Election Aftermath
Staff editorial

With Mission Viejo’s 72 precincts counted, incumbents Trish Kelley and John Paul Ledesma retained their council seats. To be determined is the third seat, with 30 votes separating incumbent Lance MacLean and challenger Diane Greenwood. Provisional ballots and late absentees are being counted by the Registrar of Voters, and the outcome could go either way.

The totals as of Friday morning were Kelley (9,644), Ledesma (8,431), MacLean (6,817), Greenwood (6,787), Barker (5,053), Lonsinger (5,046), Ferrall (4,883), McCusker (4,461), Woodin (4,305) and Skalsky (3,784).

The city election didn’t offer surprises. Incumbents had an advantage from the beginning, with voters largely unaware of problems facing the city. Despite the incumbents’ deficiencies, voters didn’t perceive any issue big enough to warrant a revolution. Adding a twist was an out-of-towner – lobbyist John Lewis – who “masterminded” a failed attempt to buy three council seats by stuffing voters’ mailboxes with false information. On Lewis’ agenda is a city takeover of Southern California Edison’s power lines. Except for a small percentage of residents in north Mission Viejo, few people care about power lines. Also evident from Lewis’ hit pieces, he’s still angry that his ambulance client didn’t get the city contract, which also doesn’t register with Mission Viejo voters.

Beyond support for Ledesma, blog staffers favored Michael Ferrall and Jim Woodin as issue-oriented, ethical candidates offering change without vitriol. Although Ferrall and Woodin didn’t place high enough to threaten incumbents, the votes they received – plus those going to Lonsinger – likely took votes away from Greenwood and held the lobbyist’s other candidates at bay.

No “winner” had an impressive following, nor was there an appreciable margin of victory. If MacLean prevails, it will be politics as usual with continued animosity, childish behavior, favors for special interest and big spending. If Greenwood wins, the council will likely decline even further. As time grew closer to the election, Greenwood and her handful of supporters went on daily attacks of anyone who opposed her.

Many observers noted that Greenwood’s lobbyist-funded hit pieces were unethical misrepresentations of facts, and her campaign antics on street corners were embarrassing. On Saturday morning prior to the election, Greenwood and MacLean faced off at La Paz and Marguerite. Greenwood dialed 911 to report MacLean had touched or moved one of her campaign signs. Two squad cars showed up, and officers spent nearly an hour sorting out differences of opinion between Greenwood and MacLean. On Monday, Greenwood and her four supporters spent the entire day at La Paz and Marguerite. They put up a large sign, “Stop the hate and lies.” If any slogan took enough votes from Greenwood to keep her off the council, the sign may have done it. Voters don’t want to hear about hate and lies, particularly when many residents believed the most serious problems were emanating from Greenwood.

While improvement on the council is out of reach, the outcome could have been worse if the lobbyist’s other choices – Bill Barker and Justin McCusker – had won. The campaign seemed to bring out the worst in Barker, who became increasing belligerent. Justin McCusker wasn’t previously involved in the community, and “Justintime” will likely “Justgoaway.” According to his neighbors, McCusker’s house has been on the market for months, and he may be gone with the political wind.

The mighty Orange County lobbyist, John Lewis, again struck out in Mission Viejo. A fortune in out-of-town money couldn’t buy a council seat for McCusker or Barker. Councilman Frank Ury as Lewis’ puppet is also out of luck; however, if Greenwood gets on the council, she would at least second his lobbyist-serving motions. Also ending is Lewis’ self-perpetuated myth of influencing past Mission Viejo elections.

Mission Viejo residents who are uninformed are well represented on the council. Trish Kelly is the champion of the uninformed, and Diane Greenwood as a potential new council member lacks talent and ideas. With Greenwood, hostile and angry residents – few as they are – would also have their very own representative.

According to the Registrar of Voters, results of the provisional and late-absentee count will be known within two weeks.