Voigts Should Resign Over Conflict of Interest, Part 1

Scott Voigts must resign.

That was the opinion of several residents who spoke at the meeting of the Lake Forest City Council on Feb. 7. Those residents, some of the most informed in the City, took offense that the mayor of Lake Forest is a paid executive assistant to the recently elected mayor of Irvine.

What they heard was Voigts being defensive about the conflict of interest. His inability to see such conflict illustrates his incapacity to serve as a representative for Lake Forest.

“It always pissed me off that Scott said Don Wagner was his boss,” Councilman Dr. Jim Gardner said after listening to several residents point out the inconsistencies of Voigts being elected to work for the best interests of residents while also working toward the best interests of a neighboring and competing city. Before Wagner was elected mayor of Irvine, he was a state assemblyman representing the region, and when Voigts appeared at grand openings, ribbon cuttings and various events, he routinely did so as a representative of Wagner's office – the reference that upset Gardner.

And today, Wagner has a new job as the mayor of Irvine and Voigts is still his right-hand man.

Residents complained of what appeared to be a conflict of interest, if not real then certainly perceived.

Gardner pointed out that there was little the Council was scheduled to discuss during the meeting that didn't impact Irvine to some extent. Gardner also pointed out that he was precluded from participating in Council talks about Village Pond Park because he had a $5 monthly financial stake as a member of that local homeowners association.

Although Voigts is classified as a part-time employee by the City of Irvine, he draws benefits and earns $24.02 per hour while working in close proximity to Wagner; the actual title, according to Irvine’s municipal records administrator Debbie Tracy, is Council Executive Assistant to the Mayor. Wagner's sole job is mayor of Irvine, so it's incumbent upon him to work for the best interests of Irvine exclusively. Wagner maintains financial leverage over Voigts, the Councilman and – for the third time in five years – the mayor of Lake Forest who should be responsible for his own city's best interests.

The message was clear from those in attendance: Voigts must give up one position or the other.

However, the mayor was protective of maintaining both positions. He argued there was no conflict of interest because he didn't solicit nor provide advice to Wagner. But, as Col. Tom Cagley (ret.) said during his turn in the public comments two days after the Super Bowl, the head coach of the Falcons wouldn't be allowed to be the assistant to the head coach of the Patriots.

QUESTION OF CREDIBILITY

Equally relevant is Voigts' lack of credibility from the Council dais. Though he claimed he didn't exchange information with Wagner, Voigts is not to be believed; he has routinely lied outright to his constituents and condoned lies by his political friends.

• Voigts lied from the dais when he said he didn't wear a concealed recording device while trying to catch Councilman Adam Nick making a confession for a crime he didn't commit.
• Voigts lied from the dais when he said Nick had hijacked a meeting at a local school after rashes had developed on students and adults.
• Voigts lied from the dais when he said the school district asked that city leaders not attend the meeting that Nick had supposedly hijacked, a claim he made that was refuted by the City Manager.
• Voigts endorsed Dwight Robinson in the November election despite several false claims by Robinson, including those on his official candidate statement that he had nearly 100 employees (instead of two) working out of his home-based business, and that he was going to eliminate Mello Roos taxes in Foothill Ranch just as he did in Portola Hills – another blatant falsehood.
• Voigts' lies have been documented by Gardner. Here's a list of some of Voigts' lies, and some more of Voigts' lies.

Voigts also showed instances of poor judgment, such as handing out anti-Nick political fliers to elementary school children as they exited school and telling them to take the fliers home and give them to their parents. His campaign signs routinely show up in illegal locations, on light poles and city signs.

Councilwoman Leah Basile asked the City Attorney if there was an appearance of a conflict of interest. Mal Richardson said, “Generally speaking, compensation … doesn't give rise to an economic interest.”

That remark left residents shaking their heads.

The issue was spearheaded by Andy O'Connor, who wasn't buying what the City Attorney was selling. “He knows who pays him,” said O'Connor, who has previously blown the whistle on Peppino's Family Restaurant dumping garbage behind its restaurant as well as having built an attached shed without the proper permitting, which occurred for years while Peppino's family members supported Voigts and the councilman – who maintains ethics isn't an issue – endorsed the restaurant for City events.

Basile asked to put the item on a future agenda for discussion. Not surprisingly, she got consent from Gardner and, to his credit, from Voigts; they said they wanted the issue dealt with ASAP.

O'Connor made a compelling point about conflict of interest, Voigts' boss, and the source of his income: Irvine is interested in pulling out of the Orange County Fire Authority. Should Irvine do that, it could bankrupt OCFA, Gardner says. Even if it doesn't bankrupt OCFA, it would negatively impact Lake Forest. It's in Lake Forest's best interests that Irvine remain under the OCFA umbrella. So which side is Voigts working for, and how hard will he work to keep Irvine within the OCFA given that he has such ready access to Wagner? The only way for Voigts to prove his point is to work publicly against Irvine because what he says about private matters can't be trusted. He is, after all, in conflict.

And he has a track record for not telling the truth.

Next time, Voigts lies while defending himself against "fake news."

About the author: Martin Henderson won several Los Angeles and Orange County press club awards while an editor at Patch in 2012-13.