What Does Community Spirit Mean?
Staff editorial

Maybe city staffers learned the phrase “engaging the community” at a League of Cities seminar. Top officials in city hall seem to think they can waste any amount of money by saying residents “participated.” As an example, city employee Keith Rattay groundlessly claimed “10,000 people enjoyed the easel display” during the city’s weeklong 20th anniversary party. He next claimed that “150 volunteers donated more than 800 hours” constructing the easels. A review of public records shows that a city contractor constructed the easels at $45/hour. The community did NOT participate – almost no one took pictures, the community at large didn’t give a rip about photos of leaves and rocks, and the entire project bombed.

After the community center expansion ran three times over budget, a resident made public comments at a council meeting thanking the council for spending the money. As the resident spoke, city employees assisted in the dog and PHONY show by projecting photos on the big screen in the council chamber. As the coupe de grace, they showed a photo of the late Norm Murray, as if anyone who dared to complain about the expense would be desecrating Norm’s image. To the contrary, Norm was a fiscal conservative who is remembered for his selfless service, not for mismanaged boondoggles.

What’s the newest plan to burn tax dollars? The Rose Parade float is already running up bills, and its public kickoff was held a week ago. The city staff has begun a campaign to “engage the community” in float-building. Apparently, residents are supposed to believe that a pointless activity like gluing together poppy seeds builds community spirit, regardless of how inappropriate the project is. Rose Parade decisions – all of them – have been made by city hall officials. They selected a contractor to create the design, and residents were not invited to participate. Councilwoman Trish Kelley appointed herself and Councilman Lance MacLean to serve on the Rose Parade ad hoc committee, and the community can butt out until poppy-seed gluers are needed.

Somehow, city staff members think Mission Viejo residents are either so shallow or confused that they need city hall’s bad ideas to participate in their own community. Nearly every church in town needs volunteers to perform a wide range of good deeds. Other volunteer opportunities abound, and entire families can participate in meaningful, productive and genuinely helpful endeavors. Building a float isn’t one of them, even with the promise of seeing it on TV for 15 seconds. The float, including the cost – $350,000 and rising, shows that a few community members would rather follow a Pied Piper down Pasadena Avenue than help human beings in need or build something that endures more than 15 seconds. Plunging $350,000 in tax dollars on a float is inexcusable.

The float, just like the easels, will be trashed and thrown away. Raw materials and other items of value will be destroyed for no good reason except to perpetuate activities for city hall staff members who have no real jobs. The only skill some of them have is to hide behind residents when throwing money away.