The Sounds of Silence are Deafening

"And in the naked light I saw

Ten thousand people, maybe more

People talking without speaking

People hearing without listening

People writing songs that voices never share

No one dare

Disturb the sound of silence

"Fools" said I,

"You do not know

Silence like a cancer grows

Hear my words that I might teach you

Take my arms that I might reach you"

But my words like silent raindrops fell

And echoed in the wells of silence"

Simon & Garfunkel

A few weeks ago I opined about the curious lack of comments by 5 of the 6 candidates to replace Andrew Hamilton in the special election. (Click Here). I said –

“Tuesday night at the City Council meeting there were two major issues discussed – district elections and the Civic Center. Two of the people running for the seat soon to be vacated by Councilman Hamilton didn't even bother to show up – Neeki Moatzedi and Frank Wagoner. The other four candidates did show up, but one of them (Tom Cagley) had to leave early to care for a sick spouse. That left three candidates present when the topics came up….David Glick, Stan Yombo, and Mark Tettemer were in the audience when both of these topics came up. None of them had anything to say.”

I concluded –

“When you're choosing someone to join the city council, you might ask yourself how involved are they in city affairs and what are their positions on important issues. Tom Cagley is the only one who spoke out on both these issues.”

I wrote the article with the (apparently) naïve thought that publicly commenting on their lack of involvement might prompt the other 5 candidates to get more involved.

Tuesday night Mark Tettemer didn’t even bother to show up. Given that on the few times he has been there, he sits silently, his lack of attendance really doesn’t matter. Frank Wagoner didn’t show up either.

Stan Yombo was there briefly, shaking a few hands, and then disappearing. Neeki Moatazedi sat silently through most of the meeting. She made no comments.

David Glick was there for most of the meeting, and made a comment when the Veterans Park item was discussed. David was worried that if the city did the same poor job they did in the past, it would be disgraceful to have a Veterans Park covered in bird poop. Months ago this issue was raised by me and we got the assurances from the City Manager that the Veterans Park would be the most pristine park in the city as a result of the re-purposing.

Tom Cagley was there and spoke on both major issues on the agenda (district elections and Veterans Park) and also spoke during the public comment where he urged the Council to create a dedicated Traffic Commission instead of combining it with Planning, where nothing seems to happen.

Two weeks ago I said -“When you're choosing someone to join the city council, you might ask yourself how involved are they in city affairs and what are their positions on important issues.”

Tom Cagley remains the only person who shows up at the Council meetings and who has positions on the important issues facing the City.

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 mini town meeting every quarter. The next meeting will be on Dec 2 at 2 pm at the El Toro Public Library.