SRA Tells MacLean to Resign
Press Release

Mission Viejo, CA, March 3, 2009 – During the Mar. 2 Mission Viejo council meeting, a member of the Saddleback Republican Assembly read a resolution asking Councilman Lance MacLean to resign. Mission Viejo resident Matt Corrigan, who serves as SRA’s first vice president, presented the seven-point resolution, concluding that MacLean should spare residents the ordeal of recalling him. On Feb. 2, MacLean received notice that 51 residents signed a document initiating his recall.

Corrigan read SRA's resolution, which had been approved by its membership on Feb. 19. The resolution follows.

Preamble: Saddleback Republican Assembly carefully and deliberately considered Lance MacLean's candidate statements prior to endorsing him in 2002. SRA finds his performance significantly out of compliance with his campaign promises and written responses to SRA’s endorsing body. SRA holds MacLean accountable for his broken promises, failed leadership and abandonment of conservative Republican principles.

WHEREAS, Lance MacLean authored, promoted and sponsored Measure K, a tax increase, after promising no tax increases, and

WHEREAS, Lance MacLean posed as a fiscal conservative but doubled his council stipend and bestowed lifetime medical benefits on council members at
taxpayer expense after 12 years of part-time service, and

WHEREAS, Lance MacLean exhibited financial mismanagement by voting for budget items leading to $11.8-million in deficit spending last year, and 

WHEREAS, Lance MacLean falsely promised to relieve traffic congestion but approved housing projects bringing in more congestion and overcrowding, and

WHEREAS, Lance MacLean said he espoused SRA values but was charged with assault and battery on a co-worker, and he lied to a reporter to hide his identity, and

WHEREAS, Lance MacLean promised to represent his constituents but turned against and maligned them, calling them racists and elitists in the L.A. Times, and

WHEREAS, Lance MacLean has fully revealed his true nature as a big-government bureaucrat who promotes social engineering and supports Redevelopment after denouncing it when he requested SRA’s endorsement,

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that Mission Viejo Councilman Lance MacLean employed deception to receive SRA’s endorsement in 2002. He should now resign his elected position on the Mission Viejo City Council to save taxpayers the time, effort and expense of recalling him.

Council members generally don’t respond to public comments. MacLean, however, spoke for approximately 10 minutes, claiming he was answering SRA’s charges. He referred to the statements as “rumors, exaggerations and untruths.”

MacLean didn’t mention three of the resolution’s seven points: his attempt to raise taxes with Measure K; the assault and battery charges against him; and maligning residents by calling them elitists and racists in the LA Times. He also failed to address the resolution’s conclusion that he had used deception to get SRA’s endorsement by posing as a fiscal conservative.

MacLean acknowledged two of the charges. He said he was reinstating a former city policy when he bestowed lifetime healthcare benefits on council members after 12 years of part-time service. He said voting to double his council stipend was justified because the city had incorporated 20 years ago. Although he’s served only six years, he indicated the increase reflected 20 years of deferred raises.

As his defense for supporting redevelopment, he said, “I’m not a fan of redevelopment, and I didn’t form the redevelopment agency.” He voted three times to give redevelopment cash to an auto dealer after stating he opposed redevelopment during an interview to get SRA’s endorsement.

To SRA’s charge that MacLean had voted to spend $11.8 million more than the city took in last year, he tried to explain that the community center expansion and the Crown Valley Parkway widening were two-year projects. The definition of “deficit” is to spend more than is taken in within a specific period, which is what MacLean voted to do. The community center expansion ran three times over budget, and the road widening is well over budget and still unfinished after three years.

To the complaint that he has added to traffic problems by voting for high-density housing, MacLean said the housing projects he approved have not yet been built.

MacLean concluded by telling residents they should call the city staff if they have questions about complaints against him in the recall. However, city employees are legally prevented from commenting on recall or other campaign issues.

Following the meeting, Corrigan stated, “MacLean said that Saddleback Republican Assembly didn’t give him an opportunity to respond. This is fallacious since he has had many opportunities to respond after being served with the recall notice on Feb. 2. He has responded to OC Register and OC Weekly, and of course various times using the ‘bully pulpit’ of council member as evidenced Monday night.”