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Loading ...(4/13/09 by Dave Emerson) Well, it took a bit longer, but to my subjective eye it seemed just as orchestrated as the last two votes for Mayors Grose and Edgar. Regardless, the end result was just as predictable and disappointing.
In fact, “Richard” predicted it right here almost 3 weeks ago in the very first comment on my post, “Nominees to fill Dean Grose’s seat announced.” Interestingly enough, in 100+ comments on that post alone, plus dozens others on other posts since then, I can’t recall one person speaking up for Mr. Zarkos, but I can recall many expressing concern over his statements and his lack of time living in the city.
That didn’t seem to matter to the majority.
Again.
After the nominees had a chance to respond to the same five questions, Mayor Edgar opened the floor for nominations.
Ken Stephens nominated Anne Yee. The nomination died for lack of a second.
Gerri Mejia nominated Brad Sheridan. The nomination died for lack of a second.
Mayor Edgar nominated Dean Zarkos. Marilyn Poe seco0nded. A vote was taken, deadlocked 2 – 2, Poe and Edgar yea, Stephens and Mejia nay.
Marilyn Poe nominated Candace DeWitt-Drucker. Mayor Edgar seconded. A vote was taken, deadlocked 2 – 2, Poe and Edgar yea, Stephens and Mejia nay.
Gerri Mejia nominated Pete Carvojal. The nomination died for lack of a second. Pete had Marilyn Poe’s sign in his front yard right at the entrance to the city’s largest tract, and “Our Most Trusted Voice” couldn’t even be bothered to second his nomination! One of three candidates that had “unanimity, ” “experience,” and “commitment to Los Alamitos” written all over them–none of whom received a second!
Mayor Edgar proposed a discussion, Gerri thought it might be more productive in closed session, but (believe it or not) the city attorney said this couldn’t be done in closed session. Kudos to Dean Derlith!
Ken Stephens made a fairly lengthy speech about
the need for fiscal responsibility and to avoid a $100,000 special election, although the city staff had estimated the cost at about $40,000 as I recall. Eventually he got to the point of saying he would support Zarkos.
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All the Council members then raved about what wonderful, excellent candidates they all were–even though three of them couldn’t even get a second!!
Within a matter of minutes, Dean Zarkos was sworn in as out newest Council member.
He said he would work hard to bring about healing. I hope he meant it. He did respond to my first e-mail, at least. He never did respond to my second, where I asked him how long he’d lived in Los Alamitos. My best guess is two years.
Three citizens who’ve served as commissioners passed over. Only one of the three even got a second, and she was the one I never even was able to get ahold of. The other two of them had served twice as Chairpersons of their commissons.
A lawyer and judge pro tem passed over, who’s lived here many years and owns his own home.
Two Rossmoor Highlands residents passed over.
Instead, the Council chose the candidate who essentially echoed a malicious CPLA attack in the summary he submitted to this website .
The majority could have truly begun the healing process with an independent vote. Instead, it appears that they have chosen to simply consolidate their power.
Monday the 13th. I hope I’m wrong, but it looks to me like a very sad day for Los Alamitos.
I’m wondering if the closed session will end with a 4 – 1 vote to install a new City Manager.
That’s only one citizen’s opinion–now it’s your chance to share yours. Please try to be diplomatic and respectful, and keep the language family friendly.
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47 Responses to “You heard it here 18 days ago: It’s Dean Zarkos!”
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Tonight’s councilmember appointment sham gives the “Fix” in Let’s Fix Los Al an entirely new meaning. Let’s “Fix” Los Al now sounds more like the goal of Stephens, Poe, and Edgar than the goal of its well-intentioned originator. Now that the fix is in, what are we going to do about it?
Standing in the the back talking with the Yees and Mrs. Sylvia I asked Mrs. Sylvia if she could have support Mrs. Yee being appointed; she said yes. I pointed out that I could have supported Mrs. Yee being appointed. That there was no way that she would have supported either of Gerri’s candidates and based on my opinions on Marilyn’s there was no way I was going to support hers.
