Meet the Candidates - Part 4 (Matching Lake Forest's Needs)

"You can't always get what you want, But if you try sometimes you might find, You get what you need..." Rolling Stones

We’ve spent the last four sessions looking at the candidates for the election to City Council. We examined the Town Hall appearance by Leah Basile and Farh Semnani and the candidate statements for five of the six candidates.

Looking at the statements and what was said at the Candidate Forum, I want to see which candidate is most in tune with what Lake Forest needs. This is an exercise everyone should do for themselves. Decide what’s important for you and then see which candidate will work to fulfill your wishes. But don’t be fooled by false promises.

For me there are two sets of priorities. One of them has to do with the processes of government and the other set has to do with specific issues. Today I’ll look at government. Tomorrow I’ll look at specific issues. Next week I’ll finish up a detailed look at each candidate.

GOVERNMENT PRIORITIES

Corruption: We see it at the state and federal level all the time, but the fact that it exists in Lake Forest is a shame. The Gang of 3 collected more than $250,000 from special interests to get into power and keep their majority. To pay back the $250,000 investment, the Gang of 3 has voted to give every special interest everything they asked for, including City contracts, zoning amendments, property variances, appointments to City positions, etc.

Adam Nick and Leah Basile both fought against corruption. So there are the two best candidates if this is an important issue for you. Dwight Robinson and Francisco Barajas represent special interests. They are the worst candidates if fighting corruption is important to you.

Effective Government: Our City government does a lot to maintain the City, but there are so many stumbles. We remodel Tamarisk Park and forget to install a legally required ramp for the disabled. We approve changes to Saddleback Ranch Rd. which will surely damage people and go ahead and build it despite community uproar. We mess up the bids on street sweeping and miss the chance to save $250,000 a year. We approved Council members spending money which clearly violated the rules and regulations. Etc.

We are the only City in Orange County with no senior center and no civic center. We are only 1 of 2 cities in South County without a local no-kill animal shelter. We are one of the few cities with no community foundation to help the needy and no Traffic Commission to reduce the problems of traffic congestion. We have the highest crime rate among any of our neighboring city. Is this a record to be proud of?

We need Council members to come in with a desire to see government work better.

Adam Nick and Leah Basile have a proven record of trying to get government to work better. Dwight Robinson and Francisco Barajas are cheer leaders for the existing way of doing things.

Conservative Fiscal Values: We live in an era where everyone wants to be called a fiscal conservative, but it’s pretty easy to see who is and who isn’t a fiscal conservative when you look at their track record.

Adam Nick has voted to get competitive bidding, to trim government expenses, to control the way Council members spend our money, and to pay off our pension liabilities. He not only demonstrates his fiscal conservative values in his voting, but in his behavior. He’s been on the Council for nearly 4 years and hasn’t taken a dime in salary, health benefits, retirement, travel expenses, etc.

Dwight Robinson, on the other hand, voted against competitive bidding, refused to look at cutting the $43,000,000 city budget, refused to consider saving $250,000 a year on street sweeping, etc. When we had the option of using a local no-kill shelter that would cost less money for taxpayers, Robinson voted instead to stay with the County. His reward – endorsement from the County Supervisors.

SUMMARY

If you are concerned with the way government works and want to reduce government corruption, and have true fiscally conservative values, the choice is obvious – Adam Nick and Leah Basile have the proven track record.

Tomorrow I’ll discuss specific issues such as traffic, a local no-kill animal shelter, the senior/civic center, etc. Bear in mind, I’m doing this exercise based on my values and beliefs. You need to this this for yourself, based on your values and beliefs.

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.