Friday, September 15, 2006
Where's Wendy?, Endorsement Anxiety and Joe Bell
Where's Wendy? This is day 3 of the "Wendy Watch". As
reported here first on Tuesday, the 12th, her campaign web site
- which as recently as Sunday was in full flower, with shallow
candidate statements and echoes of our young jailer/mayor's
pronouncements. Then it first went into an apparent state of
suspended animation, with several pages flagged as "under
construction" - that probably should have been "under
re-construction". Then, on Tuesday, the page shows only a blank
sheet. Very strange.
Adding to the mystery is her personal web log - Pretty in Pink, as I call it - has as it's most recent entry a Candidate Statement and includes a promise to update the blog daily. That entry was dated September 5th, 2006.
Further, in an article in the Daily Pilot today announcing the endorsement of the Costa Mesa Firefighters Association of Bruce Garlich and Mike Scheafer in the City Council race, mention is made that Wendy was a no-show at the interviews conducted by that political action committee. Although she is quoted as saying she "welcomed a meeting with the firefighters" but she apparently hadn't received an invitation. Other sources tell me that she had, indeed, been invited. Maybe they just couldn't find her.
I've seen some strange tactics in local political campaigns over the years, but attempting to become invisible is a new one.
***
On the endorsement front, I guess we're all waiting now to see who the Costa Mesa Police political action committee will endorse for City Council, if anyone. I think they're in a tough spot here. Do they endorse Mansoor who, as a Deputy Sheriff is one of their own, even though he turned his back on them and campaigned vigorously for Prop. 75 a couple years ago and has consistently ignored the recommendations of two police chiefs in very important issues during this year? Will they endorse him although his plan for cross-designating some of them as immigration screeners - a plan not supported by any law enforcement leader in Orange County - will add to their workload at a time when the department is 10% understaffed? Or, will they endorse others in whom they might find a more sympathetic ear when issues important to the police department are presented for deliberation? As I said, they're in a tough spot on this one.
***
On a more positive note, on Thursday Daily Pilot columnist Joe Bell provided a very moving account of a family of his personal acquaintance who entered this country illegally, but who have subsequently attained "legal" status. Bell's story is told with the polish and precision we've come to expect from him and is well worth the reading. If you're interested, go to my Useful Links page, click on the Daily Pilot link, then over on the left side of the Home Page click on Columns and select Joe's most recent piece.
12:00 am pdt
Adding to the mystery is her personal web log - Pretty in Pink, as I call it - has as it's most recent entry a Candidate Statement and includes a promise to update the blog daily. That entry was dated September 5th, 2006.
Further, in an article in the Daily Pilot today announcing the endorsement of the Costa Mesa Firefighters Association of Bruce Garlich and Mike Scheafer in the City Council race, mention is made that Wendy was a no-show at the interviews conducted by that political action committee. Although she is quoted as saying she "welcomed a meeting with the firefighters" but she apparently hadn't received an invitation. Other sources tell me that she had, indeed, been invited. Maybe they just couldn't find her.
I've seen some strange tactics in local political campaigns over the years, but attempting to become invisible is a new one.
***
On the endorsement front, I guess we're all waiting now to see who the Costa Mesa Police political action committee will endorse for City Council, if anyone. I think they're in a tough spot here. Do they endorse Mansoor who, as a Deputy Sheriff is one of their own, even though he turned his back on them and campaigned vigorously for Prop. 75 a couple years ago and has consistently ignored the recommendations of two police chiefs in very important issues during this year? Will they endorse him although his plan for cross-designating some of them as immigration screeners - a plan not supported by any law enforcement leader in Orange County - will add to their workload at a time when the department is 10% understaffed? Or, will they endorse others in whom they might find a more sympathetic ear when issues important to the police department are presented for deliberation? As I said, they're in a tough spot on this one.
***
On a more positive note, on Thursday Daily Pilot columnist Joe Bell provided a very moving account of a family of his personal acquaintance who entered this country illegally, but who have subsequently attained "legal" status. Bell's story is told with the polish and precision we've come to expect from him and is well worth the reading. If you're interested, go to my Useful Links page, click on the Daily Pilot link, then over on the left side of the Home Page click on Columns and select Joe's most recent piece.
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