The one candidate that could have been supported by BOTH sides (if you take Mrs. Sylvia and I as two opposing sides) was Mrs. Yee.
So, why did Ken Stephens roll over on her so fast? I thought that when Ken was going to talk that he would point out why he nominated her, speak to her skills and how she could represent both sides. How she was an independent thinker with an interesting skill set that would add value to the council.
But no, he threw her under the train as the railroad pushed through a divisive choice.
It was interesting to get the views of what happened in the back room while the candidates were waiting to come out (Brad wasn’t there since he went first so I only got two views), but it seems that three were working on how they were going to present themselves and one wasn’t. You’ll never guess which one wasn’t working on his presentation. Right. You guessed. It was the one who already knew the outcome.
I believe the proper definition of what happened tonight is a sham. It was a passion play. Three very qualified people were never given even half a chance. And Ken Stephens, you should hang your head in shame. Your immediate rollover wasn’t even good acting. You nominated a great person for the position and then walked out on her. Have you no decency sir?
JM,
Ken Stephens’ caving so quickly made no sense to me either.
The Council had voted on only two candidates, and deadlocked both times. A second couldn’t even be found for the three most qualified candidates. It seemed like it was time for some sort of discussion–an effort to see why people voted as they did, to explore the strengths and weaknesses of each candidate, to understand why nobody on the Council was willing to second the three strongest candidates.
There were lots of ways to go.
Just giving up on your nominee without a fight makes no sense to me unless it had been orchestrated.
BTW, can anyone tell me the last time someone from Rossmoor Highlands was on the City Council?
I thought two of the three strongest nominees were from the Highlands:
*Anne Yee who even Carol Sylvia and JM Ivler could agree on
*Peter Carvajal, with over a decade of service to local schools, youth sports, and as two-time Chairperson of a major city Commission
Instead, the majority picked the candidate who slammed me during the election for saying Rossmoor Highlands deserved representation on the Council. The candidate who still hasn’t answered my question, “How long have you lived in Los Alamitos?”
Interesting pick.
Our “Community Leader” strikes again. Ken Stevens has proved yet again, that he does not have the walnuts to sit on the council. He rolled over like a dog with it’s tail between it’s legs. He looked more like that famous tv personality of the 70’s, “Flipper!”
This new majority has done a great job of wasting the time and efforts of the residents of this fine town. I heard Troy say while on the Dias, “There are great qualified people on our commissions”, he even went on to name both Brad Sheridan and Art DeBolt. Yet Troy could not follow the simple instructions of nominating two candidates. Further Troy could not be persuaded to support one of our Commission Chairmen. What Dean Grose did was a mistake and caused shame to our community. What Troy and his stooges are doing is a mockery of the system and only lends support to a movement to Recall one or more of them.
Where do I sign?
There is so much that can be said about the meeting last night.
To start with Ken’s righteous fiscal reason for rolling over. Seriously, Ken do you think we are stupid enough to fall for your little acting job?
Then there was the shameless silence of the “majority” when the three past commissioners could not even get second. Council, I ask you, how do you think that makes your commissioners feel about their service to our community? Your behavior last night was simply Shameless.
Finally that the majority managed to dupe four fine citizens to play a role in your ridiculous charade was the final insult. The “Majority” had in their reach the best chance to heal the divide that our city is suffering without losing their “majority”.
Instead they showed themselves to be petty and dismissive of our needs as a city and for that they should all be recalled.
They should hold themselves accountable and they should all stand up and justify their votes. Ken you are excused as you have shown that you have no back bone and we don’t need to hear your hypocrisy again.
