The Buzz

Council members have the privilege of appointing representatives to city commissions. Ex-councilwomen Sherri Butterfield and Susan Withrow not only appointed their choices, they used their votes to reject opponents’ choices. When Councilman John Paul Ledesma won a seat in 1998, the queens lined up votes to reject most of his prospective appointees. In 2005, Councilmembers Lance MacLean, Frank Ury and Trish Kelley (MUK) removed Commissioners Dorothy Wedel and Bo Klein from the Planning Commission. Wedel and Klein had supported then-councilwoman Gail Reavis in her reelection bid. Two weeks ago, the MUK majority rejected Councilwoman Cathy Schlicht’s planning commission choice, Mark Doubrilovic, who chairs the Investment Advisory Commission.

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MacLean has predicted he’ll lose his council seat in the election to recall him. His few supporters acted up at storefronts during the signature drive but had no impact. In mid-October, MacLean’s email campaign backfired when his message quickly fell into the hands of recall proponents. Last week, a MacLean supporter tried to place anti-recall literature on a homeowners association bulletin board. It was immediately rejected as inappropriate, and an HOA official coincidentally handed it to a recall supporter. Has MacLean noticed he’s surrounded by those who want him removed from office?

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Dale Tyler became the first potential candidate to replace MacLean by “pulling papers” on Oct. 20. Last week, Jeff Weekley, a Pacific Hills homeowner, became the second. Activists, volunteers and other community members say Weekley is unknown in city politics. A city watchdog commented, “He might be testing the water. It’s tough for a newcomer to win without name recognition or community support.”

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Orange County politicians are battling to replace ex-representative Mike Duvall in the 72nd Assembly District. County Supervisor Chris Norby and Linda Ackerman are among candidates. Norby became popular with Mission Viejo residents in 2002 when he won a seat on the county BOS as an opponent of the proposed El Toro commercial airport. The special election will take place Nov. 17.

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Additional information has emerged regarding the city survey about forming a Mission Viejo school district. Ury pushed the issue, and the council went along, possibly because they didn’t get what he’s up to. Ury’s political friend, Adam Probolsky, got the $15,000 city contract to conduct the survey. Instead of objectively measuring public opinion, Probolsky created a push poll to show that Mission Viejo residents want a new city school district. When Probolsky adjusted the numbers after reporting data, he again revealed his bias by stating to the city, “We found some numbers, all in our favor.” He had previously identified his position during informal conversations, demonstrating he had been chosen to create an appearance of support for a new district.

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Ury has three more council meetings serving his turn as mayor, and MacLean has only six before the Feb. 2 recall election. Ury is running out of time to push his agenda while he has two guaranteed majority votes from MacLean and Kelley. Ury’s desire to become the city’s permanent full-time major is no secret. MacLean barked on command at a recent council meeting, suggesting that Mission Viejo could become a charter city. Such a move could lead to electing a mayor instead of the current practice of rotating the position. Ury could then pursue his dream, becoming Mission Viejo’s Emperor for Life.