Today: Why Should You Vote for Tom Cagley for City Council

There's not just one single reason to remove Andrew Hamilton as a city councilman in Lake Forest, but a collection of many separate reasons that collectively paint a picture of an aloof elected official who abused the trust given him by the electorate. His lack of consideration on public safety issues, his failure to see money-saving opportunities to benefit taxpayers, his willingness to openly ask during meetings “How are you voting so I know how to vote,” are reason enough. Hamilton's lack of empathy for residents and lack of aptitude for the position were clear to those who watch the council with regularity. He did a disservice to residents who appeared before him and wanted a fair shake. Just ask every resident of Foothill Ranch and Portola Hills who were ignored the night they pleaded their case regarding the safety of Saddleback Ranch Road.

Hamilton has failed, not just one time, but many times.

Trust is the most important thing a person has to give. Hamilton has shown through his record in and out of council chambers that he wasn't deserving of that trust. He made decisions based on personality clashes with other councilmen and went so far as to stand behind the claim that residents who supported their Constitutional right to recall were thugs and pedophiles. Some of his behavior has been deceitful and downright creepy.

So today, on Jan. 2, 2018, it's time to vote Yes to recall (remove) Andrew Hamilton from the office of city councilman.

And then give it to someone you can trust.

Easily, the most deserving candidate to replace Hamilton for the remainder of his term is Thomas Cagley, a retired Army colonel who the United States entrusted to write the playbook – or at least the scouting report – on none other than Vladimir Putin.

Cagley's duties, among other things, was to track Soviet military forces, help ensure the safety of U.S. soldiers and, for that matter, American citizens. He would be the most accomplished military person in this city's Council history, and the only military man on the current Council. This is at a time when Lake Forest is renovating Village Pond Park to be called Veterans Park, and neighboring Irvine deals with a military cemetary.

In private life, Cagley has been on the Orange County grand jury and worked as a disaster mitigation specialist; he was also a construction liaison for a Fortune 500 company who has managed annual budgets of $50 million annually (more than Lake Forest's annual budget of $43 million).

His level of decision-making and responsibility exceeds that of every other candidate, including former councilman Mark Tettemer who, if you're a fan of term limits, has already served two four-year terms from 2005-12.

Cagley is currently actively involved in the community as a volunteer with the USMC Support Committee, and at events for the Lake Forest Sun & Sail Women's Club. He previously ran for council in 2014 and fell 431 votes short of Hamilton. Some have been critical that he wasn't in the country at the time of the election; he was in the Holy Land on a long-planned vacation with his wife. Did it cost him the election? It might have. But he wasn't out of town because he didn't care, as is implied by his critics. Cagley has continued to attend City Council meetings regularly.

Like Gardner currently, and Adam Nick previously, Cagley won't be an easy mark for any ol' developer looking to make an easy buck in Lake Forest who then disappears into the night with millions as residents are
left to deal with additional traffic and overcrowded classrooms in the wake.

Unlike Hamilton, who has agreed to every project and waiver request by developers, Cagley has said he would not accept money from such special interests, meaning development projects are more likely to get a more proper vetting than they did under Hamilton.

Cagley's experience and professionalism provide a level of maturity that can only benefit the council in the decision-making process, and the residents of the city who have been subjected to a gang mentality by Hamilton, Dwight Robinson and Scott Voigts. In his first 26 months in office, Hamilton voted separately from Robinson and Voigts only twice – until the night he was served with a recall notice earlier in 2017; he voted separately for six of the next seven council meetings. Coincidence? No, he was playing politics.

Hamilton has recently said he wants to start a conversation with residents, but it has taken him three years to reach this point. He cast a deaf ear on you, it's time to treat him the same way.

It's time to break up the gang and restore local government to the people, and not the puppets of county movers and shakers who provide them with endorsements regardless of failure or incompetence. Remember, one of Hamilton's primary accomplishments, as noted by him, is getting a link to this website onto the City website. The other "accomplishments," as provided by him, are ludicrous; they are either false or misleading.

It's time to vote for someone you can trust to do right by you, regardless of the situation. It's time to take back control of your city, Lake Forest. And it's time to vote for Tom Cagley for City Council.