City Council Campaign Update, Sept 27
Editorial staff

Activists gathering signatures at storefronts for the Mission Viejo Right-To-Vote Initiative have been polling residents about the Nov. 4 city council race. With two council seats are up for election, Councilman Frank Ury, who was first elected in 2004, is the only incumbent in the race. The other seat has been held by Councilwoman Gail Reavis since 2000, and she’s not running for reelection.

If activists’ storefront polls are accurate, two council candidates are in for a surprise in the Nov. 4 election. First, incumbent Councilman Frank Ury is going to be surprised at how unpopular he is. Second, challenger Cathy Schlicht is going to be surprised with her popularity. Schlicht recently told her supporters that she didn’t expect she would win when she decided to run nearly a year ago.

Ury’s total might be low enough to enable both Schlicht and Neil Lonsinger to win, but the order isn’t yet predictable. In addition to Ury, Schlicht and Lonsinger, others in the council race are Judy Rackauckas, Michael Williams and Richard Atkinson.

Polling at storefronts consistently finds that the city council is unpopular among residents. The most disliked council member is either Frank Ury or Lance MacLean, as both draw only negative comments.

Ury has earned the ire of residents, especially those who live near the power lines in north Mission Viejo. Ury’s 2004 campaign centerpiece was “forcing Edison to bury its lines.” Ury forgot about the power lines the day after he was elected, but many people mention his broken promise. As a councilman, he’s ignored residents’ outcry against cell towers in neighborhoods and parks. Residents also criticize his support of more housing in such areas as the Casta golf course, the retail center at La Paz and Marguerite and the Unisys property on Jeronimo near Los Alisos.

MacLean would be finished if he were up for reelection this year. Activists talk about recalling him, but no specific plan has emerged. Council challenger Richard Atkinson has the support of both Ury and MacLean, which likely hurt more than help his chances.

The momentum during the past week was with Lonsinger and Schlicht, whose supporters combined to campaign at all Back-To-School Nights for Capo and Saddleback Valley schools. Both Lonsinger and Schlicht were posting campaign signs by the end of the week.