TONY RUBOLINO, San Clemente, and LAURA FERGUSON, former San Clemente councilmember
Last year, a resident discovered 22 public comments with residents’ personal identifying information, such as email addresses, phone numbers and addresses published on the city website.
Rather than remove this information when citizens requested, the city doubled down for months before council publicly addressed the matter.
During the April 19, 2022 council meeting, instead of demanding the city comply with its legal and ethical duty to redact personal information in the protection of constituents, Councilmember Chris Duncan gaslighted residents who “complained” and accused them of “wasting time on a non-issue” and attacking staff with their “made-up allegations.”
Now the shoe is on the other foot, and Duncan, instead of disclosing unredacted emails about his D.C. trip, insists that his email address remain redacted from public view to safeguard the privacy of his personal identifying information. Talk about a double standard.
It was improper for Duncan to use his personal email when conducting what he alleged was “city business” in the coordination of his trip, using $4,600 in council contingency funds without council approval.
It was also improper for him to include his assembly campaign in the signature block of his email correspondence about city business.
At the May 2 council meeting, resident Tony Rubolino asked councilmembers for an update since they recently asked Duncan to provide unredacted emails related to his trip.
Rubolino added, “The moment he used his email with a hyperlink to his campaign to communicate his trip to D.C. on the taxpayer dime should be instant nullification of city funds used for this trip, and Duncan should pay this back to city coffers. Council, this is your moment to shine to hold Duncan accountable.”
Duncan is laser-focused on his campaign for higher office. Anytime a politician is self-serving and intoxicated with power, the people are not represented. We must demand honesty, integrity and accountability of our elected officials.
If they lack these qualities, they should be voted out of office; not promoted to higher office.