What a bunch of bumbling idiot the new majority is. They found a way to once again do the exact opposite of what was needed for the City of Los Alamitos. Troy what a lying piece of Brown Act you are. You yourself named Brad and Art as very quallified people as replacements. You yourself offered verbal support to Nita in her bid for City Manager. You actually behaved for a couple of meetings, fooling some into thinking that you might be capable of change. If you need to see how a Mayor should conduct themself then you need to look over at Mrs. Mejia. She has been the model to all of us. She is going through tough things in her personal life as well as on the Dias, yet she offers insite, explination, and at least shows a willingness to work together. You show your lack of leadership, lack of inteligence, and lack of social skills, with evey thing that you do.
Brad, Pete, Ann, Dean, & Candice, you have all been made fools of as the Los Alamitos Circus keeps on rolling. Now that Mr. Grose has put a spot light on our fine city, it seems as we are determined to keep it that way.
It appears that our city is now run by a bunch of out of towners, Cypress business owners and people who are in the pocket of George Briggeman. The trash contract is right around the corner and based on what was seen last night, it won’t be a suprise to see which way the bid goes. I think this is the biggest threat to the city. We are 1 step away from becomming Briggeman, California 90720!
J.M.:
Are you incinuating that because Mr. Zarkos was not prepping for his (10) minutes at the podium, that the fix was surely in place, orchestrated by the evil Mayor Troy? Maybe he just had his #@$% together? After all, his demeanor and communication skills were far superior than the rest.
You certainly have quite the imagination Sir.
Robert,
What show were you watching!? Obviously not the one that all of us were watching. Why don’t you close your eyes and tell us how you see things are in your world. Wait, it appears you already did.
Robert, based on a number of things, INCLUDING his demeanor and statements made to others, I believe the fix was in.
If I was a total asshole I would base my opinion on one item. Not being a total asshole I base my opinion on the preponderance of evidence that is presented.
His “not prepping for his (10) minutes at the podium” is just one piece of evidence in a long trail. By itself meaningless, when joined with other components, like a woman who came to the meeting saying she was invited to watch him get sworn in BEFORE the meeting started, it reinforces the narrative that the fix was in. Add to that the odd behavior (immediate total sell out of his nominee rather than making the argument as to why he nominated her and why he felt she would be the best choice) by Ken Stephens and the whole pack of evidence starts to stink like last weeks garbage.
One piece of data does not establish anything. Multiple data points can establish a pattern. The backroom data points support the pattern that we the public saw emerge from the front. It is additional data that is supportive of the patterns that were public.
So, since I’m not a total asshole (I only play one on the Internet) I can see that the data that was not available to the public (since we didn’t see it and it required having conversations with more than one person who was in the back room) provides additional support to the pattern that we did see. That the fix was in.
Are you, Robert, saying that the fix wasn’t in? If so, then what data points would you point to in order to support that opinion?
So, to clarify… What should have happened.
1) presentations by nominees
2) vote in which each council person would present the rest with the nomination of their nominees.
3) if no nominee is selected, a conversation by the members on why they nominated that person in order to get other members to see their reasoning
4) Another round in which each nominee is again nominated and voted on.
repeat 3-4 until a deadlock is broken.
What actually happened…
1) presentations by nominees
2) vote in which each council person would present the rest with the nomination of their nominees.
3) if no nominee is selected, a total capitulation from Ken Stevens on his even suggesting that Ms. Yee was acceptable and immediate support of a nominee that was seconded by the majority
4) The renomination of the nominee that Ken just rolled over his support to.
5) Done.
Oh, I forgot to add…
Choo-Choo…
J.M.: Just looking for more info, although the Ken Stephens rollover could just be a characteristic rather than choreographed. He certainly is a “Go with the Flow” kinda guy.
Don’t be so hard on yourself JM, you are a well informed, intelligent, opinionated citizen, nothing more. Sorry to get your blood pressure up!
Planet: Perceptions can be different of the same presentations depending on a number of factors (age, education, lack-of, gender, race, religion, etc.)
