MISSION VIEJO : Town Meeting Faces Tough Competition

Stacked up against the Academy Awards, city officials hope that a town meeting scheduled tonight isn’t a box office flop.

“It’s a choice between Clint Eastwood, Al Pacino or Bob Breton,” said Mission Viejo Mayor Robert D. Breton. “I hope it’s not going to be a ‘crying game.’ ”

No gripe or concern will be too large or too small to be heard by city officials at Trabuco Hills High School, 27501 Cordova Road. The 7 p.m. meeting will be held in the school’s Little Theater.

“We’re trying to find out what are those unmet needs, those issues that we have not even begun to address,” Breton said. “Is there something out there we haven’t heard about yet? I would disappointed about a small turnout because there must be a lot of valid complaints over things we haven’t heard about yet.”

But that doesn’t mean the pressing issues of the day aren’t welcome. Breton expects residents to express themselves on a number of issues.

“I expect the need for a library will be raised,” Breton said. “People want to know why are we spending money on soccer fields and an animal shelter and not on a library. Others may be concerned about a lack of parks.”

If citizens have complaints about police, fire and City Hall employees or City Council members, Breton said, the town meeting is the place where they can be heard.

“This is a time to talk face to face with your city officials,” he said. “There’s a time to talk and a time to listen, and this is the time for council members to listen and find out just what people are thinking out there and how things are going in Mission Viejo.”