Editorial from the Laguna Hills Watch Dog - There's Too Much Negative.
LET'S GO POSITIVE and VOTE PROUDLY on Nov. 6!!!
Are you feeling strangled, as we are, by all the convoluted negativity concentrated on the election for city council in Laguna Hills?
We were called and e-mailed by Melody Carruth, current Mayor of Laguna Hills, on Oct. 30, 2012 with a request to publish, on the Laguna Hills Watch Dog blog site, all the negative candidate bashing material that many of you just received in the mail, but many months ago we did our homework by thoroughly reading all published material, plus asking for additional information from the candidate whom we have known for 5 years.
We REFUSED TO GO NEGATIVE just to cast doubt.
We tell you who we are, that we have been attending Laguna Hills City Council Meetings and reporting them for many years, that we have no stake in city government other than to encourage Laguna Hills Residents to pay more attention to what is going on in their city government by bringing the council meeting reports to them in an easy to read format, and to hopefully achieve better Citizen Representation, Transparency and Accountability In City Government for Laguna Hills Citizens.
We read the recent candidate bashing piece delivered from unidentified people naming themselves "Citizens for Good Government in Laguna Hills." Our standard for the Laguna Hills Watch Dog is to present both sides with thorough and accurate documentation and give you links to complete stories, so you can read all the details for yourselves.
We believe THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER NEWSPAPER, (who is quoted as a negative source in the recent mailer bashing Dr. Raghu Mathur) explained it best in their Oct. 10, 2012 Endorsement of Dr. Mathur with:
"The Laguna Hills City Council has been divided in recent years over issues of transparency and compensation for the city manager. Two incumbents, Joel Lautenschleger and L. Allan Songstad, were up for reelection this year, but decided not to run. That presents Laguna Hills voters an opportunity to add two new members to the Council who can help move it beyond its internecine squabbles and deal squarely with transparency, executive compensation and other issues facing the city of some 30,000 residents."
"Of the field of very capable candidates, we believe Mr. Blount stands above the rest, followed by Mr. Mathur."
"An entrepreneur who has launched successful software, financial analysis and real estate companies, Mr. Blount's top priority, he said, is fiscal responsibility. City Council members are "stewards" he said, "of the collective resources" of Laguna Hills residents. That means, he said, "Every dollar that is collected should be spent in the very best interests of the city's residents." After fiscal responsibility, said Mr. Blount, he wants to improve Laguna Hills' business climate, reform managerial compensation, address the city's water rates and enhance public safety.
"As a former chancellor of the South Orange County Community College District, Mr. Mathur had an uneasy relationship with employee unions after tough negotiations over compensation and benefits. Nevertheless, he lists "civility" in city government as one of his priorities on the council, along with transparency, accountability and ethical behavior."
"The Register's Editorial Board endorses Andrew Blount and Dr. Raghu Mathur."
click on http://www.ocregister.com/opinion/city-374220-council-hills.html to see the entire endorsement piece including the OC Register's opinions of the other candidates.
The recent Mailers from these 2 candidates, whom we also endorse, talk about how they are ready to help residents with:
Implementing long needed Transparency and Accountability
Increasing Public Safety
Adjusting out of control City Management Compensation
Actively recruiting and support business in Laguna Hills
Making sure every dollar that is collected should be spent in the very best interests of the city's residents
Increasing Citizen Participation in City Government while being fiscally responsible with no increases in fees or taxes.
Ms. Frances Hicks expressed it well in the OC Register regarding the OC Register's Endorsement of Dr. Raghu Mathur and Andrew Blount - "Hats off to the Orange County Register, this is a stellar recommendation for two candidates that I hope the citizens that live and vote in Laguna Hills will RALLY behind both of these gentlemen and all of us who live in South Orange County will reap the benefits!"
Go Positive with Dr. Raghu Mathur www.mathurforlagunahills.com and http://raghumathur.blogspot.com/
Go Positive with Andrew Blount www.blountforlagunahills.com
10 comments:
Here is this mail we received today on Dr. Mathur. Notice the Illustration. I started wondering if Bill Hunt did the Illustration??
It's such a shame that even at this level people have to resort to this type of smear campaign. What happened to dignity and winning because a person has a good plan? This is very disappointing that people have to resort to this.
