MISSION VIEJO : Leader in Campaign Declares Candidacy

The leader of a successful drive to overturn plans for a new $18-million city hall announced his candidacy for City Council on Monday.

Gary Manley, chairman of the Citizens Action Committee, wasted no time in attacking the council for what he called an irresponsible pattern of spending that he said could lead the city to bankruptcy in three years.

In what promises to become the marquee issue in the November elections, Manley castigated the council for its backing of a proposed $18-million city hall--a building that voters rejected in June by a 3-to-1 margin.

“To me, anybody who would support a project like that has no clue as to the finances of the city,” Manley said. “I think the community is very upset with (the council’s) spending habits.”

Manley, a real estate agent, also pointed to several other large projects that the council is working on, including the construction of an animal shelter and a library.

He also fired the first rounds of what promises to be a controversial and rhetoric-filled campaign at Councilman Robert A. Curtis, whose seat is one of two that will be up for grabs in November.

“I think the people currently in power have already demonstrated over and over again that they are willing to slander us in the council (meetings) and in newspapers,” Manley said. “I think they’ll do whatever it takes to defeat us and I think Bob Curtis is capable of anything.”

Curtis dismissed Manley’s comments as campaign talk.

“He’s engaging in preemptive rhetoric, I guess,” Curtis said. “I will hold Mr. Manley accountable for his behavior and his wild assertions. If he wishes to engage in character assassinations, I will respond by pointing out the truth of my record.”

Councilman Robert D. Breton, who supported the city hall project, said that the city is on strong financial ground. He pointed to a $20-million surplus in the city reserve account.

“We’re not going bankrupt,” he said. “I don’t think (Manley) has done his homework. Anybody who studies the records will see that we’ve stayed within our budget and lived within our means.”

In addition to Manley, four other people have taken out candidate papers--Edward Kearns, Donald Heffern and Planning Commissioners Sherri Butterfield and Joseph Lowe.

Only Kearns has returned the documents to City Hall. The deadline for bringing back the papers is Friday. If either Curtis or incumbent Councilman William S. Craycraft decides not to run, the deadline will be extended to Aug. 12.