The Orange Juice Blog can report – hours before the Register‘s Mickadeit, but hours AFTER Gustavo’s well-written spoiler – what’s been rumored for weeks and what we COULD have reported weeks ago – former Anaheim councillady and Eli Home founder Lorri Galloway IS running for Mayor next year. We also wish she would have waited just a couple more days before announcing, it all might have gone so much more smoothly – all we’re saying.
Does this spell the end of what has made Anaheim so special and fascinating these last few years – the alliance of honest left and honest right against the Kleptocrat middle? Hopefully not and not necessarily.
Does this mean what Gustavo fears, that Pringle’s KLEPTOCRAT candidate (who appears to be character-free councilwoman Lucille Kring) will easily beat general allies LoGal and Tom Tait in a three-way race? Again, hopefully not and not necessarily.
But there are so many X factors here to consider. Oh, but first of all:
Mickadeit??
I’d been on Lorri’s shit list for a couple months just for suggesting she put off her Mayoral run till 2018. Then we had a BIT of a phone-rapprochement recently where she explained to me – somewhat convincingly – all the reasons that her run, now, made good sense.
And the Machiavellian little scamp said “What if I let you have the exclusive story when I announce?” like she’s holding out some piece of candy. And I’m thinking “I could write this damn thing the second I hang up…” but I’m also thinking “What’s best for Anaheim?” And she’s all, “It’ll either be you, or Gabriel (San Roman, of the Weekly) or Adam (of the Voice of OC.)”
And I’m all … “Well, I would make it clear that I’m still not 100% sure this is a good idea, you running against Tom; I would try to present all the pros and cons. And I think I would also ask you about whether you’d done anything on council in the past that you regret, that you would have done differently. That would just make it a better story.” And she was all, as she always is: “Hm… interesting.”
So I suppose that’s where I failed the audition. And apparently so did Gabriel and Adam. The big LoGal announcement is set to be written by the Register’s cigar-chomping courtier-columnist Frank Mickadeit sometime this morning tonight . Good call actually. Not only a bigger readership than me, Gabe and Adam put together, but knowing Frank, it will be a softball personality-based puff piece. Had I time, I would make a pre-parody of it right here, but …. on to more important points, forgive the self-indulgent detour…
Lay of the Land
First let’s specify that district elections are VERY unlikely to happen by Nov 2014 – not real districting, not fake districting, and not the expanded council – the kleptocrats’ foot-dragging, enabled by cautious Judge Miller, has been successful. (If this prediction is wrong, then possibilities expand pretty unpredictably.)
Current Mayor Tom Tait, a conservative Republican who has been friends and almost always allies with progressive Democrat Lorri Galloway for two decades, is still planning to go for re-election – meaning at this point they’re up against each other, and some Tait adherents are considering Lorri a backstabber.
The Kleptocrat candidate for Mayor, as the OJ has long predicted, is going to be character-free Lucille Kring. We knew that when we saw all the anonymous commenters on Matt Cunningham’s AnaheimBlog saying months ago, “Gee, Lucille would make a great Mayor!” (See, that blog does have its uses.)
(Lorri seems pretty sure that former councilman and perennial officechaser Harry Sidhu will also be running, but mutual friends assure us that he’s not – his wife is apparently exasperated with his squandering the family savings on fruitless campaigns. Again – he could change his mind, we could be wrong, and that will just make things more INTERESTING.)
We believe EITHER Tom or Lorri would beat the character-free Lucille like a rented mule. In a three-way race? A little dicier, but my money would be on Lorri for reasons I’ll discuss. But WHAT A WASTE for both Tom and Lorri to run against each other, when the reprehensible kleptocrats Kris Murray and Gail Eastman are running for re-election onto council, and Tom and Lorri are probably the only two candidates with the name recognition and money to take one of them out. (Given this pre-districting landscape.)
