RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA
A senior executive with an engineering firm hired last week by the City Council was the single-largest contributor to the committee that led the campaign for cityhood and the election of all five council members.
William Stracker, a senior vice president with the San Diego-based civil engineering firm of Berryman & Henigar Inc., gave $5,000 to the Political Action Committee for Rancho Santa Margarita in September.
In making its decision, the City Council reviewed proposals from several firms and conducted interviews with officials from Berryman & Henigar and another firm, Torrance-based Charles Abbott Associates Inc., which contributed $2,500 to the Political Action Committee.
The committee collected funds, printed campaign literature and organized events to promote the election of Mayor Debra H. Lewis and council members Neil C. Blais, Carol Gamble, James M. Thor and Gary Thompson.
Thompson said they were unaware that either firm had contributed to the Political Action Committee and that the donations played no part in their decision to hire Berryman & Henigar.
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