Elephant Unmentioned at Mission Viejo Meeting

Re “New Mission Viejo Activists Seek Balance,” Dec. 8:

This article lauds a new group of citizens who attended the Dec. 1 council meeting. They opposed election of Gail Reavis as mayor. Reavis was elected, as Trish Kelley wisely chose to ignore the new group’s efforts to continue the guerrilla war in City Hall.

For the first time in city history, the ceremonial position of mayor will rotate through the entire council on a seniority basis. This should have been the case all along, but the old clique on the council refused to allow newcomers to serve unless they supported the majority and its friends.

The elephant in the City Council chambers went unmentioned. Sherri M. Butterfield and Susan Withrow are behind the new group. They want revenge for their ouster last year. They know Gail Reavis and her painstaking scrutiny of the city checkbook brought them down.

Hamid Bahadori and a few other supporters of the old guard will spend the next year trying to resurrect the Susan and Sherri dynasty. Whether they can regain the majority so the good times for city insiders can roll again remains to be seen. It will be an interesting year. I hope the new group members keep their ears and minds open.

Michael T. Kennedy

Mission Viejo