So Lorri has made the case, which I cautiously agree with, that for the good of the city, the Mayor should run for Council and knock off Kris Murray – which he could easily do – and let her beat Lucille like a rented mule. It would still not be a great Council, with a Brandman-Eastman-Kring majority, but with Murray off, Kring and Eastman are weak-minded, and Brandman is occasionally forced to act as a Democrat. (And maybe Kring and Eastman join Tom in acting as Republicans when issues of fiscal responsibility come up? Ah … too much to ask…)
The Arguments for Mayor Lorri with Tom on Council
- The biggest danger to Anaheim (besides killer cops – a different issue) is the Kleptocrats’ nonstop looting of city resources. They are ruthless, clever, and always one or two steps ahead of our beloved Mayor. He is not a fighter or a calculating politician like Lorri, which is what is needed in these times. We friends and fans of his have driven ourselves crazy coming up with lines, speeches and plans for him that he rejects as too aggressive. He’s a sincere Christian who believes that kindness, and showing kindness, will save the day and make his case; but it’s just not doing the trick. Each time they yank away more of his power, he accuses them of being “mean” … which, in my great respect for him, I won’t characterize how lame that sounds.
- The Loyalty of City Staff. I’m taking Lorri’s word that the City Staff on the “7th floor” still has a great and abiding love for her – and I have seen some evidence of that. What we do see plainly – most dramatically during these Angels Stadium meetings – is the staff showing thinly disguised contempt for Mayor Tait, which disgusts us all. Apparently this lack of respect is not necessarily based in a loyalty to the Pringle Kleptocrats as much as the fact that Tom – like a good conservative Republican – immediately came after their pensions at the beginning of his Mayorship – and also he’s just not by nature a big 7th-floor gladhander. Sez Lorri, a Mayor’s GOTTA have staff with them, and as she has taken to saying frequently of late, “I learned this from the best – CURT PRINGLE.” [Update – LG wants you to know that is a VERY IRONIC comment]
- And then there’s of course this – let’s just say, Anaheim’s and America’s changing DEMOGRAPHICS – the growing Latino population AND Democratic registration – makes it timely for the OC’s biggest city to FINALLY have its first female Mayor AND Mayor of color.
PS Now I see Dan C wrote a similar piece on his little blog. How rushed he was to try to prove his Kleptocrat tendencies were about the Democratic Party or liberalism. Does he know how far Lorri’s vision of what it means to be a Democrat is from his BFF Jordan? No, I don’t think Dan C knows or understands much…
Update Nov. 2
Like Greg, I wish Tom and Lorri could both be on the dais together again, but it doesn’t look like that’s gonna happen.
I had a beer with Tom Tait last night. A couple of beers. He ain’t budging. I failed back in August to get LoGal to run for council instead of mayor, and I failed with Tom last night. Many others have failed at both tasks. But I did my bit, gave the college try.
“What’s the big deal about being Mayor instead of Councilman? There’s not really that much more power.” (Don’t ask me why I didn’t ask LoGal that, I did.) Tom firmly believes that the Mayor sets the tone for the city, and that he’s been setting the tone of KINDNESS. He can tell story after story of acts of kindness he’s seen in the city recently, that apparently… back up his theory.
Tom also said that when LoGal told him back in May that she would be running for Mayor, it felt like “a punch in the gut.”
So. If some magical candidates don’t appear soon who can take out Kris and/or Gail, you guys are gonna be stuck with the exact same council you have now, up thru 2016 … and that’s if you’re lucky. (Oh, did I say “you guys” instead of “we”? Must be a subconscious sign that I’ve had enough of this for a while.)
Vaulting ambition just doesn’t wear well, no matter how expensive your jewelry and pedicure.
But is it per se a disqualifier? Dude, a politician HAS to be ambitious.
@hashtag Still somewhat agnostic
Maybe I’m jaded. I’ve seen so much ambition and so little ability.
LOL (quietly recollecting the History of Zenger)
Hopefully Birnam Wood will get to Dunsinane one of these days.
Galloway thinks that for the good of the city, Tom Tait should step aside and let her run for Mayor? Right out of the gate, this is reminding me of the BoS race, where Tom Daly needed to step aside for her, because she was the only true Democrat and the love of the people of Anaheim was going to sweep her to victory — and let’s all reflect on how well that went.
Maybe she just has it out for white guys named Tom.
And Mexicans named Lou.
There is a long-history of Galloway bullying and back-stabbing. Every election cycle she collects more die-hard enemies than endorsements.