There was no way that Ken’s rolling over was characteristic of anyone or anything I know. The point of discussion was to present the reasons that you picked the nominee (at least in the first round) and express why you felt their skill sets were an important reason for them to be on the council.
In the first round of nominations it was expected that each council member would nominate the person(s) they brought forward. It was perfunctory that they do just that.
The next portion was about explaining WHY you though they should have been selected and supported by the other members.
I would love to have heard Gerri make the point that Marilyn should have felt that a person who had a Poe lawn sign on his lawn was worthy of being seconded, or at least explain why she felt that he wasn’t.
No, there was no reason for this to have gone down the way it did. Except, as was once told to me by a person in the Mayors seat, “The best part about being mayor is that you have the control to pick who goes first, second, etc. You can set things up in terms of presentation to reduce chance and get the results you want. It doesn’t always work, but you have control over it.” And that is just what Troy did. He controlled it.
Since the first round was all about nominating who you nominated, why start with Ken? He nominated only one person. Why not start with Marilyn or Gerri who nominated two? So it logically should have gone, Marilyn/Gerri/Ken/Troy/Gerri (you can swap out the order on the first two if you like, but you get the idea.)
Then there would have been discussion, and then based on the first vote where two of the three had gotten seconds, there would have been a second round where the ones who died for lack of a second would be offered up first. That would have given you Gerri/Ken/Gerri as the first three and imagine what would have happened if in that second round Gerri has seconded Ken.
In order to assure that didn’t happen, we were never presented with the possibility. Ken didn’t fight for Mrs. Yee. He rolled right over and killed any further discussion by saying that he would be the third vote for the Edger candidate.
Done! Choo-choo and a puff of white smoke!
If you can’t see a railroad when it runs right in front of you, then you will get hit by it.
Edgar ran the meeting the way he wanted to in order to get the result he wanted. The last thing Edgar wanted was a potential nomination and second for Mrs. Yee. He ran the vote in the best way to ensure that such a thing did not have a chance to happen.
Imagine how it would have gone down had they followed the logical process described above and Ken nominated Mrs. Yee a second time and Gerri seconded the vote. Ken would then have to actually fight for his nominee. Gerri would have stepped away from the two nominees that Marilyn and Edgar would never have supported and “moved to the middle” and Edgar and Marilyn would have had to explain why they wouldn’t meet Gerri half way.
That couldn’t be allowed to happen, so Edgar managed the meeting in such a way that it couldn’t happen. That required Ken to roll over and support the Edgar nominee immediately so there would be no further discussion and a second vote on Mrs. Yee couldn’t come up.
Five people were played. Three of them were very good choices. If you start by saying that Brad was never in contention, that left two good choices. If you were to say that just because they were nominated by Gerri neither was in contention, that left one good choice. And there was no way that Troy was going to let that name come up and get voted on in a second round where it may get seconded, ever.
Robert,
I fully agree with your take on perception. That being said, I would highly suggest giving your glasses a heavy cleaning and do the same for your ears. This was a classic example of the decision already being made prior to the appointment. AKA – “A Show”.
Who cares what went on in the backroom. I agree with Robert it just shows that Dean had is act together.
Why didn’t Gerri second the nomination of Mrs.Yee? If she had, maybe that would have been the compromise you were looking for. But Gerri only nominated her own people. Troy seconded Mrs.Drucker and she wasn’t his candidate. Troy was looking for a compromise. I really think Gerri made a big mistake by not seconding Mrs.Yee. Also, I thought Gerri was really the one always wanting transparency? Taking the discussion to the backroom is not showing transparency!
Dean gave the best answers to the questions. He spoke about a water bill that is going through the legislature that will effect the City. He is also the best educated and has lived here longer than anyone knew. Gerri’s nominees basically parroted what was written on their resumes. Mrs. Yee and Mrs.Drucker also gave good answers. I really think if Gerri had seconded Mrs. Yee the outcome would have been different.
