Scott Voigts - A Look at the Record

“I heard Scott Voigts was lying at a meeting last night”

“How do you know?”

“He was there, wasn’t he?”

It’s a sad commentary on our times when the seemingly never-ending stream of lies from a City Council member are so numerous that they’ve become the subject of jokes. What’s even worse is that the Gang of 3 just elected him as Mayor of Lake Forest, and one of the first things he did was lie (Click Here).

As a public person and an elected official, Voigts is appropriately subject to this type of scrutiny. Scott Voigts represents the people of Lake Forest, and the people should know the character of the people representing them.

Here is a blow by blow list of Voigts lies and broken promises over the years. Where possible there are links to more information about each issue.

ACTS OF OMISSION

• Voigts consistently fails to reveal that he received money from companies for whom he votes to give City contracts, in apparent violation of the City’s code of ethics. (Click Here for comments from former Mayor Herzog on this issue)
• Voigts consistently fails to reveal that the people he appoints to City Commissions have social and financial ties to him, in apparent violation of the City’s code of ethics. (Click Here for comments from former Mayor Herzog on this issue)
• Voigts, Robinson, and Hamilton consistently vote for each other without revealing the financial ties among them in apparent violation of the City’s code of ethics.

BROKEN PROMISES
Voigts has many broken promises and often voted exactly opposite to what he promised. The items in italics below are exact quotes from Voigts’ campaign literature. For example

• Voigts campaigned against increasing the size of Musick Jail, then in 2013 signed an agreement to more than double the size and to allow maximum security prisoners to be placed there.
• Voigts campaigned for term limits, then in 2013 pushed through a term limits ordinance that was virtually limitless, giving incumbents the ability to be in office for 24 out of 26 years.
• Voigts said “I’ll increase law enforcement…” - The only thing he increased was the cost of law enforcement, by millions of dollars, without a single extra foot on the ground. And Voigts voted not to explore ways of reducing the costs of law enforcement.
• Voigts said he would “Synchronize traffic signals…” 6 years after he first took office, traffic lights still aren’t synchronized.
• Voigts said “I’ll revise the competitive bid policy to reduce waste.” In fact he voted against competitive bidding several times.
• Voigts said he would “…invite citizen participation in committees with a focus on improving our community.” No one has been a worse example of involving citizens in government. He voted against a Traffic Commission, a Public Safety Committee, a nonprofit Community Foundation, a Dog Park Committee, an Animal Welfare Commission and against appointing a well-qualified resident to Vector Control (and took the position for himself)
• Voigts said he would “…promote a favorable business environment to improve city revenues…” Instead he voted against spending more of the City’s money on our own people and businesses, and the sad fact is that our revenues are projected to increase at half the pace of most other cities. He’s voted in favor of closing down hundreds of acres of commercial land, reducing our potential city sales tax revenue.
• Voigts said he would “…complete the commercial lots along…Alton Parkway…” In fact Voigts voted to re-zone the commercial lot on Alton Pkwy and allow Meritage Homes, who spent $10,0000 getting Voigts elected, to use the area to build more residential homes. (Click Here for comments from former Mayor Herzog on this issue)
• Voigts said he would “Complete Portola Parkway” but Portola Parkway remains stalled and Voigts voted against pursuing the project.
• Voigts said he would “…practice conservative fiscal management…” In fact he voted himself and other officials expensive iPads and voted to spend $14K per year to save him time filling out state mandated campaign forms, with no value for the taxpayers. He voted against asking Department Heads to cut the fat from their budgets, and he voted against trying to save $200,000 on our street sweeping contract. He voted against using naming rights on the new Civic Center, that could have raised more than $1,000,000 in revenue. He voted against looking for less expensive alternatives for two of our biggest contracts and he spends $350 per night of taxpayer money carousing with his political friends.
• In 2014 Voigts promised to obey the campaign sign laws, then illegally placed his signs out before the legal start date, and posted them illegally on poles in the City, and some of them stayed there for a year, further violating the City’s codes.

