Fullerton’s Recalled City Council Members Ignore the Will of the People

* On June 7, the voters of Fullerton voted to have Buck Catlin, Molly McClanahan and Don Bankhead removed from their City Council positions and stripped of their power in our city. More than 13,000 voters said that if the recall was successful they wanted those individuals replaced by special election. That was and is the will of the people.

Now the city clerk, Anne M. York, spared in the recall, has decided to take an action that will eliminate the replacement elections for McClanahan and Catlin, and allow those two recalled council members to serve out their terms of office.

York purposely delayed the “certification” of the vote count until after July 2 in order to force a consolidated election that will cancel the replacement elections for McClanahan and Catlin. This action goes against the will of the people as expressed by the June 7 election.

The only reason she gives for her intentional delay is to “save money.” The registrar of voters has stated that a special replacement election will cost approximately $27,000 more than combining the replacement election with the November election. It seems that the city is only prudent in its spending when the “savings” will thwart the majority will of the voters.

York narrowly survived the recall because people believed “she was just doing her job.” Look closely and you might ask, “For whose benefit?”

THOMAS S. BABCOCK

Fullerton

* Onthe 5th of July, one day after the celebration of the signing of the Declaration of Independence from an oppressive and taxing government, the three recalled Fullerton City Council members voted to stay in power, maybe forever. The signers of the Declaration of Independence pledged their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor in the belief that “Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”

Delay the June recall election certification, use the maximum time before the special election is required by law, and bingo, the recalled City Council members run the city until the November general election. They no longer have “the consent of the governed.” Honor requires the recalled City Council members to follow the vote of the governed.

In a general election when there are many issues to distract the voter, incumbents have an advantage. If they stay in power until November and the recall vote is split among the many candidates, they can win. When asked, the recalled City Council members refused to say if they would run again in November. Are they honorable?

There would be no reason to spend one red cent of taxpayers’ money on a special election if they would pledge not to run or resign. Do these recalled City Council members have any honor left to pledge to the voters in November?

HAL MCDONNEL

Fullerton