Lake Forest Politics Just Got Sleazier

For the past several weeks the Gang of 3 have been promoting a “Nick is Nuts” mailing and e-mail campaign maliciously and yet foolishly designed to address the allegations that recall supporters have documented against the Gang.
We have produced extensive evidence that the Gang of 3 (Robinson / Voigts / Hamilton) are corrupt, practice cronyism, collude with one another, lack compassion, and are phony conservatives. Some examples of their most blatant actions are –

• Ordering staff to stop looking for an alternative to using the disreputable OC animal shelter even though we had 4+ months left. OCAC was responsible for killing 10,000 animals last year alone.
• Refusing to support using vacant City Hall space to help homebound seniors in need of “Meals on Wheels” services. Without this service, many would be forced to go into a nursing home.
• Voting against re-doing the Saddleback Ranch Rd construction even though it was obviously poorly designed and dangerous. Someone would have died on that road had I not filed recall papers to force the Council Majority to finally consider fixing that road (click here for the problem that started the recall).
• Ordering residents not to applaud, laugh, and even speak during Council meetings. Any form of dissention and you would be removed from the Council meeting by the Orange County Sheriff deputies.
• Walking out on public meetings without notice, failing to show up for ribbon cuttings, and having poor attendance at Council and Committee meetings.
• Refusing to ask City staff to cut unneeded expenses from the City budget which could have saved taxpayers $2 million dollars last year.

Their rebuttal to all these charges is – “Nick is Nuts”.

They claim that because Councilman Nick is behind the recall and because “Nick is Nuts”, no one should sign our petitions.

First, Mr. Nick is no more or less behind the recall than any of the hundreds of people who have thus far signed our petitions and promote the cause. Second, ”Nick is Nuts” has nothing to do with the recall or its premise, and they offer no reasoning why “Nick is Nuts”. In fact, a cursory review of Councilman Nick’s history on the Council and his Initiatives and Voting Records confirms that he has a sound mind and he is a competent public policy maker. You can review his voting record here: http://adamnick.org/lake-forest/ . Third, they offer no defense to any of our factual charges.

Bottom line is that thousands of people are unhappy with the Gang of 3’s narcissism, back-room dealings, unprofessionalism, and poor performance, and that is why they are recalling them.

Now, where did the crazy idea of defending themselves with the “Nuts” campaign come from? The man behind the curtain has finally been revealed, since the wacko committee that launched this campaign has finally filed their papers, an act they were legally obligated to do several weeks ago, before any of their mailings were sent out to residents.

The mastermind behind the “Nuts” campaign is none other than David Ellis. Like me, most of you have never heard of David Ellis, but if you google him here are samples of the comments you will find –

“Publicity-shy, he’s conducted his 25-year political career as much as possible in the shadows…. But even the most cursory sketch of the man’s quarter-century political career quickly bloats into an encyclopedia of OC GOP corruption and scandal….At all the great moments – from the 1994 bankruptcy, to the attempt to foist an El Toro International Airport on the public, right up to this year’s Fairgrounds Swindle – Dave Ellis was there in the center, pulling strings, raking in bank, and chuckling to himself ” – Vern Nelson
“I shook his hand and then looked for some hand sanitizer.”– Geoff “Pot Stirrer” West, conservative blogger of “A Bubbling Cauldron.”
“This is a major player, and he will do what he needs to do to win,” Fred Smoller, associate professor of political science at Chapman University and a longtime observer of Southern California politics.
“He is the ‘fixer’ for the political establishment who rely on the exploitation of the residents of Orange County… the very definition of political villainy” Derek Reeve. San Juan Capistrano City Councilman.
“… if you’re not on Dave’s team, you’d better be expecting a scurrilous and deceptive attack mailer a few days before the election, leaving you no time to respond.” Ron Winship, Newport Beach City Council candidate
“Dave is always on the side of unlimited development, and politicians with that philosophy tend to be the ones to hire him.” Vern Nelson
“That was the sleaziest political operative in Orange County who just walked past.” – a long-time Newport Beach Republican activist.
“It’s impossible to insult Dave Ellis: He lives in the sewer, he knows that he lives in the sewer, and he’s proud of living in the sewer.”– a colleague who has worked with Dave for years.

To summarize, Robinson, Voigts, and Hamilton have hired and are being backed by one of the sleaziest politicians in Orange County, a man who is universally condemned as shamelessly doing anything to win, whose advertisements have been noted for blatant racism, and who spends most of his time backing candidates who are supported by and only by those who believe in unlimited development.

Sound familiar…?

The smear campaign against Adam Nick is sleazy, racist, and has been initiated by the Gang of 3 and backed by the developers who want to continue to build more homes even in the light of the drought, no new schools, no new roads, and a traffic that is already among the worst in South Orange County.

The campaign against Adam Nick is to serve one purpose and one purpose only – to deflect attention from the Gang of 3 and put it on someone else.

Voigts, Hamilton, and Robinson are being recalled because they collude and lack compassion, because they are corrupt and phony conservatives, and because they appoint their unqualified friends into positions of power, money, and decision-making for our City rather than appointing the best candidates.

All of this (and a lot more) is well documented on our website. I encourage you to do your own research, and you will find that all of the charges against Robinson, Voigts, and Hamilton are true.

By choosing such a sleazy politician to concoct and put forth their “defense”, Robinson, Voigts, and Hamilton have affirmed two things: Their true character AND that they are not fit to be in public office.

Rats know the way of rats.
- Chinese proverb

Help us take back Lake Forest - sign our petition today. Visit our website for locations where you can sign.
http://citizenstoendcorruptioninlakeforest.org/
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