HISTORY OF LIES/FALSE CLAIMS

• In 2010 Voigts claimed he had only $5,000 to spend on his 2010 campaign when in fact he had amassed $15,000 when he made that remark and eventually spent $37,000+.
• Beginning in 2013 Voigts claimed we are one of the “safest” cities in the U.S. when we are not even one of the safest cities in South Orange County.
• In May 2013 Voigts claimed he spent no more than Peter Herzog in 2010 when in fact he spent 40% more.
• In August 2013 Voigts claimed that the people in the “Save Lake Forest” initiative were lying about him, but failed to provide any proof and failed to initiate legal action.
• In August 2013 Voigts falsely claimed that a special exemption had not been granted to children who lived in Brookfield Homes, the developer who helped fund his campaign and that of his BFF Councilman Dwight Robinson.
• In December 2013 Voigts lied on the dais when he said that OC Alert would let residents know when prisoners escaped from Musikck Jail.
• In December 2013 Voigts lied on the dais when he said that the expanded Musick Jail was not intended for maximum security prisoners. It was.
• On June 6, 2014 in an e-mail at a time when he was not Mayor, Voigts sought funds for his re-election campaign and claimed he was “Mayor City of Lake Forest”
• In July 2015, Voigts falsely claimed that he did not wear a wire while trying to entrap a fellow Councilman, then on August 12 he admitted the lie in an article on The Voice of OC.
• In that same article, on August 12, 2015 Voigts claimed that Councilman Adam Nick tried to bribe former GOP Chairman Scott Baugh, a claim both Baugh and Nick vehemently denied.
• As difficult as it may be to believe, in December Voigts once more lied and claimed on the dais that he didn’t wear a wire. When confronted with that lie, he claimed he meant to say he didn’t wear 2 wires.
• On July 21 Voigts claimed that he was sick and abruptly left the Council meeting. However he was observed outside City Hall arguing with MV Mayor Sharon Cody.
• Beginning in October 2015 and continuing thereafter Voigts falsely claimed I was “behind” the recall, when in fact I was as surprised as anyone when it started. Much later I did give them financial support, but at the time Voigts made his comments I was uninvolved.
• On December 2, 2015 Voigts falsely claimed that I was thrown out of Bagels and Brew for circulating recall literature. I wasn’t.
• On December 15, 2015 Voigts falsely claimed that a Form 496 listing a $10,000 expense by Meritage Homes to help his campaign did not exist. It did. Then he claimed that he was unfamiliar with the mailer funded by the $10,000, yet he was quoted in the OC Register praising the mailer.
• In January 2016 he lied from the dais claiming that I didn’t create the TCA incentive program to allow new residents to ride free for a week on the 241. I produced an e-mail proving that Voigts had been informed about my involvement in the program.
• In early 2016 Voigts was caught politicking inside City Hall, trying to get seniors to not sign the recall notice. He denied it until two eye witnesses came forward.
• A few months later he was caught doing the same thing at a City official function, and denied it, until a video was produced.
• In Sept 2016 Voigts got mad at me and vandalized my July 4 Parade certificate while he sat alone in the Council chambers. When confronted with the act, he denied it while on the dais, but later confessed privately.
• In October Voigts falsely claimed that Council members were told not to attend a meeting at Lake Forest Elementary, but upon checking, the City Manager admitted that Voigts was incorrect.
• On Nov 2016 Voigts falsely claimed he skipped out on only 3 Vector Control meetings when in fact he skipped out on 4. To prove the point I gave him copies of the 4 minutes of the minutes that showed he skipped out early after collecting his $100 per diem
• On Dec 20, 2016 Voigts falsely claimed he skipped out on only 2 Vector Control meetings. In fact he skipped out on 4 meetings, all of which were in the documented minutes he was supplied with from Vector Control.

SUMMARY

The enormous number of mis-statements of facts, acts of omission, broken promises, misleading comments, distortions of the truth, and outright lies that were told by Scott Voigts is amazing. Some of the actions are no more than the bluster that most politicians blow our way, but other actions might be considered far more serious breaches of the covenant between public official and the public whom they serve.

Whether or not the false claims are acts of commission or omission, Scott Voigts has a formidable history behind him. There are classes of lies that belong to exaggerations that we all come to expect from politicians. “We have the greatest city in the nation” is probably a lie, but everyone who listens knows that the person is exaggerating. But Voigts statements seem very different.

Scott Voigts was elected by the people of Lake Forest, and appointed by the “Gang of 3” to be Mayor. His behavior is a reflection of our City and on our people. Each person must decide whether or not this kind of behavior, regardless of whatever good qualities Voigts may possess, represents how we want our City portrayed.

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.