"Nick is Nuts" Part 2 - Is Nick Nuts?

Yesterday we looked at the flyer produced for the Gang of 3 in which they defended the allegations made by the recall supporters by claiming that “Nick is Nuts” and “Nick is behind the recall.” It’s pretty clear that our own residents are behind the recall movement and it’s an insult to their integrity to claim that they are puppets of Councilman Nick. It also isn’t much of an answer to the recall supporters’ allegations to claim that Nick is Nuts. What does that have to do with the allegations that the members of the Gang of 3 appear to be corrupt, collude, practice cronyism, engage in conduct unbecoming, and are phony conservatives?

If the claim that “Nick is Nuts” bears nothing on the merits of the recall, let’s see whether or not the claim itself has some validity. Nick has been on the Council for more than 3 years so we have a pretty good record to rely on, but before I get into the nitty gritty, I want to make some comments about the flyer itself –

Taking the Low Road

The flyer has been described as “disturbing” and “vile” and “negative” among other pertinent adjectives. It’s not merely a personal attack on Councilman Nick (“Nick is Nuts”) there is an implication that because he changed his name, this somehow reflects negatively on his credibility. Many first generation immigrants to the U.S. change their names to sound more American. My paternal grandfather who immigrated to the U.S. from Austria-Hungary changed his name, and I don’t see that there is anything wrong or deceptive in doing that.

Who is Behind the Flyer?

When I sent out flyers during the 2014 campaign my name was on them. It came from “Gardner for Council 2014” If anyone had a problem with what I said, they could come to me. The people asking for a recall have all been transparent about who they are. In fact, yesterday Leah Basile posted her committee’s FPPC Form 460 on their Facebook page, an unprecedented level of transparency never seen in the City before (Coincidently it showed that Nick was not a contributor). But the supporters of the Gang of 3 are hiding behind some obscure name and they are not even registered to send out any flyers since the postcard says “ID# pending”. Even this obstruction seems to be incorrect, as a check with the authorities yesterday revealed that this committee is not registered anywhere, nor is their registration pending anywhere. This is the same type of lack of transparency that the Gang of 3 regularly practices. It’s how nearly $100,000 got funneled into their campaigns, using names like “Restore California” and “Foothill Village”. Behind these normal sounding names are developers and political PACs trying to take control of the Lake Forest City Council so that we make decisions that enrich them and further their political aspirations. The “Nick is Nuts” flyer seems to have the same pedigree. They demonstrate in their flyer some of the exact same reasons that the recall supporters are asking to evict them.

Did Nick Threaten or Bribe?

The flyer also claims that Nick threatened “to kill a councilman” and that he tried “to bribe his colleagues”. Bribing government officials and threatening to kill anyone are criminal acts and if Nick had done either of these he would have been arrested. In fact, Scott Voigts claimed that Nick tried to bribe him and Voigts wore a wire and tried to entrap Nick during a luncheon. Depending on his mood, Voigts will either admit or deny doing this, but it’s pretty clear that it happened. In any event, although the DA investigated the claim, the issue was dropped when no convincing evidence was produced, apart from Voigts assertions, which are questionable at best (Click Here).

Nick’s Voting Record

Councilman Nick’s voting record is pretty clear. He has voted in favor of transparency, cutting government waste, and involving people in government. Here are a few of his more notable efforts –

12/1/15 – Voted to ask the staff to keep looking for alternatives to using the OC Shelter so that the high levels of killing would stop. He lost because The Gang of 3 voted against this.

10/6/15 – Voted to act immediately to stop Saddleback Ranch Rd construction so that no people were injured. He lost because The Gang of 3 voted against this.

6/16/15 – Voted to set up a Public Safety Committee to look at costs savings and ways to reduce crime. He lost because The Gang of 3 voted against this.

2/3/15 – He voted to prohibit companies that have contracts with the City giving money to Council members, so that we could avoid appearing to be corrupt. He lost because The Gang of 3 voted against this.

8/5/14 – He voted to oppose increasing fees for use of the sports park. He lost because The Gang of 3 voted to increase fees.

5/6/14 – He voted in favor of campaign finance limits in order to prevent PACs from controlling our local government. He lost because The Gang of 3 voted against this.

4/1/14 – He voted in favor of creating a nonprofit Community Foundation in Lake Forest to help existing nonprofits groups. He lost because The Gang of 3 voted against this.

3/5/13 – He voted for a “Sunshine Ordinance” in the City to make everything transparent. He lost because The Gang of 3 voted against this.

Hmmm.

These don’t look like the votes of a crazy person.

Tomorrow let’s sum up.

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 Jan 30 at 2 pm at the Foothill Ranch Public Library

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