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Make Stonewalling Your Mission
On Wed., July 8, two recall workers said City Manager Dennis Wilberg harassed them in front of the city library. The incident occurred when two female volunteers were asking Mission Viejo residents to sign the petition to recall Councilman Lance MacLean. Wilberg and a few others, including MacLean, have either harassed volunteers or made threats of violence against those gathering signatures.
Wilberg first interfered with the recall on March 27 when he allegedly harassed a signature gatherer in front of a grocery store. On July 8, Wilberg walked near the volunteers, who were standing in front of the library. According to the workers, he sat on a bench within a few feet of them. They said he was watching them while he held what appeared to be a BlackBerry phone. The city issued a BlackBerry for his use in official city business.
Following the July 8 incident, one of the recall workers said, "He was sitting so close to me that I was uncomfortable, and he was acting like a stalker. I thought he was recording my conversation with a resident, and that's when I asked the other volunteer if we should call the police."
As a city employee, Wilberg is prohibited from involving himself in a recall or an election. Any misuse of the city-provided BlackBerry phone raises further questions about misappropriation of public funds. Recall proponents on July 9 requested public records to document Wilberg’s use of the phone and capture any text messages or recordings. Following is the response (or non-response) that proponents have thus far received from the city. If Wilberg has nothing to hide, why would the city staff need more than five weeks to find his phone records?
Sent: Friday, August 14, 2009 4:57 PM
Subject: RE: Public Records Request from the City of Mission Viejo
Good afternoon,
This email is in response to your Public Records Request received in the City Clerk's office on July 9, 2009, concerning records pertaining to the use of City Manager Dennis Wilberg's cell phone on 7/8/09. The City is currently reviewing and processing your request.
Pursuant to Government Code Section 6253(c), this email is to inform you that the City will respond to your request within fourteen days from the date of this email. A voluminous amount of separate and distinct records need to be searched and examined and multiple City departments may need to be consulted with in order to comply with the demands of your request.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions.
Thank you,
Robert Schick
(949) 470-3034
From: Robert Schick
Sent: Friday, July 31, 2009 2:07 PM
To: 'Lisa'
Subject: RE: Public Records Request from the City of Mission Viejo
Good afternoon,
This email is in response to your Public Records Request received in the City Clerk's office on July 9, 2009, concerning records pertaining to the use of City Manager Dennis Wilberg's cell phone on 7/8/09. The City is currently reviewing and processing your request.
Pursuant to Government Code Section 6253(c), this email is to inform you that the City will respond to your request within fourteen days from the date of this email. A voluminous amount of separate and distinct records need to be searched and examined and multiple City departments may need to be consulted with in order to comply with the demands of your request.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions.
Thank you,
Robert Schick
(949) 470-3034
From: Robert Schick
Sent: Friday, July 17, 2009 4:46 PM
To: 'Lisa'
Subject: Public Records Request from the City of Mission Viejo
Good afternoon,
This email is in response to your Public Records Request received in the City Clerk's office on July 9, 2009, concerning records pertaining to the use of City Manager Dennis Wilberg's cell phone on 7/8/09. The City is currently reviewing and processing your request.
Pursuant to Government Code Section 6253(c), this email is to inform you that the City will respond to your request within fourteen days from the date of this email. A voluminous amount of separate and distinct records need to be searched and examined and multiple City departments may need to be consulted with in order to comply with the demands of your request.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions.
Thank you,
Robert Schick
Records Management Coordinator
City of Mission Viejo
200 Civic Center
Mission Viejo, CA 92691
(949) 470-3034 -Voice
(949) 581-0983 -Fax
rschick@cityofmissionviejo.org
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