Note also Vern’s subtle admission that Lorri pulled Eli advertising when he suggested she run for council. (That evil a-hole!!!!)
Using a charity to bully people into giving you political support. Stay classy Galloway!
Funny how in the (media driven) race for First (this), first (that) first (the other) in office, four little words often (always) get pushed into the rearview mirror of the public consciousness 1) issues 2-4) most qualified candidate. If we cancel any more public candidate forums, let alone restore those missing last election (by fate or design), the public will have an (even more) effortless, decision. Won’t that be nice? (sarcasm)
I still think Murray will announce for mayor, and Matty’s gang will back some other loser, just like they did with Steve “Chavez” Lodge last time around. We shall see…
I don’t think so. Kring has a freebie. So does Brandman.
As I understand it, she doesn’t have a freebie yet. That will depend on the outcome of the vote on the as-yet-unreleased Charter Revision Commission proposal, which is widely expected to propose allowing Council members to engage in midterm candidacies for Mayor.
Good point. I guess that’s expected, right?
One of the few things that can safely be expected at this point is that many people are going to campaign heartily for a “no” vote on whatever monstrosity the Charter Review Commission produces — and that would be true with or without the Tait vs. LoGal candidacies.
I’m off to a meeting soon, so the longish comment that I’d have to make on this topic will have to wait. For now, I’ll just say publicly what I’ve said to each of them privately: I want both of them on the dais in 2015.
The push of pike that we’re already seeing between their advocates is inevitable, necessary, and probably for the best. But this is clearly not going to be pleasant for those of us in the reform coalition. Primaries — and that’s essentially what this is, given the current mixed-up state of Anaheim politics — seldom are.
Allow me to educate you, Greg. Lucille Kring has a free ride regardless of what the CRC decides. The current charter only prohibits councilmembers from running for mayor in the middle of their second term, not their first.
If that’s true, Matt, then I’ll concede the point.
I’m sure that everyone will understand why I’d first want to check very carefully.
It’s not exactly secret knowledge, Greg, but well known to those who have been following Anaheim politics for more than a few months.
Be a good puppy and fetch me a citation to the relevant section of the City Code, would you? If you do, Mr. Pringle will surely give you a biscuit.
“I still think Murray will announce for mayor…”
Which shows how much (or more accurately, how little) you know. Now let’s see if Gustavo can respond like the grown-up he (chronologically speaking) is.
No discussion regarding Matt Cunningham is complete without the part about how Matt Cunningham outed sex abuse victims.
Oooh. An anonymous knock-off of Gustavo spinning Gustavo’s misrepresentation. You’re real brave.
Matty: It ain’t a misinterpretation, but feel free to whine that for the rest of your days. Even better? John Manly (the lawyer who represented the sex-abuse victims whose names you outed) and Joelle Casteix (one of the many brave OC survivors of sexual abuse, and a survivor’s advocate) will also remind everyone as long as your sniveling babbling is around of this stain on your pathetic resume. How is your beloved Urell nowadays, anyway?
Matty: Just because you’re a Pringle sycophant and Murray’s PR person doesn’t make you knowledgeable about Anaheim politics. And, yes: you outed sex-abuse victims, and no amount of Pringle money will ever make that disappear—HAHAHAHAHAHA!
I’m just gonna come out and say it, Vern, you are out of your effing mind. Yes we are all frustrated that Tom Tait refuses to appeal to our more base nature and beat up the bullies who are picking on us. In the grand scheme of things the fact that he is made of finer stuff than those of us who live with our fists clenched is going to be the salvation of what is left of our city. Do you really think that being more aggressive is going to get anywhere with the majority?! They are not doing what they are doing because Tait doesn’t drink their brand of beer, they are doing it because someone is making cubic bucks off our public coffers behind the scenes, and those beneficiaries have the ear (and campaign purses) or the Council majority. You could be, say, and do all that they claim to want, and they would STILL write the check to Pringle’s clients, so Lorri’s arguments hold no water. Just as coming to Council for public comments is becoming useless, we can have all the facts at hand but THEY do not want to hear it, they want only to hear praises for their visionary leadership and therefore citizens holding them accountable becomes character assassination, Do you think being reasonable with them works? Kring learned that the only way to “build bridges” with these people is to just get in on the gravy train, do you really think Lorri has not seen that?
