Delusions End Abruptly
Staff editorial

Several candidates who ran for council seats in November wrapped up their campaigns by thanking those who helped them. Some sent letters of gratitude to supporters. Incumbent council members Trish Kelley and Lance MacLean threw a party for themselves – a bad one, according to those who attended and hadn’t voted for either of them. One such attendee said, “Despite being a free party, it was so bad we left early.”

One unsuccessful candidate took the high road by sending notes to his campaign workers, saying he thought everyone had done all they could. This is in sharp contrast to the reaction of another unsuccessful candidate, Diane Greenwood. A month after the election, the ragging continues following her unraveled attempt to grab a council seat.

Before Election Night was over, someone in Greenwood’s camp sent an email to supporters of other candidates – “Hello, you lost!” The childish tactics continued with Greenwood’s supporters sending letters to the editor blaming everyone else for their candidate’s failure to attract votes. With the final tally, MacLean had 94 more votes than Greenwood, ending her threat to unseat him. The relative quiet following the election shouldn’t be mistaken as peace. The Greenwood gang that behaved so badly during the campaign is likely reloading instead of folding

As mentioned on last week’s blog, another casualty of the city election came in the form of four council members’ decision to deny Councilman Frank Ury a turn at being mayor. In a conversation immediately following the Nov. 7 election, Ury revealed to two political players that he suspected he would be bypassed after his failed attempt to get rid of the three incumbents. Another council member who may have felt bypassed was Trish Kelley, whose close friends incorrectly announced prior to the Dec. 4 council meeting she would become the next vice mayor.

Other monumental egos toppled as votes were counted on Nov. 7. Unsuccessful candidate Bill Barker was barking loudly during his campaign that he was about to become “one of the most powerful people in Mission Viejo.” Confident he would win, Barker claimed he would also become the next vice mayor. Residents who have spoken with Barker following the election said he’s so distraught over his loss he's talking about moving.

Justin McCusker disappeared after Nov. 7. As one of the most amazing campaign statements, he billed himself as “the most qualified candidate running for city council.” If McCusker has the good fortune of selling his house, which has been on the market for months, maybe he could become the most qualified person running for city council elsewhere. Perhaps McCusker and Barker could team up again and dazzle another community.