Recall Supporters Stay On Message

With two weeks to go, the recall supporters remain “on message” with their latest mailer (see above), faulting the Gang of 3 for corruption (taking money from companies and then voting to give those companies whatever they asked for, whether it was a contract, an ordinance, a zoning change or variance), and lack of compassion (refusing to help seniors in need of “Meals on Wheels” and failing to move forward on a local animal shelter.

In a clever ad, the recall supporters have the logos of the companies that gave over $200,000 to the Gang of 3. That much money in so short a time is amazing. In the 20 years prior to Scott Voigts joining the Council in 2010, the entire money received from special interests by all 5 Council members for the entire 20 years did not even approach this amount. In 5 short years the Gang of 3 managed to collect more “special interest” money than had previously been received in the history of the City.

The problem with “special interest” money is that the people who give it expect “special treatment”. These people normally don’t live in the City and don’t care about the City. They have their special interests (i.e., their pocketbooks) and this is what they are looking out for.

The “special” treatment that the “special” interests get can be varied. The Mobile Home owner’s association (MHET) wanted the city to refuse to enact an ordinance that protected the people who live in the mobile homes. Guess what? They gave money and the Council voted against the ordinance. The developers (Trumark, Brookfield, Shea, Baker, etc.) wanted the Council to vote special exemptions and to re-zone commercial land, sometimes against the wishes of the people and even the staff. Guess what? They gave money and the Council voted to give the developers every thing they asked for. Companies with contracts with the City or seeking contracts with the City (CR&R, Athens, etc.) wanted to keep or get those contracts. Guess what? They gave money and the companies got the contracts.

Meanwhile, the supporters of the Gang of 3 demonstrate that the claims of the recall supporters are indeed true. An expensive flyer was sent out by Fred Whitaker using his Republican Party membership to mask the fact that Whitaker is the managing partner of a law firm that gets tens of thousands of dollars from the City, and who in turn, gives money to the Gang of 3. Click Here for the sordid details.

To find out more about the recall campaign, Click Here.

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 April 9 at 2 pm at the Foothill Ranch Public Library.