Wendy Bucknum Campaign
Part 7, Lobbyist in Volunteer’s Clothing

Wendy Bucknum is a professional housing lobbyist running for the Mission Viejo City Council. Articles in this series have identified Bucknum’s lobbyist job, her stream of campaign dollars from special interest and the list of elected officials endorsing a lobbyist.

Bucknum as a council candidate in 2012 ran on special interest money while promoting jumbotron-style billboards along Crown Valley Parkway. Informed voters realized a lobbyist wouldn’t represent them on the council, and they weren’t fooled by politicians endorsing a lobbyist

Last week’s Part 6 included a letter from two frustrated homeowners over Bucknum’s lobbying for her employer, Professional Community Management, and against the homeowners PCM is supposed to serve http://cotobuzz.blogspot.com/2012/02/disgraceful-golden-rain-foundation.html

Bucknum postures as a volunteer -- attending community events while being paid by her employer and simultaneously campaigning for a council seat. Naïve members of groups mistakenly believe Bucknum is one of them. She makes announcements at nearly every council meeting as the “promoter” for such groups. She has also gotten herself appointed to boards that are useful to her lobbying job as well as her council campaign.

A defining example of Bucknum’s deceit is her role in a South County political group, a Republican Women Federated unit. The group has general meetings and board meetings mid-morning on weekdays, when Bucknum isn’t in her office but she’s “on the job” as a lobbyist. After getting on RWF’s board, she trampled another volunteer to visit Sacramento as the group’s youth advocacy volunteer. What could be better than a housing lobbyist visiting legislative offices in Sacramento as a “volunteer”?

During the Mar. 3 council meeting, Bucknum made public comments about some of her many areas of intense interest – because she “really, really likes her community.” She promoted the character committee in schools, the Elks, South County Chamber, the city’s Chili Cook-off and South County’s Got Talent. Immediately after a resident called out a council member for conflict of interest, Bucknum didn’t appear to comprehend the previous message, http://missionviejo.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=14&clip_id=1304
starting at 1:56.

Mission Viejo resident Stephen Wontrobski (starting at 1:56) spoke about the Orange County Fire Authority. He indicated Trish Kelley’s son mysteriously jumped to the front of the line (ahead of 3,000 applicants) to get into the OCFA program with his mom on the OCFA board. Wontrobski pointed to Kelley’s numerous other conflicts of interest as an OCFA board member, including her approvals of OCFA employees’ (her son’s) pay raises and benefits. 

Voters should not miss Bucknum’s announcements immediately following Wontrobski’s revelations about self-dealing disguised as public service.