City Campaign Update
Staff editorial

With 10 candidates in the city council race, approximately 10,000 campaign signs are being posted along Mission Viejo streets and in yards. Many signs along thoroughfares and at street corners don’t last long, as the city and various landscape companies have been quick to remove them. In case anyone is curious, an 18” x 24” sign printed on corrugated plastic costs approximately $2, and cardboard-type signs are somewhat less expensive. A wire support costs 65 cents, and a 24” wooden stake costs approximately 32 cents.

Council candidate Diane Greenwood was one of the last candidates to begin posting signs in the city campaign, and she received the first formal complaint about how she was doing it. A supporter of Neil Lonsinger wrote an email to her, complaining that she (or the person placing her signs) had deliberately put her signs directly in front of Lonsinger’s (probably on public property). Two years ago, council candidate Frank Ury’s campaign was the subject of multiple complaints of the same nature. It’s no coincidence, as the same people posting signs for Greenwood were working for Ury two years ago. Obscuring an opponent’s sign by placing another sign in front of it isn’t illegal, but it’s generally taken as offensive.

In another incident involving Greenwood during the past week, she complained to the blog’s editor-in-chief that statements made in the blog about the hostile and unethical behavior of her campaign manager were untrue. The part in dispute, according to Greenwood, is that he isn’t really her campaign manager. The editor asked who her campaign manager is. Greenwood first said her husband is her campaign manager. When the editor pressed on, Greenwood then said her husband is her campaign treasurer and she has no campaign manager.

Blog articles have referred to the person who early on implied he was Diane’s campaign manager. The blog will hereafter refer to him as Greenwood’s campaign worker, as it’s the association, not the title that counts. The blog generally doesn’t identify individuals by name unless they’re political or public figures.

This would be a good time to mention that the policy of the Mission Viejo News Blog / “The Buzz” is to report accurately and to verify what is presented as fact.

Publisher Dale Tyler writes, “We make every effort to ensure accuracy of the facts presented in our publication. If anyone believes we have misstated a fact, they should send an email to us. We will investigate the concern and respond via email. If a correction is warranted, it will be published in our next issue. Opinions are expressed as such and, while not subject to the same policy as facts, we welcome and will consider publishing thoughtful, well-reasoned responses. Use the webform or email to send us responses.”