More Mayoral Embarrassment

April Fool’s Day was celebrated appropriately by Mission Viejo’s City Hall. No one does it quite like the city’s Hee-Haw Mayor.

In a video posted by Patch.com on April 1, Mayor Hee-Haw elaborates on his water-saving ideas http://missionviejo.patch.com/articles/mayor-throws-down-water-challenge-in-mission-viejo#video-5490581 . For openers, he says, “Don’t flush the toilet all the time. One tissue – wait til maybe two tissues.”

Unfortunately for Mission Viejo residents, this is not an April Fool’s joke. Hee-Haw then says he doesn’t want to give away too many of his secret ideas, but what’s left after “don’t flush the toilet”? Not only does it save water, it keeps in-laws, burglars – and everyone else – out of his house.

According to Patch.com, the occasion for tips from Hee-Haw is a contest among cities including Santa Ana, Westminster, Newport Beach, Fullerton, Seal Beach and Huntington Beach. It sounds like a water conservation contest, but is it? Participants are directed to go to a Website and sign up.

The city with the highest percentage of signups wins. Hee-Haw states in the video that the city with the most signups wins. Someone needs to read the rules.

Residents also noticed that the names and email addresses will become the property of the private foundation organizing the contest http://missionviejodispatch.com/consumer/mayor-dont-flush-toilet-all-the-time/#comments

While the message is aimed at citizens, those who really need a lesson in conservation are the pseudo-greens in Mission Viejo City Hall. Along with wasting an enormous amount of water, the city’s poorly designed irrigation system contributes significantly to street deterioration. The overspray also showers vehicles and creates traffic hazards with pooling on streets.

As an example of genuine conservation, turn to the private sector. The largest homeowner association in Mission Viejo has dramatically reduced water use through drip irrigation and other conservation methods. The savings were substantial, leading to reduced fees for homeowners. Meanwhile, City Hall’s wasteful practices and throwaway attitude – including taxpayer dollars – are legendary.