Wow, I thought for sure the impostor group led by Chuckie himself would have been in full strength for such a big decision. I guess they only want to make sure that people Troy Edgar and Mr. Big don’t like don’t get in to office…They must have already sent the e-mail telling them who was going to get the seat.
Another nice job by our protectors of Los Al’s preservation and our 25 year pillar of the community. Clap, Clap Chuckie!!!
Thanks Lisa for your expert observation and analysis: It’s all Gerri’s fault.
Go find out what chuckie, Troy and Mr. Big want you to type next?
Let me see, it’s all the fault of Stephens, Poe and Edgar. When it appeared deadlock, why didn’t Gerri step forward in the interest of continuity … or is only her way?
That seems to be how you whackos analyze it each time.
We are all getting pretty tired of your responses Robert. I know it must be tough to type with your foot in your mouth.
Did you not see that Gerri was trying to get them to enter into discussion about the position. She wanted to protect the fact that the candidates were sitting in the audience and she did not want to put any undo embarrassment on them. She basically wanted each Council Member to give reasons for or against, but as we all saw the unwillingness to participate was from troy, marlynn, and ken.
Why weren’t you at the meeting, I have yet to see you stand up an voice your opinion where it really matters. Maybe it’s hard to stand with your foot in your mouth, or maybe you can’t respond without the guidance of the cee, pee, el, ay.
When and where can I sign!
You really believe that Troy Edgar is a good leader and the last two years in office have been stellar?
First of all, you get what you vote for: We have a former mayor resign that was backed by the Chuckie smear group.
We have Troy who is on his third marraige and seems to think that women are not his equal (no woman last night). His leadership is so great that his descriptors are fired, insulted, divided and apologized. These are not the words that describe a leader of a small city.
Yes Robert, this wacko has proof to back up my opinion of what has transpired.
Just heard from one local source that School District superintendent Gregory Franklin thinks Mr. Zarkos is a “good guy,” pretty much the same words I heard from the Orange County Apartment Association. He did respond cordially to my first e-mail.
I think what concerns me even more than the nominee who was selected was the process itself. Interviews, then vote–no discussion, no pros and cons. The value of a group, committee, or Council is the interaction and exploration of viewpoints–the discussion. Discussion simply wasn’t part of the plan. Voting without discussion is not the way to get our Council to work as a team.
Gerri thought discussion might be better in private, but the Brown Act nixed that. She then suggested a workshop. Then Ken announced he’s support Zarkos. The way I remembedr it Gerri sent up a suggestion, and the other three basically ignored her. I’m in the field right now, but if someone’s near a DVR with a copy or watching a rebroadcast, maybe you could check & see if my memory’s correct.
Pretty much like when Gerri nominated Pete and then Brad, and nobody would even second the motion. Same when Ken kicked things off nominating Anne Yee.
Dean Zarkos may indeed be a “great guy.” I’d like to hear more of his involvement in our schools over the years. Sounds like he’s not as new to the community as the property ownership records would indicate. Everyone deserves the benefit of the doubt initially. I just think there were three candidates more suited to the needs of the community right now, but time will tell.
I hope Zarkos succeeds in his commitment to bring healing. Maybe it’s one of those “it takes Nixon to break the ice with China.” (Only a conservative Republican could get away with opening the door to the “Commies.”) In the same way, Zarkos might just be the person to sincerely reach out to and support Gerri and her supporters–to try to address her concerns. As an experienced Realtor and broker, Dean knows how to create win-win solutions by understanding and addressing everyone’s concerns.
I wish him well.
I just thought the decision-making process from the end of the interviews was a huge failure. Team building skills seem sadly lacking. Maybe it’s a vacuum Dean could fill.
Zarkos said he grew up “HERE”. He didn’t say he grew up in Los Al. Then he said all his kids graduated from LAHS. Later, he said he moved back so his youngest could go to LAHS. Well….which is it??? Either you live here or you don’t!!
