The Buzz Column, Oct. 12

The lobbyist from Orange – John Lewis – says it’s a war. He’s raising funds and mailing brochures for “his” candidates, Diane Greenwood, Bill Barker and Justin McCusker. Why would any viable candidate accept help from “Big Daddy” of Orange? Greenwood and McCusker both lack connection with the community and need Big Daddy’s slick mailers. Barker says his campaign lacks cash, despite a donation of $10,000 from a “businessman” in Santa Ana. Big Daddy has so much cash he can buy three candidates. Just mark them “sold.”

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Lewis has been using the term “war” when referring to his battle to take over the Mission Viejo City Council. According to the message leaking out of Greenwood’s camp, Lewis intends to have all five council members reporting to him by November 2008. He plans to knock out the three incumbents who oppose him in this election cycle, and the fourth one who opposes him will be gone in 2008.

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This actually happened: council candidate Bill Barker was handing out his lobbyist-funded brochures at Mission Viejo High School’s Back-To-School Night on Thurs., Oct. 12. Other candidates’ supporters were across the driveway distributing their candidate-funded flyers. Barker repeatedly yelled at them, “You guys are gonna lose! We’re having events, and we’re just getting started. You’re gonna lose!” Barker would then turn to parents approaching the school and announce, “I AM the candidate; I AM the candidate.” Is anyone seriously thinking of voting for this guy?

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How does Barker get his signs into people’s yards? According to two other candidates, here’s his technique. When Barker spots an opponent’s sign in a yard, he knocks on the homeowner’s door. He tells the homeowner that he’s either running with the other candidate or that the two of them are working for the same things. Unknowing homeowners have accepted Barker’s signs on his false claims. Barker is not running with or alongside any candidates other than Greenwood and McCusker.

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City vendors at a recent gathering exchanged information about calls they’ve received from Councilman Frank Ury. They say Ury been leaning hard on them to donate to the campaigns of his prot‚g‚s – Greenwood, McCusker and Barker. As vendors have declined, they said Ury has increased the pressure and called them daily. It takes a great deal of money to push off three unfit candidates and fool the electorate.

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Diane Greenwood appears to be either unemployed or a housewife. According to the brochure produced by the lobbyist, Diane is now a “high-tech entrepreneur” for a rope company. In August, she was a former teacher. What’s next – rocket scientist?

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Lance MacLean didn’t mince words at the Casta del Sol candidates forum last week when the topic of burying the power lines came up. Both Diane Greenwood and Justin McCusker’s platforms in their ballot statements include getting Mission Viejo’s power lines buried. The information lacking is whether the cost (estimated at hundreds of millions of dollars) will be covered by a tax increase or a rate increase. MacLean said at the forum, “If council candidates tell you they’re going to get the power lines buried, they’re lying.”