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CANYON BEAT By
Janet Wilson By Andrew Tonkovich
Bates and switch
Compost happens. Wildfire happens. Democracy too. Can- yon folk reside in an environment of self-esteeming provincial- ism, if also admirable visionary grassroots democracy, with the firestorm debate over self-gov- ernance complementing a dan- gerous, windy season of ignition and evacuation, collectivism and empathy. Extended metaphors exhausted, flames out, Santa Ana winds down for the moment. Imagine your average, mildly shook-up canyon resident stand- ing, post-fire, holding a hose stra- tegically aimed at his impressive compost pile, both chagrined at having waited so long to take this urgent anti-combustion measure and grateful at being warned by way of example, that point driven home by benign-seeming sheet metal that worked to keep rats out of a garden but for fire-safe- ty -- not so much. Somebody’s backyard catches fire, and we’re all appropriately tempered in our judgments and resolve to do bet- ter for each other. A compost pile, a righteous and wholesome eco-experiment, is a good thing, but can also start a fire. Meanwhile, four insurgency candidates for the Silverado- Modjeska Parks and Rec District board, a slate calling themselves the “Canyons First” coalition take on three appointed incumbents and one former elected direc-
tor estranged from her putative allies. A bipartisan posse, their oddly sadistic-sounding slogan – “Time Four (sic) a Switch,” sug- gesting corporal punishment by disciplinary woodsmen – may ap- peal to area voters eager for both punishment and political change. Challenging the current board, widely seen as sympathetic to development, and with a dem- onstrated lack of transparency, flaunting of process, procedure and financial reporting protocols – not to mention Robert’s Rules of Order – the Deborah Johnson, John Olson, Kevin Topp and Phil McWilliams line-up includes a nonprofits consultant and former Inter-Canyon League president, a self-described canyon newbie with experience in law and me- diation, an independent can-do businessfella and a much-ad- mired retired teacher and activist who, among other commitments, alerts residents via email to miss- ing pets, traffic collisions, cultural events and canyon clean-ups. United in keeping control of
the board, typically lined up four to one against conservationist Chay Peterson, are Ron Shepston, Linda Kearns and Greg Bates, noticeably distancing themselves from a previous political pal and making the math a little sketchy. All three were appointed, either by outgoing Supervisor Campbell or, in Kearns’ case, Bates and his
Foothills Sentry
board majority themselves. Former member Lisa Collins’ whimsical half-truth -- printed in official ballot materials! -- de- clares her “honor” at election to director in 2012 yet fails to remind voters she resigned 11 months later, after ostensible Brown Act violations and abusive behavior directed at, of all people, a dis- ability rights advocate. If some- how elected again, voters might anticipate another appointment position to replace her in August.
The board at its best Highlights of latest SMRPD
board meeting: Peterson attempt- ed to educate colleagues on the meaning of the phrase “conflict of interest.” Bates was forced to reconsider and officially recant at least two entirely false asser- tions and later confessed that he did not love everybody who came to meetings. Kearns got a quick, if embarrassing, tutorial on Full- Time Equivalency as regards counting actual kids vs. part-time kids enrolled at the Children’s Center. Outgoing Director Tom Smisek advised meeting-goers not to talk because he wanted to go home. Attendees were not scolded, interrupted or apolo- gized to by Shepston, as he was once again entirely absent. In a heated discussion about
social media posting policy, pro- foundly ex-director Collins insist- ed she was subject to personal at- tacks as a result of exercising the privileged and completely inex-
plicable authority of administer- ing the district’s Facebook page. An hour was spent on the political football, soccer ball, hacky sack that is the continued struggle to fund and operate the Children’s Center, now supported by the board, ironically applying at least some fiduciary curiosity but still not sharing accurate or current financials. Reports of its failed summer equestrian program and go-nowhere proposed 4-H club led to a discussion of roosters. This is a rural community, after all, but Roosters Foundation is apparently a local oenophilic phi- lanthropy to which, no kidding, Bates and Kearns and Kearns’ vintner husband (Giracci Vine- yards) belong, and from whom was received a generous grant for SCC, which you don’t need a conscientious composter to point out makes incumbents look good at election time. The Inter-Canyon League
hosted a League of Women Vot- ers-style candidates’ forum, unat- tended by Collins and you-know- who, where audience credulity was tested by Bates’ fundraising claims, Kearns’scurrilous person- al attack and nearly all candidates’ embrace of the discredited theory of handguns as viable home secu- rity. ICL’s recent apolitical com- munity shindig, a thank-you pot- luck honoring firefighters of all stripes (county, volunteers, Cal- Fire) attracted 200 with musical virtuosity by ICL lead guitarist Geoff “Slowhand” Sarkissian.
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
ORWF gets ready for November elections
The topic for the Oct. 16 meeting of Orange Republican Women, Federated (ORWF) will be the November elections. The meeting will begin at 10:30 a.m. at the Orange Conference Center, 300 S. Flower, with registration and social. Republican Shawn Steel, who
will discuss the direction of the Republican Party in California, will be the morning speaker. Following the noon luncheon, various candidates for offices in Anaheim, Orange and Villa Park will present their qualifications. Required reservations at $25
may be made at (714) 998- 9717. ORWF is becoming known as
an informational powerhouse, presenting speakers on the headlines of the day. In recent months, members were educated by nationally-known filmmaker and best-selling author, Dinesh D’Souza; author on Marxism, Don Jans; education expert Rob- ert Hammond; patriot activist David Whitley; and Julie Aftah, survivor of Muslim acid torture. Republican women in the area
who wish to join these discus- sions are invited to call ORWF President Carol Bowen at (714) 281-1335.
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