Tale of the Prodigal Council Member
Staff editorial

Blog readers occasionally remark about which council member is the greatest disappointment. Such comments are regularly directed at Lance MacLean, Trish Kelley and Frank Ury. All three dramatically departed from their campaign promises and appear unmotivated to represent the residents.

No council member has a stellar record, but the blog acknowledges some are better than others. For example, Councilman John Paul Ledesma is known for his honesty -- he doesn't lie. Additionally, he has never initiated a pet project for his personal benefit. Despite mixed reviews of Councilwoman Gail Reavis' record, she goes to bat for her constituents. At meetings, Reavis appears well prepared and familiar with the issues.

Ury's shill at the public microphone on Jan. 2 falsely claimed Ledesma and Reavis are associated with this blog. They are not. They neither contribute to the editorials nor do they influence what is written. The blog has been less critical of Ledesma and Reavis because their performances warrant less criticism.

If reader response is representative of residents' views, Ury is the most unpopular council member. Those who formerly supported him have in some cases become his strongest critics.

Ury has the longest political history of those on the council. He served one term on the Saddleback school board in the early 1990s before losing a string of elections. After dropping out for several years, he reemerged in late 2001 by spreading the word he would run for city council. In April 2002, Ury in one of his campaign speeches said, "My wife and I are living in the last house we'll ever buy. We'll be pushing up daisies in Mission Viejo." A mere three weeks later, he announced his departure for a job promotion in northern California.

If Ury in April 2002 were considering a job offer that involved relocating (and he was visiting the new area, checking out schools, etc. -- things people do before announcing a move), why did he make a speech about staying in Mission Viejo forever? When his former supporters learned he was actually planning to "push up daisies" wherever the grass was greener, a political buddy provided the spin, "People are mad at Frank for accepting a job offer to benefit his family."

A former Ury supporter said, "By the time Frank left in 2002, I was aware of his deficiencies. While I was turned off by his arrogance and lack of genuine concern for the city, his lying was flatly unacceptable. He lied about practically everything -- big things, little things -- when there was no benefit in lying. A lot of people who were present at the 'pushing up daisies' speech talk about the deception to this day."

Ury returned to Mission Viejo less than a year after leaving. While he currently has almost no activists standing up for him, a few diehard residents can be found in Canyon Crest and Stoneridge. In 2004, Ury was still talking about "forcing Southern California Edison" to bury its lines after the California Public Utilities Commission decided they would be installed above ground. Even after his group (N.O.P.E.) failed to file a timely appeal, Ury went on campaigning as if the decision hadn't been made. Those continuing to follow him around seem undaunted at being used and thrown away.

The Buzz column, Jan. 19

Several Lake Forest residents made public comments at the Jan. 15 Mission Viejo council meeting. While their motivation wasn't clear, they expressed concern about day laborers gathering in the vicinity of Jeronimo and Los Alisos as well as other sites near retail centers. Perhaps the visitors from Lake Forest mistakenly think council members listen to public input. Despite the pleas of many residents, the council voted unanimously to overturn commercial zoning next to Unisys and permit Steadfast to include affordable housing in its residential development. A former council caused similar problems along Crown Valley Parkway, and the current council deliberately chose to add low-income housing to an already troubled area.

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When Steadfast was desperately seeking support for its housing proposal at Jeronimo and Los Alisos, its employees solicited signatures of business owners in the two nearby retail centers to support a zone change from commercial to high-density residential. Activists followed up to find out if any business owners actually signed a petition in support of ruining their own business environment. Two such business owners were found. Now, one of them is complaining loudly about day labors who hang out on his corner. Did he have a clue what he was signing?

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Anyone who would like to watch a Mission Viejo council meeting via the Internet can do so, either "live" as it's being telecast or by viewing the video after the meeting. Go to the city's Website (mission-viejo.ca.us) and click on the city council link to check out the options. One advantage of watching the video is the ability to fast-forward through any long-winded speech.

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Two speakers making public comments during the Jan. 15 meeting seemed surprised that auto thefts taking place at the Mission Viejo mall weren't brought to the attention of the public. According to a Newport Beach policeman, "Mission Viejo isn't the safest city, it just has the highest number of unreported crimes." Failure to report crimes makes the Sheriff's Dept. and city officials look good. With the Sheriff's Dept. wanting to keep its contract with the city, and with council members wanting to be reelected on the city's record of safety, why would any of them make waves?

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Councilman Frank Ury said awhile back he won't run for Todd Spitzer's Assembly seat when Spitzer terms out in 2008. Republican Party higher-ups are lately saying the same thing -- Ury isn't being considered.

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In last week's Buzz Column, an error appeared regarding Brian Skalsky's appointment to a city commission. Skalsky will serve on the Community Services Commission. The error has been corrected. As an update, Gloria Heer has been reappointed to the Community Services Commission.