Recall Update

Recall supporters rallied on the corners of La Paz and Marguerite from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sat., Jan. 2. They reported very positive response – waves, honks and cheers. A recall supporter holding a “Vote for Dale Tyler” sign estimated the response was at least 90 percent positive. There is general acknowledgement on both sides of the recall that Councilman Lance MacLean will be removed from office in the Feb. 2 Special Election.

By the end of the signature drive last August, recall proponents had spent five months talking with voters at storefronts and other venues. One of the signature-gatherers said, “We didn’t just ask voters to sign the petition. We told them why MacLean must be removed with a recall. A question we heard frequently is why we should remove him in a special election 10 months before his term is up. Considering the damage the council majority is doing at every meeting, it is critical to get MacLean out now. There are many reasons to remove him quickly, and one is to rescind the lifetime medical benefits. If MacLean could survive and serve one more term, he would qualify for the benefits, costing taxpayers $270,000 per council member. It is simply very difficult to defeat an incumbent in a general election because so many challengers split the vote.”

The council majority members (MacLean, Ury and Kelley – MUK) continue to spend money the city doesn’t have on frivolous projects. Residents are noticing potholes in streets, neglected slopes and other signs of neglect. If the city is truly swimming in cash as MacLean claims, why is the infrastructure being ignored?

A blog reader emailed a comment after receiving a mailer in support of MacLean last week, “We got a letter from the Apartment Association in favor of keeping MacLean on the council. I viewed it as a condemnation of him as a council member. It is clear he has made a backroom deal to bring more apartments into the city. Residents should ask where the apartments are going to be built. Will MacLean lead the way to build apartments on top of stores at La Paz and Marguerite? Or will neighbors of a closed school learn the district is selling the campus to a developer of high-density housing? I do not trust MacLean at all, and I don’t trust the current majority. In fact, I would list city hall as Mission Viejo’s No. 1 problem.”