There is the vile hit piece that was delivered today. The hit piece demonstrates how awful Melody, Allan, and Joel have negatively influenced some folks.
The late Tom Fuentes, longtime O.C. GOP chairman and one of the most revered leaders of the Republican Party of all time was well informed about the troubles Dr. Mathur had with the unions and others who opposed him who conducted themslevs in ways considered contrary to community standards of justice, honesty and good morals and backed Dr. Mathur completely....He was exonerated of all the vile accusations contained in the hit piece long ago..Whether it be Dr. Gilbert or Bill Hunt ..whoever is responsible for this rubbish doesn't belong on the city council...
Blount and Mathur are who we are voting for... Melody Carruth has become nothing more than another "rhino" in the Laguna Hills City Council.
Keep up the good work for our Laguna Hills Community. Stand on Conservative principles and the truth
I agree everyone needs to get back to the real issues.
At times like these, people's character and lack of is truly revealed.
Thought I could stand by but after the ultra-nasty piece in the mail this weekend, I'm just moved to speak. AT LEAST BRIEFLY! If you want the rest of the story, I'm happy to share that too but for those that want the bottom line, I am POSITIVELY voting for Raghu Mathur and Andrew Blount for Laguna Hills City Council tomorrow. If you'd like, I can give you my real-world reasons why I am NOT voting for the others but I'd prefer to leave it positive and tell you WHY I'm so in favor of Mathur and Blount. (I could give you my Top Ten, but I'll stick to just one!) I have tried to send this only to those that I do not KNOW are actively supporting another candidate...my intent is not to solicit, only to inform of MY PERSONAL thoughts on the subject....
#1 Reason - because they started caring about the city, the council, the neighborhood, the community LONG before there were candidates. As many of you are aware, I really just started attending the COLH council meetings when I started Win-Win Wednesdays!! in January 2011. I started GOING and learning first-hand more about what was going on at City Hall. Although I missed my share, at least at EVERY single meeting I attended, at LEAST Andrew OR Raghu (and many times BOTH) were there. They were asking questions, making comments, making requests (as was I), making suggestions (as was I), because they CARE (as do I). And have demonstrated a physical presence and a physical interest in what was going on in the community, in our businesses, at our high school. Raghu was front and center at the Every Fifteen Minutes presentation way back in April. Both Andrew and Raghu have been regular attendees at Win-Win Wednesdays events....long BEFORE they were visible candidates.
If you haven't been to a City Council meeting (and I know most of you haven't because its usually the same half-a-dozen faces), I encourage you to at least sign up to receive the Laguna Hills Watch Dog - a blog produced by a friend and neighbor, Jean Bland. Jean and her husband Mike (the Chair of the COLH Marine Support Committee, Team Dark Horse) attend EVERY LH City Council meeting and have for years, in order to bring to the interested public, a transcript of each and every meeting. Jean voice-records every meeting and then spends hours transcribing and doing her own follow-up research and fact-checking to present fair representation of what transpired. Please don't take my word for it, unless you just really don't care...(and if that is the case, please just vote for Mathur/Blount and be done with it!)...but, otherwise, read about what is happening in YOUR community. Here's Jean's most recent editorial posting reflecting the desire to GO POSITIVE. You can also sign up to receive regular updates: http://lhwatchdog.blogspot.com/
I'm a feather-ruffler myself...vowing never to do things "the way we've always done it" just because that is the easiest way or because it's the path of least resistance. Vote as you will, but make sure that you are voting based on current, relevant, reasonable, and reliable information. Don't rely on junk mail that comes from anonymous cowards who remain nameless on their mailers and faceless at City Council meetings. And once the new council is elected, please join me EVEN occasionally on the front row at the COLH meetings....you may be glad you did! There are lots of very POSITIVE things going for us, so please GO POSITIVE WITH ME and feel free to forward this to others....Vote for Raghu Mathur and Andrew Blount.
Wow, what a hero! I know that last commenter who said it point blank and personal. Thank You! That person has been at the City Council meetings and knows who's been there vs. who just popped in and pretends to know anything about what is going on in our city government. It is wonderful to have support from the citizens in the know.
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