs right now.

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