You are smarter than this, Vern.
Staff is on board with the Council majority because they like paying their mortgages. It is fear that drives the staff reports lining up with what the Murbot wants, not loyalty or even agreement. Staff does as they are told by those with the votes lined up, because they have seen what happens to those who do not toe the line.
Which leaves Lorri, who failed miserably to save her own wretched neck as “Mayor Pro Tem” and once the title was stripped from her by the same people she now claims she can build bridges to (where was that ability when in office?) Lorri’s cry was that she doesn’t need a title to lead. So why not do the right thing and challenge Murray, who she COULD beat in a District based election, especially Santa Ana style voting. That was what was best for the City, and you know things have to be desperate for me to even THINK in terms of Galloway in any form being better than what is there. If Lorri really cared about the good of the City she would work to empty at least one of the sitting Masters, getting us a Mayor and one Council member he can work with, which at least ties things up, and gives Anaheim a fighting chance at saving what is left of our coffers.
Nope, Lorri is out for Lorri, which has always been the case, and I for one am not about to swap the dignified, principled leadership of Tom Tait for the empty talking head of Galloway, just because it makes some people feel better thinking she might say what YOU want said at the Council meetings, because she can rant and rave all she wants they are going to strip our city clean anyway. Galloway just nullified the potential for a Council vote that could have stopped some of it. Vern for you to agree with this airheaded nonsense based on the idea that Galloway can give the rousing speech Tait fails to muster (or are pissed that the experienced statesman with years of leadership and a successful business has failed to see the brilliance of YOUR political advice?!) is just plain ignorant, I am floored. Possibly disgusted, not sure yet, but yes floored is giving way to disgusted the more I sit here thinking about it. I need to go for a walk.
Wow. I knew this blow-up would eventually happen, but… let’s whittle it down to the essentials, ok? I’m going for a walk too … Poor Chaka, my Rhodesian ridgeback, is jonesing for my brother who’s off doing some 4-day drug study, and she is looking very forlorn…
To be continued…
I think Cynthia expatiated upon what I had synthesized down to:
“Vaulting ambition just doesn’t wear well, no matter how expensive your jewelry and pedicure.”
how are you all so aware of Lorri’s toes?
Of course I’m just guessing, but you don’t put anything but well-manicured toes into expensive shoes like those.
Vern, I think Ms. Ward has you beat on this one….but, that being said, who do the resident groups back?
Shit, I thought it was a relatively nonpartisan piece, and suddenly I’m the great defender of LoGal. I wonder if she knows that?
The substance remains…. how can things actually be better in the next 2-4 years? We need to explore that, since I think our goals are roughly the same…
Real district elections for City Council for one. Expanding the size of the City Council would also help.
And you call yourself a ladies’ man. David is correct, a lady does not put ratty feet into designer shoes, if you notice she also always has her manicured fingers wrapped around a microphone or bullhorn, and one generally does a mani-pedi, if the fingers look good chances are good so do the toes. Me, i prefer calloused hands from hard work, but then I am a Republican, I don’t expect to be catered to or handed anything if I can work for it,
Designer shoes…Sesquicentennial celebration in Anaheim, we dug up a time capsule buried in 1957 and dropped in a new one to be opened in 50 years. Leaders were invited to put in something meaningful to their leadership, Pringle put in a letter to the Mayor of the future (I suspect perhaps a note of apology for leaving the town broke and crippled) I loved Lucille Kring’s donation, she put in information about cancer, in the hope that by the time they opened it the people of Anaheim would not know what cancer was (Kring is a survivor, I believe of breast cancer) that was my favorite thing to go in there, loved it. Lorri Galloway put in a pair of Jimmie Choo shoes. This is what she wants her legacy to be when future generations open the time capsule, designer freaking shoes. Says it all, right there. Flash over substance, and Anaheim cannot afford it, our city is in trouble, we NEED the substance that Tait provides and we need every ally to set aside pride and ego and get in there are fight against the crony capitalists that are taking down our ability to provide services into the future, what we do not need is self serving ambition muddying the water even worse!
