Stephanie Bailiff, San Clemente
I am dismayed by the amount of negativity and misinformation going on in this 2012 San Clemente City Council race. My vote needs to be earned by information and solutions, not by mudslinging. I have attended debates, read the literature and even asked questions. While I get substantive answers and ideas from Mike Mortenson and Jim Dahl, I get nothing but confusing “no” responses from Bob Baker and Chris Hamm. What are Bob Baker’s and Chris Hamm’s actual ideas for San Clemente? I get that they say no to everything, but what do they actually plan to achieve?
Mr. Baker, what will you do to enhance San Clemente? Right now, I just see that you have voted “no” to a lot of things that actually have made San Clemente a better place to live. You voted “no” for the farmer’s market. You voted “no” for the city carnival. (Ironically, I saw you out there promoting your name at both events!) What will you say yes to? Can you explain your voting history and help me find a thoughtful explanation as to why you’d vote against a handicap-access bathroom and banning smoking in public parks?
Mr. Hamm, I sadly can’t see behind the big coattails of Bob Baker to even know what you stand for. Specifically, Mr. Hamm, I would like understand how an “Amber Alert” sign actually causes congestion on the I-5 freeway. I would also like to understand who Wayne Eggleston is to you and why he is paying for all of your ads. Can’t you raise your own funds? I think the problem here is that you’re not making any sort of statement to demonstrate how you would enhance San Clemente. It would be nice to know something of substance about you other than you seem to have aligned yourself with Bob Baker.
By the way, like Mr. Hamm, I grew up in SC and I am 100 percent sure that this singular characteristic would not make me any better/worse than another candidate. It’s education, devotion and hard work that makes someone a good candidate, not spending your life within a three square-mile limit. So, please stop with the “I’m an SC native” lines and start giving me substance.
I want to know what the candidates think. Both Mike Mortenson and Jim Dahl have very reasonable approaches to problem resolution. By “reasonable”, I mean to say that they will actually listen to the issues before they decide how they are going to vote. Mike Mortenson and Jim Dahl have earned my vote.
Great points Stephanie! Very insightful letter, I agree with you 100%
Wow Steph—- I think the ONLY disinformation I have heard yet IS from Urban Sprawl Dahl and his pal Mortensen. It has been astonishing. I mean Dahl gets 150k from the toll road and as OUR rep on the council he is allowed to have an unbiased opinion on the toll road?
It is simply NONSENSE.
Another useful thing about these mailers is that newer folks in town are able to get a sense of the history of some of these candidates— Jim Dahl, for example has a storied history of losing his cool (U Tube Jim Dahl San Clemente and see for yourself!) and pushing super bad development…
No on Dahl and Mortensen.
SC Voting-
It was also helpful that quite a few newer folks in town that I know went to the forums. Whether a resident is new or old, I think it was interesting for them to hear the many naive statements Mr. Hamm made at each and every forum… It was useful that residents heard first hand, that Hamm thinks our traffic problems are caused by amber alert signs, like Stephanie points out above in her letter. Our traffic here in SC is a huge problem, and we need some real solutions. Turning off an amber alert sign, something Chris has said he has spent months, and weeks and hours upon hours working on, is not the solution our city needs. The fact that he thinks pulling the plug on “click it or ticket” sign will cure all our traffic problems, combined with the fact that he thinks being born in San Clemente makes him qualified and ready to sit on our city council is just silly. These statements just sound childish, and prove that Chris Hamm is nowhere near ready to help make influential decisions for our city.
WOW !! SC Voter– you are 100% correct in a way! I brought my new neighbors to ALL of the forums! They got the chance to see a full blown Dahl melt down! We shared a few laughs on that one and then went home and I showed them Mr. Dahl melting down on several you tube vids! Pretty fun.
In re Mr Hamm— we were delighted to see his bold, new, ideas. We feel pretty darn comfortable that with his multi generational association to the city AND his appointment to the GPAC city planning crew that this is EXACTLY what San Clemente needs to keep nimble, updated and yet retain the charming character we have that drew many of us here!
SC Voting:
I was at all the forums as well. I somehow missed “bold, new” ideas from Chris Hamm. The only idea I heard was to turn off Amber Alert signs- nothing bold or impressive about that, and I’m definitely not in the minority on thinking that. Since you were at all the forums, I’m sure you saw the raised eyebrows and puzzled looks, and even heard a few whispers when Chris said that signs saying “click it or ticket” caused our traffic problems in SC. I’m not here to change your mind, I’m simply here to voice my opinion and to commend Stephanie on her fabulous letter to the editor. If you think we can cure our traffic problems by turning off those signs, that makes 2 of you. If those get turned off, and our traffic miraculously clears up, I will be the first to give Chris Hamm two big thumbs up.
“By the way, like Mr. Hamm, I grew up in SC and I am 100 percent sure that this singular characteristic would not make me any better/worse than another candidate” Bravo!!!!!!!!! How about some real NEW ideas from you Hamm for the better meant of SC in the future, not the same old wish it was still 1970 all over again.
I disagree with you Steve. While generations in town is not a singular qualification, I do think it is unique and demonstrates in a small way why he’s so good—he cares. And new ideas—-here’s one he has—- UNLIKE the Dahl machine—– solve our transportation challenges without a toll road! Check out his website!
By the way—- I remember 1970 as pretty good!
So today I find out that it’s public record—Mr. Mortensen took a 10k “donation” from the LOS ANGELES Realtors Assoc.– THE biggest donation to a campaign in San Clement history!
…and you say Mortensen and Dahl are not connected to development—- what a joke.