Resident Survey 'Blaming Gardner' for Dissatisfaction is False

Mark Tettemer's supporters are pointing to a resident satisfaction survey, based on the opinion of 400 respondents, that shows the perception of quality of life in Lake Forest has diminished since Jim Gardner took office on the Lake Forest City Council in 2014.

Comically, Tettemer's supporters don't provide any context for the drop-off -- and they solely and falsely lay the blame with Gardner.

What they fail to point out is that when Gardner joined the council in 2014, he did so at the same times as Andrew Hamilton, who with Dwight Robinson and the reelected Scott Voigts provided a council majority that voted together about 85 percent of the time on matters that weren't unanimous. They even earned a nickname, the Gang of 3.

The drop-off of those who rated their quality of life "Excellent" from 54.7 percent to 39 percent between 2014 and 2016 took place while Hamilton, Robinson and Voigts were the controlling majority of the council. Gardner, along with Adam Nick, were powerless to get anything accomplished from 2014-16; they were never part of a 3-2 decision in their favor on any issue, meaning the Gang of 3 never sided with them on any close calls.

The drop-off in resident satisfaction is clearly tied to the Gang of 3, who are supporters of Tettemer.

In addition to growing traffic problems and overcrowded schools that weren't getting a break from developments approved by the Gang of 3, there were three additional issues that likely negatively impacted the survey.

Most notably, at the end of 2015, Hamilton, Robinson and Voigts turned their backs on residents in Portola Hills who complained of the dangerous construction of Saddleback Ranch Road, which instigated a recall attempt of the three councilman for not doing their part to maintain the public safety, and the subsequent education of residents during that effort likely played a role in their opinion. If 20 percent of survey respondents were from the Portola Hills/Foothill Ranch area, and that would be in line statistically, it would easily account for such a drop-off in satisfaction.

As well, on the other end of town, Village Pond Park increasingly became a cesspool of geese guano that created its own public safety hazards. On that matter, Gardner was legally not allowed to participate in discussions because of his involvement with the controlling HOA. The erosion of Village Pond Park was fully the responsibility of the Gang of 3.

Also, Hamilton, Robinson and Voigts -- over the objections of residents and efforts by Gardner and Nick to create a no-kill alternative -- approved a contract with the high-kill Orange County Animal Control shelter that locked the city into a 10-year deal, a $600,000 buy-in to build the facility without Lake Forest having any equity, and an increase in cost of services by 40 percent.

The move was so unpopular that Robinson didn't even include it in his campaign literature when he sought reelection in 2016.

Hamilton was recalled on Jan. 2, 2018. Tettemer's candidacy is supported by Robinson and Voigts -- who maintained majority control of the council during the entirety of the drop-off between 2014-16. Gardner's influence on the council was minimal until after Hamilton was replaced earlier this year.