Councilman Loses His Cool
Staff editorial

Last month, this blog reported the departure of Councilman Lance MacLean from his job at UCI. Students said MacLean was gone, and the university said he took early retirement.

A headline in the Feb. 16 Register might explain why MacLean’s retirement came earlier than expected: “Councilman charged with assault.” In case anyone in Mission Viejo hasn’t heard about it, MacLean “pinned a fellow UC Irvine employee against a wall during a loud concert.” The article said a large crowd showed up on campus to attend a Shocktoberfest concert on Oct. 26. When MacLean saw the crowd and noticed nearby restrooms were locked, he told UCI employee Jack McManus to unlock the doors. When McManus ignored him, MacLean allegedly used physical means that led to charges of assault and battery.

Internet discussion boards lit up soon after the Register posted its story on Feb. 15. One writer asked why it took four months to air the news, and another suggested MacLean had benefited from a political shield. MacLean’s attorney is Kay Rackauckas, former wife of the county D.A.

Cover-up theories aside, the altercation happened at UCI, which has its own police force, and it takes time for newspaper employees to look through court records for items of interest. When a Register reporter followed up with a phone call, MacLean threw him off by giving a false middle name and incorrect date of birth.

Kay Rackauckas applied her spin with a statement to the Register, “There were about 2,000 people there [at the concert], and Lance saw many of them (urinating) outdoors. He was trying to avert a crisis.”

A crisis? Perhaps MacLean wants a reward for his heroic act of preventing a virtual flood and untold destruction. Instead, he has the option of attending anger management classes to have the charges dropped.

Will the city now stop throwing money away on team-building workshops for council members? Thousands of taxpayer dollars have been wasted on teaching tall children to play nicely with others. Approximately five weeks after MacLean’s encounter with McManus at UCI, he participated in a nasty exchange with other council members on Dec. 3 regarding who would serve as the city’s next mayor.

For those who are asking when the city will be relieved of MacLean’s service on the council, his current term will end in November 2010.