Cynthia: “I am a Republican, I don’t expect to be catered to or handed anything if I can work for it.” Isn’t the council majority Republican? Their cronies? Seems like more welfare going on there than any Democrat could ever give away in Anaheim.
Also, I’d probably come down to earth a bit on Tom. He’s not the sent-from-heaven, end-all, be-all savior of Anaheim. He is basically outclassed politically by the council majority. It’s politics not a tea party. Sometimes you have to get your hands dirty. Tom won’t even remove his velvet gloves. There is a thing called critical-mass. It takes energy and sometimes, yes, a lot of yelling to reach it. If Anaheim politics is ever to reach it, someone has to be willing to take the gloves off.
“He is basically outclassed politically by the council majority”
Well there’s an extraordinary choice of words. Outclassed? Really? By whose weird, perverted definition?
Tait is outnumbered, for sure. And at the basest level that’s what matters to you? That says a lot about you, and nothing about Tait, who as far as I can tell, has gone to the mat for the people of Anaheim against the looters.
Meaning, he doesn’t have the political skills the others on the council do. Yes, Tom Tait is a wonderful guy and very classy indeed, but what does that have to do with his job performance?
Could you enumerate ‘political skills’? ‘Appearing to walk upright after spine removal’ is missing, but also, unnecessary.
One need only view the video of any given council session. He is consistently overrun and spoken over by his colleagues, unable to maintain decorum, even on his own dias, then when he finally has had enough whimpers “you’re being mean.” Additionally, his public persona is very weak. Even when he is right, his detractors come from a position of power while he is caught unprepared and searching for answers. Politics is not just about casting the right votes. (Which he has been doing.) It is also about forming coalitions and bargaining. Neither of which he seems capable of doing. He has no support from labor or from the monied interests tied to Pringle et al… This may be good policy but how is this good politics? And politics is what gets you elected. As I said on another blog: Who’s left?
So….. Half Incredible Hulk, half Robin Hood, ‘a man for all seasons’? I’ll have to go with what Zenger said above.
interesting … Jordan does walk kinda funny
(hope I’m not makin fun of some serious condition…)
Not even worth responding to.
There, David, I must disagree with you. See below.
Lorri G is banking on the Jenni Rivera vote and she won’t get it. Gustavo explained it clearly, what goes around, certainly comes around.
Fortunately, this is bringing to light (for that lack of any better saying) ” back stabbers” who are trying to come up with any excuse or irrational thinking to jump on the Lorri Galloway bandwagon.
She got trounced last time she ran and while I hope Mayor Tait remembers those who turned their back on him… Sadly, I believe he won’t hold a grudge!
That is sad and pathetic !
The last time I voted for mayor I voted for Tait. I believed he was the best candidate at the time. This time I will vote for Galloway. I believe she is the best candidate this time. What’s so hard to understand?
Also: The last TWO TIMES Galloway ran for City Council, she won. Convincingly.
And as I recall she faked an address to run for County Supervisor in 2010 and came in 4th – behind old Art Brown of Buena Park who did zero campaigning.
Her wins in Anaheim came because of her support from the establishment. Now her only support will come from labor. Ask Leos how that worked out for him.
Tait neither has the support of labor nor will he have the support of the establishment. I’m interested in seeing how that will work out.
I’m going to convince you to come over from the dark side, that is how!
Tait will have his own honesty and reputation going for him: a man who couldn’t be bought off. Your gal is already talking about making compromises with the same people she railed against on the steps of City Hall just a couple of weeks ago. That’s just idiotic.
Lorri Galloway is out of her depth at, well, nearly any depth. Will she be campaigning with her dog again?
Haha, always the comedian. Yeah that was pretty lame and I told her so. Any constructive ideas for Anaheim?
fortune cookies?
Bella?
The question isn’t if she can win, it’s if she should win. What materially changes in the fabric of the council that improves decision making?
Well, that requires a majority aligned on a common platform. Who comprises her majority?
If she doesn’t have one, she shouldn’t have her hat in the ring on this.
She does have an argument on that point that she’s made privately, but I don’t know if she wants it made publicly. I think that I can say generally that she argues that she has certain skills and advantages when it comes to dealing with the current Council that Tait doesn’t. I am positive that Tait supporters wouldn’t concede the point.
I find it very hard to believe that either Kris Murray or Jordan Brandman would concede a leadership position to Galloway. She either votes with them as a follower or she votes against them and gets mocked.
If she doesn’t have a coalition in mind entering this race, she’s not being helpful.
Her skills and advantage in dealing with the Curt Scouts would be the ability to put her own moral compass away in its case and “compromise” with them…what does that look like do you think? They take slightly LESS of our money for themselves? Or perhaps they now split it with Lorri so at least the poor and deserving eventually benefit through her charity? How does one go about “reaching out” to bullies and liars? I have a great video of what that looks like, which will be up for a Monday post. Right now I need to get to the winner of the “how much does Disney really help the General Fund contest.”
So Lorri is arguing that Tom should run for council because he is the better candidate against Murray. (But not Kring?) Odd. That’s… some leadership.
And the City Staff is loyal to Lorri only to the extent that she will protect pensions. (Which, I think, we are coming to see is the driving force behind events.) I am sure the staff has a low opinion of Lorri’s talent for public policy, or lack there of. I dare anyone to ask her to explain Obamacare or districts.
This is the most esoteric and abstract argument for a candidacy in the history of the universe. (Yes John S., I can provide you with a citation for that.)
[I’m going to reply to John Santoianni’s comment beginning “One need only view the video of any given council session” down here.]
John,
I’m honestly glad that you’re in the fray so fiercely and deeply and uncritically on Lorri’s side; it’s good to have someone with that perspective commenting. But when people on either side of the struggle between two candidates that I want to see on the dais, I have to step in and object. And your comment there is completely loopy.
I flat out don’t think that this is so. Outvoted, yes — as I hope that Galloway would be as well, given the nature of some of those votes — but not overrun. (And “spoken over”? Show me the time stamps of where that has happened “consistently — if at all.) He’s outvoted just as a consequence of being a numerical minority up against an ideological majority. But he continually and effectively makes the contrary case as needed in ways that will prove useful both to future local historians and, in the shorter term, to courts. I’d like to think that Galloway would do the same in his position, but he’s done it.
He’s certainly been able to maintain his own decorum. If you’re talking about the other Council members, then please understand that he’s not an elementary school teacher with the ability to make Brandman stand in the corner and send Murray off to see the principal (as entertaining as that might be to watch.) If you mean decorum on the part of speakers, please understand that the city’s Rules of Decorum are almost surely unconstitutional if applied to anything less than “fighting words,” as City Attorney Michael Houston explained at the Sept. 8 meeting, and as he had confirmed to the Mayor well before that. So I can’t figure out what you’re saying, but every take on it I can imagine is wrong and deeply uninformed on the law. Even the Council majority itself seemed to understand this by Oct. 8 — why not you?
I probably wouldn’t have written a reply over the previous two comments, but this one really chaps me. It makes you sound like a jackass, and I don’t mean that in the “Democratic mascot” sense — and in fact I ratcheted it down about four levels from what it actually makes you seem like because you may not be used to the rough and tumble of blogs. But, “for Gosh sake,” John, what the hell bit you so that you toss out that sort of trash?
On exactly one occasion ever, to my knowledge, he said (or as you say, amateurishly wielding the political stiletto, “whimpers”) “you’re being mean” to William Fitzgerald upon the latter’s explanation that “1% of the Jews” (the ones like Brandman) had precipitated the Holocaust with their bad behavior because he doesn’t have the right to shut him down and kick him out of the room. Expressing that sort of (watered-down, but still) anti-Semitic belief was Fitzgerald’s right of political speech — the most privileged category of speech that there is under the law — and they both know it. If you don’t — learn. You can say that he should have shut Fitzgerald down anyway because the Constitution is just a piece of paper, or whatever your argument would be, but when you call it “whimpering” you’re inappropriately using emasculation as a weapon — something I’d have imagined was above you. Don’t pull that kind of stunt again or the phaser doesn’t stay merely on “stun.”
