After reading Michael Ray’s column in last week’s Indy, I decided to do some commenting of my own on those running in this year’s city council election.
There are two incumbents running for re-election. One is the mayor who in the last year has proven she is unable to hold a council meeting without it turning into a circus of incivility.
The cause of the incivility is the other incumbent running who feels it’s his right to insult and bully all those who disagree with him including fellow council members.
Then there is the young man who has lived in Laguna all his 24 years but most of those years he was a school child and for some, he was away at college. He wasn’t born yet when we had the Walk the Canyon or the 1993 Wildfire. He lacks personal knowledge of much of Laguna Beach’s recent history or its politics.
Next, there is the real estate agent and stay-at-home dad and in Ray’s words, who “has been pushed aside” by the engaging young boy.
Next, we have Village Laguna’s two endorsed candidates, Mark Orgill and Jerome Pudwill. They are both mature longtime residents with families and responsible careers. They both have experience and common sense that the city has been lacking and are dedicated to preserving Laguna’s charm and unique environment.
And last but not least is the longtime resident, businessman and landscape architect who has spoken at many city council meetings about the care and preservation of Laguna’s trees and environment. His opposition, Michael Ray’s newest PAC, has sent out the vilest mailer of this election. There has been such outrage in the community over this despicable mailer that the result has been to encourage voting for any of the candidates running for City Council, except Peter Blake.
Johanna Felder, Laguna Beach
Ms. Felder, You and Village Laguna are so anti-development why is it that you are endorsing both candidates that either worked for developers or were a developer? Why do they get a hall pass? Probably because something shady is going on if I had to guess. You say Jerome is a good man, I don’t know anything about him. He is so vague on with work and professional experience. When you accomplish something significant you remember every detail, not this general non-sense that sounds made up. Mark is a good man? Family, which one? Business relationship? Talk to anyone he has worked with, who was it that he builds seven degrees with or other projects in town, does she have anything good to say?
The Ruben one is funny, you called him a respected landscape architect, are you sure about that? Can you ask him to confirm if that is true or at least does he have valid license, or just maybe he has been lying to everyone this whole time. If he lied about that, what else did he lie about?
This is so insulting and beneath your dignity, Johanna. Doubly so, after asking Alex if Village Laguna could endorse him, which he politely declined because he didn’t want to get sucked into the games VL plays. Do you not see why people are turned off by VL and its negativity? You started out with a meaningful and defendable stance, but your organization has withered and soured, like the figurative grapes you claim you never wanted in the first place. Your power is depleted and your energy wasted on trivia and spite. It is sad to witness. You are no longer relevant to Laguna Beach, and you did it to yourselves.