The Buzz

During the weeks prior to the Nov. 2 election, city contractors did a remarkable job of removing campaign signs. In their zest to eliminate any evidence that an election would take place, they frequently trespassed on private property, broke laws and trampled First Amendment rights. Ironically, the city’s obsession with removing campaign signs ended on Election Day. After the election, when no one needed a reminder to vote, city hall suddenly stopped taking signs.

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With approximately half the ballots counted, the top three vote-getters for Mission Viejo City Council are Trish Kelley (13,317), Dave Leckness (9,586) and Rhonda Reardon (9,444). In the final days of the campaign, candidates who sent direct mail pieces or used robocalls included Rhonda Reardon, Trish Kelley and Neil Lonsinger. If Reardon’s last-minute efforts had an impact, she could overtake Leckness and finish in second place. While the top three won’t be surpassed at this point in the count, having Reardon pull ahead of an incumbent would bring satisfaction to those who posted “No Incumbents” signs.

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Incredibly, the defunct, failed Mission Viejo Community Foundation got a mention in city hall’s magazine, the Winter issue of Leisure Time. The foundation went belly up after a so-called director paid himself with taxpayers’ seed money and a few donations from residents. The foundation is somehow involved in a benefit golf tournament for the Marines.

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What’s next on city hall’s agenda, now that staffers preserved their council majority to do whatever they want? Staff members are very excited about their long-awaited project, razing the retail center at La Paz and Marguerite and rebuilding it with apartments on top.

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Report from Joe Holtzman about the council meeting on Nov. 1, the eve of the election:
“Trish Kelley continued her biased reign as mayor of Mission Viejo at last night’s council meeting. Kelley permitted Rick Sandzimier to not only falsely accuse other candidates of misdeeds, but permitted him to verbally abuse a sitting council member.  Kelley was silent during the close to 6 minutes permitted Rick Sandzimier while adhering to the 3 minutes allotted to others speakers, who pointed out Kelley’s various abuses during this election cycle.”

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With Bill Barker suddenly passing away on the morning of the election, some residents reacted with disbelief. At a visitation service for Bill on Nov. 4, his friends said they voted for him, knowing he had died. One of them said, “I cast my memorial vote for Bill. If God has a city council, I hope Bill is on it.”

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Mission Viejo lost another patriot the week before the election. Dee Strubb, who had twice beaten cancer, died on Oct. 26. Dee spoke many times at council meetings during public comments, and she always had a thoughtful message. She was a retired elementary teacher who loved to paint and create works of art for friends. Dee and her husband Al recently celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary.