This past year the Mission Viejo city council was looking for new ways to spend taxpayer money so they came up with a great idea. Let’s spend $300,000 on a float to celebrate our 20th anniversary as a city. Mission Viejo became an Orange County City on March 31,1988. While we are not a destination, lack a professional sports franchise or theme park or contain beach front property we are after all the safest city in America.
Let’s be proactive and see if we can help our city staff and the float design contractor with some potential design ideas. After all they failed to include us in their recent decision to change our city logo and probably will not take a survey to get ideas for this expenditure from those residents who have lived here for over a quarter century.
Having recently spent approximately $395,000 on a custom toilet in Melinda Park why not design a float using natural materials whose focus will be a toilet decorated with local flowers. Lining each side will be overhead power lines to assist in getting on an off the toilet. The only unanswered question is which of our council members will sit on the award winning throne.
Juice readers. Although you may not reside in our town we are looking for some other suggestions that you might wish to share with our city staff. After all several of the participants in our recent brand change were not local residents.
Simply send your ideas in the form of reader comments and I promise to “float” them by the Mission Viejo decision makers.
PS: 2007 Mayor Gail Reavis was the only council member to vote no on this $300,000 proposed expenditure.
In honor of lacking discretion and dis-respect for the time honored Mission Viejo Master Plan, please add a big sign with neon flashing lights to the float.
Julia Tully, Mission Viejo
Mr. Gilbert, if you want to know who will be the one sitting on the throne, look no futher then Trish Kelley. As a Sierra Rec. Center Supportrt and South MV resident, I was stun and in shock when Ms. Kelley bulled her way into the Mayor sit at the last council meeting. I have always supported J.P. Ledesma and he was in line to be Mayor, but Ms. Kelley who has always wanted to be in the limelight as a PTA-Mon at CAPO and told me she would only run for one term on the City Council, once again made fools out of the residents of Mission Viejo. I still have a e-mail from her stating “I cannot stress enough the value of the support of Council Member John Paul Ledesma” who gave his time and support to keeping our Sierra Rec. Center. Now she stabs him in the back so she can be on the throne, during the city celebrations. Trish lost my support the last time she ran, because she lied. As a one time friend, I don’t like back-stabers.
this should be an animated float, where the five council members are playing hide and seek from the watchdogs who are carrying large flashlights, shining the light of truth on the city’s tall tales. on a corner of the float will be a large liar’s jar overflowing with quarters for every misrepresentation and each untruth the city has told. in keeping with the playing games theme, we can recreate the set from let’s make a deal with three doors. behind one of the doors is a roomful of doors for lance to slam in his temper tantrums. behind another door will be a cyclone ride to the land of oz where the council can skip along, singing, hand in hand, on the yellow brick road to emerald city so the wizard can give the council brains to think outside the box, courage to say no to special interest, and a heart for the city. the final door will lead to a smoke filled backroom. which door will the council chose ?????? cathy schlicht
The writer of Comment No. 1 has a good point. A flashing neon sign is very appropriate.
Whose idea was it to have a float? I’ve heard the city manager has a longtime personal interest in the Rose Parade, and I’d guess he’s driving this project. The cost of being on TV for 90 seconds isn’t a good investment when there’s no point. Money for most of the floats comes from big, wealthy corporations or cities like Anaheim and Long Beach that want publicity. Mission Viejo having a float makes no sense except to the city manager.
It’s sad to realize the council’s tribute to the city anniversary is to waste as much money as possible on an empty gesture in Pasadena.
The council members and city staffers will all be fighting over who gets to sit on the throne. I suggest the float should be patterned after Delta House’s tasteful float in “Animal House.”
You’re right. Instead of spending the money on a float for the Rose parade, it should have been spent on ads in economic developoment magazines. And I also think that next year’s float should just be a beige blob like the majority of Mission Viejo.
email response:
very funny Larry 🙂
perhaps we few should have our own design contest
i already have some good ideas, and i doubt that the regular “activists” would have a hard time with the design and rider designation!
Can fig leaves be used?
Anon 7:47 p.m.
For total accuracy we might have enough room for two thrones on the float. I say that as there is one throne in the mens room and one in the ladies room at the Melinda Park (pending) award winning outhouse.
Anon 8:05 p.m.
Having a few obligations this morning I did not read today’s OC Register until after posting this story. I see that the front page refers to the Anaheim float which makes a lot of sense. Anaheim is a destination with multiple venues and activites that you will never find in our bedroom community/city. As such Anaheim’s having a float is a no brainer for proper marketing of their city as they compete for tourist dollars with similar entertainment and dining as found in surrounding OC and LA cities. You cannot make that same argument for Mission Viejo.
Anon 7:47 pm.
You are correct. Our city manager is connected to the Tournament of Roses program. He confirmed that long time involvement in one of our lunch discussions.
Anon 4:42 p.m.
It is very demoralizing when we volunteer for council challengers who forget statements they made as they reached out to grab the brass ring while we held them so they wouldn’t fall off their “high” horses during and immediately after the campaign.
Pre blog posting email response.
I love the bathroom idea…..
better yet, a transmission tower covered with flowers…something silver, or the stink flower that blooms once a year at Huntington Gardens.
Also, we need to put some cell towers on it…those can be out of black roses (a new one installed on Edison tower today in Palmia). I suggest that Frank Wasco ride on it along with Lance Mac Lean and perhaps Bill Craycraft. I am sure we could find room for Gail or others if they feel left out.
I think we could design that float ourselves and save the city lots of money
Larry:
First for a council that could give a RIP what you or the citizens think why are you even bringing this up.
You must have been dropped on your balding head as a infant to think these five special interest stooges ( city councilmen )could care what you think.!!
Next stop watch them all scurry for cover this year as revenue to the city dries up with the economy.
Dipper Dan
Good morning Dan.
It’s always good to hear from you.
Why am I bringing this up you ask. To illustrate how fiscally irresponsible some of this band of five truly are. Some even have multiple higher education degrees hanging on their walls somewhere. As if that piece of paper has any bearing on good decision making.
What are the first words in Pastor Rick Warren’s best seller book “The Purpose Driven Life.” Elected officials. “It’s not about you!”
Try telling that to Lance and Frank.
I’ll give Trish a pass this time.
As to our future revenue stream I am sure that if we suffer a shortfall the powers to be will blame everyone else except the person they see in the mirror.
Another email response from an earlier participant:
a bunch of suvs donned in roses being driven off the float (to tijuana)
Note: A reference to our claim to fame from last summer.
Get a life. The float rocked.