His mailing address is within spitting distance of Dean Grose. His “Gated Community” is a condo conversion that is owned by his wife not him. Who knows if he really even lives in Los Al. He may just use it as his mailing address.
Mr. B is registered to vote in Los Alamitos, but doesn’t live here. You can’t believe or trust any of the CPLA ers.
King puppet master Edgar has some new strings to pull.
I’m sure there are lots of “good guys” in our city limits, but that doesn’t make the process any less corrupt.
Dave E here: Right on target. I modified my comment above to more clearly address this point. Thanks.
I bet we’ll be seeing him there now if he wasn’t before last night.
Before you respond Lisa, I am not suggesting he doesn’t live there just that he certainly will now!
Not a smear like you like to give out.
Maybe she would have if that nomination came up a second time. We will never know because there was no second attempt.
The first round of nominations was a given. Really. Each member of the council had to nominate the people that they put forward for a vote. If Gerri had seconded the Yee nomination before she could nominate either of her two candidates and have them die for want of a second, that wouldn’t have been fair to those she felt were qualified.
As for Edgar, he and Marilyn both named the same person. Marilyn nominated, Troy seconded. Troy also lost nothing seconding the other Marilyn nomination as the vote would be 2-2 on that in the first round.
The second round, had Stephens not sold Yee down the river, would have permitted Gerri the opportunity to second Yee without endangering her two candidates from having a chance to be nominated (like they ever really stood a chance?). That is why Ken had to roll over and drop his candidate like a hot cake. If it had gone to a second round, as I described above, and Yee had been nominated and seconded, Edgar would have been in a whole world of hurt. Thus the passion play the way it was played out. The only way to railroad the pre-determined selection through.
I forgot to mention “liar” as one of the words that describe King Edgar.
So Robert, you keep backing the actions of the “Great Liar, Divider, Insulter…” and the rest of us will call it like it is…
Dave wrote: “I think what concerns me even more than the nominee who was selected was the process itself. Interviews, then vote–no discussion, no pros and cons. The value of a group, committee, or Council is the interaction and exploration of viewpoints–the discussion. Discussion simply wasn’t part of the plan. Voting without discussion is not the way to get our Council to work as a team.”
Right on Dave!
It would be nice if our self appointed Mayor would have had this most important process thought out.
Once again, Gerri showed why she should be mayor as opposed to someone like Troy that is only doing it for himself and not for us.
Isn’t that suppose to be one of Troy’s strengths.
Lisa wrote:
I think the first round went pretty much as expected. Get out where everyone stands. But then they needed to start discussing the matter to collectively come to a consensus opinion.
I wish Gerri had seconded Mrs. Yee. I think on a second round she well might have.
I wish that Ken (or Troy or Marilyn) had seconded Pete and/or Brad. I think on a second round they might have.
But mostly I wish that enough respectful discussion and interaction had taken place on the Council to allow them to come to a unanimous choice. We didn’t see 4 individuals putting their heads together for the common good. There was no opportunity for teamwork or discussion in the format that Troy set up.
Lisa must not have watched what we saw. Gerry was not given the chance to cast a second vote for Yee because Ken couldn’t wait to drop his nominee and play his role in the circus.
Ken jumped at his chance to roll over like the sad little lap dog that he is.
All I can say is it was a sad sad night for our city
Dave, even in that format, it would have been possible to have discussion.
1) do a round of nominations
2) each council member express why they put forward the people that they did.
3) do a second round of voting starting with those that got no seconds in the first round.
But if that had been the process then there was the great possibility that Yee would have gotten a second from Gerri. That could not be allowed to happen as in doing that Gerri would have shown a “move to the middle” that would have to be answered or responded to. Doing it the way it was done never allowed Gerri to show that she was willing to move to the middle. It was a set up. It gives the CPLA-types the ability to say “See, they tried but Gerri didn’t second Yee.” The fact is that Yee never stood a chance to get a second as Ken dropped her like a hot potato.
