Scott Voigts - Worst Mayor Ever?

In anticipation of the election of a new Mayor on Tuesday I’ve been looking at Scott Voigts’ record.

HERZOG’S EVALUATION OF VOIGTS IN 2013

Yesterday I looked at former Mayor Peter Herzog’s evaluation of Scott Voigts and his 2013 “Gang of 3”. Herzog was critical about

• · Corruption – accepting tens of thousands of dollars from developers and then giving them whatever they asked for with no regard to the opinions of staff and residents, and no concern for the impact on our quality of life.
• · Cronyism – putting their friends, employees, and campaign supporters into positions on City Commissions while kicking out better qualified people.
• · Disdain for residents – openly attacking residents and name calling.

This is quite a list of accusations from a former Mayor and contemporary of Voigts.

VOIGTS’ 2015 CONDUCT

Yesterday I also referred you to the informative article from Portola Hills resident Leah Basile who chronicled Voigt’s questionable conduct in 2015 in excruciating detail, including the dates when many of these behaviors occurred. In summary she noted (among other issues) –

• · High absentism
• · Ignoring the Brown Act and Roberts Rules of Order
• · Yelling at, disparaging, threatening, and insulting residents and visitors
• · Lying from the dais

To my knowledge, all of these accusations are true, and I was at all these meetings, so I should know.

Of course everything that Scott Voigts did in 2015 was not horrible. He dutifully attended grand openings and several civic events, and his stock speech (“gateway to South Orange County”, “God bless you”) goes well and is well accepted by people hearing it for the first few times.

VOIGTS’ 2015 VOTING RECORD

Ms. Basile neglected to mention Scott Voigts’ voting record and focused more on his conduct. Let’s review briefly his voting record. Voigts voted against –

• · Getting competitive bids on several contracts (June 16)
• · Looking for alternatives to using the County for animal care (Dec 1)
• · Stopping the construction on Saddleback Ranch Road and listening to the concerns of the people (Oct 17)
• · Prohibiting companies with City contracts from giving money to City Council members (Feb 3)
• · Assisting senior citizens in need (April 7)
• · Setting up a Public Safety Committee due to the 30% increase in the crime rate in the City (July 21).

These are but a few examples of Voigts’ voting pattern, a pattern I identified a “reactionary” – Click Here for that article.

Once more we shouldn’t over-exaggerate Voigts’ failings, He did cast some good votes, along with everyone else, and the 2015 Council season was not without its successes (e.g., paying off the unfunded pension liabilities for staff, establishing a new investment policy to increase our interest income). But examining these successes it’s clear that Voigts was not a champion or a prime mover in any of them. As far as I can recall, the only issue Voigts pushed heavily in 2015 was his desire to put a sports arena anywhere he could.

MORE UNPRECEDENTED ACTIONS

Yesterday I noted that Voigts was at the helm in 2013 when the City had two unprecedented events – the resignation of a sitting Council member and a referendum from the citizens to nullify legislation approved by the Council. Both of these occurred under Voigts’ watch and I believe his actions were a major contributing factor in each. Of course, neither of these events represent shining examples of good government.

Now in 2015 Voigts is once more at the helm and once more we go into unchartered territory. Not merely content to have a Council member resign and launch a referendum petition, Voigts now has the distinction of being at the center of the very first recall effort in the history of the City. Being recalled is not something that is done lightly. The people who are recalling Voigts (and Dwight Robinson along with Andy Hamilton) are upset about their corruption, cronyism, and disdain for the people. Sound familiar? It’s basically the same litany of sins that former Mayor Peter Herzog enunciated when he resigned and called upon the people to take back their City. Two years later they have come alive to answer the call. Even former Mayor Kathy McCullough appeared at a recent City Council meeting and chastised Voigts and his crew, saying “What have you done to my City?”

SUMMARY

If Scott Voigts version 2013 was the “worst Mayor in the City’s history”, how do we evaluate Scott Voigts version 2015? More importantly, what can we learn from Voigts’ behavior that will help us going forward? We’lkl talk about that next time.

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.