MOLLY MCLAUGHLIN, San Clemente
What a surprise to hear that Councilmember James has resigned midway through his term of office. His cowboy stance on important community topics was notable in its lack of intelligence and knowledge of public policy.
Don’t get me wrong, I know we are all tired of career politicians who only put their interests first, and he may have seemed like a breath of fresh air to many. But did you ever really listen to him?
Councilmember James wanted to turn San Clemente into the Wild, Wild, West—pretending that his gun sanctuary efforts were not already protected by our Constitution. Or how about his diatribe on the homeless? Or even better, his hateful attitude to a reporter just trying to question him on his resignation? Crude and cruel words for a leader in his position.
Independent of a potential health or personal consideration that left Councilmember James with few choices, a responsible and caring councilmember would have given the city a 60-day notice regarding his resignation, providing his colleagues and staff enough time to prepare and provide options in moving forward.
How about the impact of his resignation on important city matters that might be postponed because a 2-2 vote of a five-member City Council cannot move forward?
The consequence of Councilmember James’ actions is that until an appointment or very expensive special election, the city could find itself at an impasse on key legislative matters, thereby postponing key decisions that could have impactful consequences on residents and staff.
A blustery cowboy politician who quits on his colleagues and residents—shame on you, Councilmember James. We deserved better.
