Protect Casta Golf Course

Neighbors of the Casta Del Sol Golf Course are watching the Nov. 6 city council race. Councilman Frank Ury wants housing on the golf course, and he is up for reelection. Following are the six council candidates along with their positions, if known, about housing on the golf course. Two seats are open, and both incumbents are running.

The incumbents – Cathy Schlicht and Frank Ury

Cathy Schlicht says she’ll preserve the golf course – NO HOUSING. Cathy is the only council member who consistently represents the residents, often voting in the 4-1 minority. When she first ran in 2008, her motto was “can’t be bought, can’t be bullied.” She has taken no special interest money or donations from housing developers.

Frank Ury blatantly wants housing on the golf course. He opposed Measure D, which would have given voters the right to vote on rezoning decisions, such as housing on the golf course. Ury wants more high-density apartments, electronic billboards and other atrocities that enrich his out-of-town friends. Ury is running on developer and special interest money. His running mate is Wendy Bucknum.

The four challengers are Ed Sachs, Wendy Bucknum, Desi Kiss and Richard Coleman.

Ed Sachs says he’ll preserve the golf course – NO HOUSING. Ed has a business background, and he was president of Pioneer Electronics. His political associations are with the Tea Party, and he’s a fiscal conservative. He opposes the electronic billboards in south Mission Viejo that Ury and the other council majority members want to approve.

Wendy Bucknum works as a lobbyist for Property Management Co. Her backers include Sherri Butterfield, Susan Withrow and Roger Faubel. What more does anyone need to know? Faubel is the P.R. guy for Sunrise, the developer that proposed housing on the golf course. Bucknum is running on special interest money, including a donation from the developer of the proposed electronic billboards.

Desi Kiss is relatively unknown. He isn’t fond of City Hall or the way projects are rubber stamped. He seems on the right side of things, but his campaign has yet to unfold.

Richard Coleman is unknown. His ballot statement says he wants to learn on the job how the council operates.

Kiss and Coleman are registered as No Party Preference, and the other four are Republicans.

This council race will be among the nastiest in history, with mud-slinging mailers paid for by Ury and Bucknum’s supporters. Two years ago, Bucknum’s group included real estate agents led by Dennis O’Connor. A former Olympian, Brian Goodell, put his name on slanderous hit pieces that maligned Mission Viejo residents. Goodell had been out of work for a long time, and he suddenly got a lucrative real estate job after signing the attack pieces.