That said, Lisa, if you feel that the process was “fair” then please explain why it wasn’t done like I stated in my post above. In doing it that way each candidate would have had a first round. Then those that didn’t get a second would have had a second round. opportunity. Heck, even if he had dropped his bombshell and turned on Yee, if Gerri had nominated Yee would he then not second the nomination? Would he then have sunk her anyway?
No, there was no way that Yee’s name could be allowed to come up a second time and get a nomination and a second. Edgar knew that and the railroading process was done to ensure that there was no second round. That there was no way that Gerri could indicate that Yee was her third choice.
To quote Mel Brooks as Rabbi Tuckman in Men In Tights “It’s good to be the king.” And Edgar did just what he had to do to manipulate the process to appoint the person he wanted. Yee never stood a chance. She was used, and abused, by Stephens. Has he no shame.
JM: Your idea to start with the ones who lacked a second the first time wouldn’t make it with either the Democrats or the Republicans. That’s the dumbest idea yet from you. Logically you start with those who received votes, not with those who received none. Troy voted for someone who he did not nominate, why was it Gerri wouldn’t do the same? Why didn’t she see Yee the way you did? Troy didn’t wait for the second round to do it either? Maybe your great councilwoman who you think can do no wrong DID WRONG?
You need to open your eyes. Why did Troy only bring one name forward when at his direction each Member was to bring two name forward? Then magicaly our most trusted voice comes up with the same name. It should have been manditory that they bring forward what they decided on in public. Troy could not even contain himself when his guy was selected. What a sack of brown act. The whole thing reeks to high heaven. At least Troy explains his decisions, actions and nominations with good clear, information, right? BS ! I can smell a RECALL picking up some steam….
How did Troy ever survive on the playground…
Anyone have info on when & where I can sign the recall papers?
actually it would make it with both. When you are doing a “culling” and the rules state that the first person to get a majority wins, then you work it by culling off the ones that can’t win first.
Yee was the first nomination. What if Gerri seconded the first time around and Poe voted yes (for instance) then there would never be any votes on any of the others. What if one of the others would have garnered a vote from all four?
The process was deeply flawed in that “the first one to garner a majority wins”, but that’s how the process was set up. So the first time around we had all voted on. If Dean was such a good choice that Stephens could vote for him without any discussion the second time around, then why didn’t Stephens vote for him the first time around? No one said a word about how he was a better choice? What changed Stephens mind? NOTHING
Lisa, I don’t think you’re stupid, and I don’t call you an idiot. I think you are blinded by your one-track that says that one side is good and one side is bad. Thus anything proposed by the bad side is bad just because it came from the bad side.
If you can’t see that this was fully scripted there is nothing I can do that will convince you. Edgar scripted the whole thing (and yes, he is that smart). In fact, there were people on this blog stating that it was going to be scripted this way before the meeting. If you couldn’t see it coming, it was because you had blinders on.
Actually, when you are in the process of winnowing down a group and attempting to settle on one which has consensus, you start with those least likely to make the cut and work your way to the one most likely to be the greatest choice.
The first round was required for each person to vote for the one that they nominated. If Dean was so good that Stephens could vote for him the second time around without any discussion on his qualifications, then why didn’t Stephens vote for him the first time around? Isn’t that a great question? Between the 2-2 vote for Dean and Stephens rollover there was no discussion on what Dean brought to the table? There was no reason for Stephens to change his vote. None.
It was scripted. There was not one additional piece of information provided by anyone that would make Stephens reconsider his vote, but he did. So, why not just vote for Dean the first time if he thought Dean was good enough? His candidate had already died for lack of a second. Why not vote for Dean the first time?
