Community of Characters

Residents who receive the city’s email updates saw a particularly odd announcement on May 21. The city’s Community of Character Committee will hold a casino party for teenagers as a fundraiser. While so-called “proceeds” will go toward a good cause, the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life, couldn’t anyone come up with an appropriate way to raise funds?

The casino party is at least consistent with the committee’s cast of characters. The city’s Community of Character program began when Councilwoman Trish Kelley introduced the concept in 2003. She promised it wouldn’t cost taxpayers a dime, and volunteer work and corporate donations were to fund all activities. Within months, a city hall insider said the character program was “sucking up an enormous amount of staff time.” The pretense of no costs to taxpayers ended long ago, and the overhead includes full-time staff members engaged in creating and coloring character pictures.

Here’s a story about the character committee’s mix of “vice and virtue” on another blog, MissionViejoDispatch.com

Anyone who has tried making money with a casino party knows it’s not easy. With the stated cost of $10 per student to participate in games, win prizes, have refreshments and “much more,” are taxpayers not paying for yet another party at city hall?