Send Out the Clowns, Part Two
Staff editorial

This week’s Pants on Fire Award goes to Councilwoman Trish Kelley.

For openers, Kelley continues to perpetuate a myth by falsely elevating affordable housing goals to mandates. At a recent council meeting, she invoked the city’s smoke-shoveling lawyer to join her in the mosh pit. Together, they portrayed Mission Viejo residents taking cold showers because the evil empire (state of California) would prevent the installation of new water heaters. These outrageous proclamations grew from nonexistent threats regarding the city’s noncompliance with state housing guidelines.

Kelley attempts to start an epidemic of fear by yelling “movie” in a crowded firehouse. She is among the inept and agenda-driven council members who pretend their irrational decisions protect the city and its residents.

As another tall tale, Kelley is saying a committee has formed to prevent her reelection in November. What committee would that be – the city’s 60,000 voters? This sounds like the beginning of Kelley’s Victim Tour. Throughout her tenure on the council, her primary mode of communication has been a whispering campaign, using hushed tones to speak ill of other council members. After orchestrating the nastiest campaign anyone had ever seen in 2004, perhaps Kelley is concerned about payback. For one reason or another, Chicken Little’s sky is always falling.

Kelley’s attempt during the March 7 council meeting to explain her proposal for senior transportation was laughable. After 3 1/2 years in office, she’s now trying to make good on her promise of rides for seniors. As the sad truth, most seniors won’t live long enough to get a ride. Kelley, together with Ury, led the council (4-1, Reavis dissenting) in spending $20,000 to study the problem. Kelley and Ury initially misrepresented the expenditure by indicating a “pilot program” of rides for seniors is imminent. Kelley has wasted 3 1/2 years waging personal battles and talking about character words instead of meeting residents’ needs.