Yeah, they have the majority and their puppeteer Curt Pringle — hey, would THIS be a good moment to ask you to criticize Brandman for having Pringle as a mentor? — teaches them to wield it mercilessly. But “caught unprepared”? You aren’t watching closely enough. Time and again, on his way to a 4-1 defeat, Tait has asked the right question to get the critical admission that thwarts the plans efforts. Would you like to watch some Council meetings in public with me in front of a live audience so we can comment on them as they unfold? I’ll be happy to show you where, as a lawyer, I have been amazed by how prepared and quick on his feet he is in defending what you apparently agree with me are “the right votes.” I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt that it’s just going over your head, but you should learn from what he’s doing rather than flinging poo at it. I’d like to think that Galloway would do as well at this — but given the same circumstances I don’t see how she could do better.
You do understand that you’re echoing Republican criticisms of Obama, right? Tait has been doing all he can; the problem is that everyone else on the dais is either in Pringle’s pocket (Murray, probably Brandman) or afraid to cross Pringle (Kring, Eastman, at times possibly Brandman.)
I want to be clear for the benefit of feebler readers from other blogs: this comment does not mean that I support Tait over Galloway for Mayor. At this early point, I want one of them as Mayor and the other to decide to run for Council — and the process that we’re undergoing now may help one of them make such a decision over the next nine months. (I hope that partisans of each in this de facto primary start giving them money now so we can factor their war chests into the equation.) I’d also like as few personal attacks on each as possible.
While the election is far off, it IS my place right now to call bullshit on criticisms of either of them when I can smell how badly they reek. This comment did not help you, John, and if you didn’t know better than to make it I hope that you’ll quickly learn.
“I probably wouldn’t have written a reply over the previous two comments, but this one really chaps me. It makes you sound like a jackass,… On exactly one occasion ever, to my knowledge, he said (or as you say, amateurishly wielding the political stiletto, “whimpers”) “you’re being mean” to William Fitzgerald …”
um…. that whole bit … I have to say, in John’s defense, that the Mayor FREQUENTLY accuses his colleagues of “being mean” which does sound silly. I mentioned that in the article. A little thing. I have a feeling he’ll come up with something better now.
So maybe you went unreasonably nuclear on Santoianni there?
I don’t recall hearing it at any other meeting — and certainly not in the “whimpering” tone that John suggested.
If you can think of a single concrete example, I’ll try to find it on the video and see if I agree with you.
If John is going to put on the political boxing gloves, he should expect to possibly get his face bloodied.
It’s not something I want to put much effort into since I like Tait a lot, and I wouldn’t call it “whimpering” either … but there’s at least two jason young videos where he reacts to the kleptocrats’ attacks by calling them mean. I mean, the rest of you, we’ve all seen that a few times, no?
If he’s invoking “meanness” as the antonym of “kindness,” his professed motto, then I suppose that that makes sense. John’s implication with the word “whimpering” is that he’s saying something like “please stop hurting my feelings.” That is Advanced Level “failing to get the point.”
I vaguely recall (perhaps incorrectly) that John is an anti-bullying activist, too — in which event I’d expect much more of him than that.
this whole anaheim thing just reiterates the point jess unruh made years ago, you don’t buy politicians, you just rent them, its much cheaper. the basic fact is that the people who are renting tait and galloway are simply smarter and quieter than the people renting the other guys, and, since the renters are more to your political liking, they are acceptable. good for you guys, but remember what happened when the french got rid of the monarchy
Anaheim is no monarchy. There is nothing sacred about it: Brandman is no prince; Murray is no princess.
Anaheim is a tribe led by the strongest. But all strong men grow weak and this regime will one day be history.
I just happened to look at lorri FB ” likes” count on the 2nd eve of her announcement
39 likes.
It is not scientific but I have seen political announcements like this get hundreds on the first night.
This is a disappointing decision by Ms Galloway. Mayor Tait has gone beyond what I’d have expected from an establishment politician. He has been a courageous man, fighting the corporate dominance of our city, and supporting the enhancement of our local democracy. He has earned the respect and support of people like me, who used to vote Dem at the city level, but not anymore based on the record of the Bradman’s types.
Admin’s, Can I come out of the corner now???
