Mayor Zippy Talks Again

Several weeks ago a resident using FacebookLive asked some pertinent questions which were completely ignored by the Mayor, Mark Tettemer. I wrote a satirical piece in which I provided the answers (Click Here). Last week the resident did the same and Mayor Zippy (the name I used to describe his null responses) once more refused to respond. So here again is my imagined response if Mayor Zippy had actually done his civic duty and replied.

RESIDENT: “ On the campaign trail, Mark Tettemer and Neeki Moatazedi promised us that they were equipped to hit the ground running, but our agenda tonight is another example that this council has yet to begin a light jog much less the sprint that we were promised.”

MAYOR ZIPPY: Yes. We said that, but you should have known better. Look at Scott Voigts and Dwight Robinson. They never delivered on any of their promises, so why should we?

RESIDENT: “A few years ago we had a couple of councilmen who were fighting as hard as they could to do something about the police services contract -- they were ahead of the curve; Lake Forest had a chance to be a leader in this area, but they were turned away until all the other cities got the same idea and Lake Forest decided to join the multi-city study. And then Scott Voigts, Dwight Robinson, Neeki Moatazedi and Mark Tettemer campaigned to get those people off the council.”

MAYOR ZIPPY: Sure. Listen. The Police unions spent over $50,000 getting Neeki and I elected. We’ve got to pay them back.”

RESIDENT: “After rubbing elbows with Don Barnes on that campaign trail, Mayor Tettemer and Mayor Pro Tem Moatazedi haven’t pushed this issue to the forefront. Why? Do you guys know how to make a phone call and get things done? You told us you could, but you’ve apparently sat on your hands when it comes to the City’s biggest contract. Yet you were insistent that Mr. Tettemer was the right man for the job in lieu of then-Mayor Pro Tem Leah Basile. She must be seething to watch this extraordinary display of arrogant laziness.”

MAYOR ZIPPY: What do I care about Basile? I wanted the Mayor title so maybe I can get a promotion after spending 14 years at the same job at the Water company.

RESIDENT: “On the campaign trail, you and your supporters complained about the cost of the recall but you have shown no interest in getting to the business of saving money. The previous council established the foundation for a transition from OCSD for parking enforcement to civilian enforcement that might save the City $250,000 per year.The previous council was already working toward establishing a partnership with Mission Viejo that could save the City $100,000 on animal services. The previous council was already working on a switchover in the way we fund the homeless liaison officer program that could save the City $100,000. These are items that are already in the works but haven’t seen the light of day since you were elected. These are “big ticket items” that were already in the pipeline, yet none are being discussed tonight.”

MAYOR ZIPPY: There you go again. Get it straight. We owe our election to the special interests, like developers, Police unions, and right wing wacko politicians. That’s our concern. We don’t care about saving the City any money. Why should we spend our time doing the city’s business and responding to residents when we can be attending fund raisers for our next campaigns?

RESIDENT: “These are legitimate concerns, just as the stench by the mobile home park is a legitimate concern. Yet Mayor Tettemer and Mayor Pro Tem Moatazedi have remained silent on providing public answers in a bid to avoid public accountability.”

MAYOR ZIPPY: I know my Department is responsible for the stench from the water treatment plant on Muirlands but that’s because we don’t care enough. It would cost us too much money to fix the problem. Seriously, do you think I’m going to be publicly accountable for something like that at a Council meeting? What the residents don’t know won’t hurt them. People in Foothill Ranch aren’t complaining about the smell of In-N-Out, why should the mobile home residents complain about a little sewer smell? After all, only a few hundred people live there.

RESIDENT: “And that takes me back to my comment at the meeting of Feb. 5. I will repeat it again, Mayor Tettemer, in case you weren’t listening: As my elected representative, do you believe the Council should be held accountable for its actions? Where can we get answers in a public forum from a council that seems intent on playing keep away from the the public when it comes to the truth? Why did you intentionally misuse the Brown Act as a means to prevent council members from responding to the people who elected them in an open forum?"

MAYOR ZIPPY: Listen. I’ll hide behind anything I can. How long do you think I can sit here stone-faced without saying something? I did it for 8 years already.

RESIDENT: “I would remind you that during the candidate forum, you told us, “If you have a question, just ask Mark?” The residents heeded your call and you have so far turned your back on them."

MAYOR ZIPPY: You can ask me anything you want. I never said I was going to answer.