Take off the blinders Lisa. If Dean was good enough for Ken to vote for without anyone saying a word then why didn’t he vote for Dean the first time around? You can’t answer that one can you? In fact you can’t answer that one since it makes no sense for him to not have voted for Dean the first time since he got no new information about Dean when he went from voting “No” to rolling over on Yee and supporting Dean. He already knew that Yee had died from lack of a second, so there was no reason for him to not vote for Dean the first time around if he thought Dean was qualified. Scripted. Railroad. Choo-choo.
on the recall. The City Clerk has until Friday to get me a statement that the petition meets the standards or does not. If it does I will also get a statement on the number of valid signatures that are required and the date that they must all be turned into the city clerk. If it does not (and there is no reason that it shouldn’t since I made all the changes requested) then we would make any changes requested and resubmit.
If you are interested in participating in the recall (we can always use a few more people gathering signatures) please feel free to contact me or any of the petitioners (Dave is one of them) and indicate that you are interested in gathering signatures.
Lisa/JM i agree with both of you! I do think that Gerri made a tactical error in not voting for Yee the first time. However I think the process was deeply flawed. If the first person nominated got 3 votes the whole thing was over.
how about a process where each individual is discussed and then a vote?
For those of you who doubt this was scripted: why did Stevens happen to have a qoute from each one of the candidates about the citys budget problems and then use it to roll over.
Why didnt he find out if Poe/Edgar might change their mind. His original NO vote was a nice plot twist that actually made me think he might have a spine. For about 10 seconds.
Now Troy has two dummies to speak thru.
I have reviewed that meeting twice now. (Boring) Anyway, we had some great people step up and offer help get this city out of the dirt and I just hope that they are still around and feel as strongly about this city at election time. Hopefully, we can just replace all the sitting councelmembers now on the dais (except Geri of course, because she is the only one that really speaks up for the people)! We are a lucky community to have these people here and hope they do stick around. Very disappointed in Ken. I thought perhaps he was beginning to think for himself and not do Poe and Edgar’s bidding, but again I was wrong. Too bad really, because deep down I think he is probably a nice man. He has just been hoodwinked by the “voice of reason” and “the wanna be Godfather”.
I won’t judge Mr. Zarkos at this time becuase I know absolutely nothing about him. I just hope I don’t ever see his face peering out at me through Edgar’s tummy!!!!
Well I see that you went ahead and hired some other puppet for your Coundil. I am going to talk to my agent about this. I was the first puppet in line and there needs to be some order to things. In the future, if an additional puppet is needed for the City Managers position I will respecfully like to be notified. Please send all corrispondents to;
141 Seasame Street.
KTF
http://www.alvarezwax.com/Images/Film%20Images/Kuato,George.jpg
Troy Edgar?
another one from the movie…
http://www.cyberpunkreview.com/images/totalrecall07.jpg
Diane,
Good thought not to pre-judge our new Council Member Zarkos. He has the right to be evaluated based on his actions, starting with this coming Monday’s Council Meeting. One positive for him: He responded to my congratulatory e-mail with a cordial & positive phone call. So far, so good.
Good news for Los Alamitos;
The man wanted for the murder of his Los Alamitos Grandmother is now in custody.
Dave, give us a break. Has there ever been a council held in lower esteem and less representative of our community?
What happened on Monday was a disgrace. I would go so far as to say that the recall should include Ken as he has shown himself to be an ineffective spineless lapdog to the majority and is incapable of thinking for himself.
JM,
Hahaha! Great pic. And you know how he got up there don’t you. Only one way, from the rear. Anyway, time will tell.
Diane,
It was shlocky sci-fi and completely off topic, but I couldn’t think of a better visual for your statement as it was what came to mind the moment I read your comment. In a world where so much is computer generated imagery, this was one of the last really good makeup and effects sci-fi films. As a film buff I love to watch and re-watch this (and The Fifth Element) for the stunning work done by the craftsmen.
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Still waiting for the Petition to be returned from the City Clerk.
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Since you are so down on “realtors” how do you feel about the newly appointed realtor to our council?