I promise I won’t make any destructive comments about Lorri searching the Morgue for new campaign ad’s!
Goddamn, what’s wrong with me!
Wow. Galloway is even dumber than I thought. And as loyal as Kring.
Tait is the class of this awful City Council. I think the voters will confirm that.
But let me suggest an alternative. It surely has to be frustrating for Tait to deal with his ridiculous colleagues. Why not run for Lou Correa’s seat in the State Senate instead? That is a purple district and Tait would be a far better candidate for the GOP than the eternally corrupt Janet Nguyen.
Tom is not interested in any other office than Anaheim Mayor.
Hard as it may be to see through a political lens, Tait has a (demanding, and presumably satisfying) day job, and ( again, my presumption)views Mayor as the way to exercise a genuine interest in his home city, NOT as a path to a better-paying day job. A Sacramento based position would make BOTH tasks even more demanding / less successful. We have seen the recent wake (to be suffered / cleaned up by the public) of a local ‘rising star’ who went the opposite route.
Agree with much of what’s been said here. But I wanted to get across the LoGal point of view. Like Greg, I wish they could both be on the dais together again, but it doesn’t look like that’s gonna happen.
I had a beer with Tom Tait last night. A couple of beers. He ain’t budging. I failed back in August to get LoGal to run for council instead of mayor, and I failed with Tom last night. Many others have failed at both tasks. But I did my bit, gave the college try.
“What’s the big deal about being Mayor instead of Councilman? There’s not really that much more power.” (Don’t ask me why I didn’t ask LoGal that, I did.) Tom firmly believes that the Mayor sets the tone for the city, and that he’s been setting the tone of KINDNESS. He can tell story after story of acts of kindness he’s seen in the city recently, that apparently… back up his theory.
Tom also said that when LoGal told him back in May that she would be running for Mayor, it felt like “a punch in the gut.”
So. If some magical candidates don’t appear soon who can take out Kris and/or Gail, you guys are gonna be stuck with the exact same council you have now, up thru 2016 … and that’s if you’re lucky. (Oh, did I say “you guys” instead of “we”? Must be a subconscious sign that I’ve had enough of this for a while.)
I’ve been reminded that Galloway not only faked one address when she ran for Supervisor, she faked two – within a matter a a few days. I’m also informed the first “fake address” was also a violation of the City’s municipal code. So she was neck and neck with Harry Sidhu for false addresses.
The funny thing is all the stooges who like to look the other way at this sort of behavior – as if signing a voter registration card with a fake address didn’t mean anything.
So, Galloway manipulated me to do this stupid shit for her A YEAR OR MORE after the alleged “#metoo” incident she invented in 2017. Because we were still “friends.” She STILL went on calling me throughout 2014 with any dirt she had on Lucille Kring, who she thought was her main opponent!
Tait ended up winning with roughly 60%, Lucille and Lorri with roughly 20% each. On election night (when Lucille was still a little over Lorri) Lorri locked the door of her campaign office and all her staff could hear her yelling at God: “HOW COULD YOU LET THAT DRUNK BITCH BEAT ME?!”
Well, this is a rather unexpected reflection on the past.
ha, this story came up as a “ten years ago on OJ Blog” thing.
I may know why she was so upset about the meaningless prospect of finishing behind Kring.
When she came up to DPOC for endorsement, I argued against endorsing because Tait had the proven record of anti-corruption which was the most important thing that Anaheim needed. And when Lorri came up to speak, and we could ask her questions, I told her that she was not in a race for first, but that she was likely to finish THIRD behind Kring. She angrily said that she was not going to finish third — or even second — if we endorsed her! As we of course did.
Well she sure showed me a thing or two! She edged Kring for second place by by maybe a tenth of a percentage point. Mea minima culpa!
So the DPOC did endorse her that time – I couldn’t remember. But not in ’18 or ’22 at least. I can hear the arguments “She’s the only Democrat we have! Tom Tait is mean to unions!”
A LOT of Democrats loved Tait despite his honest conservatism. That’s where I first met Wylie Aitken, at Tom’s victory party in 2014.
The real question is: have we heard the last of this small-time chiseler, con artist and grifter? Alas, I tripleat myself.