Bucknum’s Gravy Train

Wendy Bucknum spent $50,000 trying to unseat Councilwoman Cathy Schlicht in the 2012 city election. Bucknum, who came in third for two seats, loaned her campaign $8,000 shortly before Election Day.

Bucknum is back – either trying to recover her $8,000 loan or to run again in 2014. On March 25, she had a fundraiser at a restaurant in Kaleidoscope. Observers said the event had few attendees, and several politicians received complimentary tickets to fill seats.

Bucknum’s latest campaign finance report, submitted July 31, shows the March 25 event was barely a fundraiser. Only five donors were listed, for a total of $650. Three businesses donated food, total value of $875. The cost of the event was $872. According to Bucknum’s July 31 report, she received other donations amounting to $263 during the same reporting period.

One of the businesses donating food ($175) for the March event was Bucknum’s employer, Professional Community Management (PCM). While Bucknum misleads people by claiming she works for Laguna Woods, she’s a lobbyist for PCM. PCM formerly bragged about Bucknum’s lobbying skills, but those references were removed from PCM’s website after this blog published the links during the council campaign.

An Orange County political consultant said Bucknum’s 2012 campaign treasury of $50,000 was largely special interest money accumulated through partnering with MV Councilman Frank Ury. The consultant said, “Follow the money and it leads to his financiers, not hers. If she runs again in 2014, she’ll be relying on a lot of $25 and $50 donations from her acquaintances.”