ALAN BELL, Capistrano Beach
“Hero” is a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements or noble qualities. This honor should be reserved for individuals who commit extraordinary and selfless acts of bravery.
Kendrick Costillo was a Colorado teen fatally shot when he lunged at a school shooter, giving other kids enough time to escape. Anthony Sadler, Spencer Stone, Alex Skarlatos are three Californians who helped foil what could have been a mass shooting on a packed Paris train. These are heroes.
When I read Mrs. Weagley’s May 17 letter to the editor, as a longtime Capo Beach resident, I felt obligated to speak out. What has John Tomlinson ever done to deserve any accolade? It couldn’t be his voting record. Tomlinson voted to put developer-friendly Measure I on the ballot in an attempt to overturn the Town Center Plan. He spearheaded disbanding the Financial Review Committee, stopping independent review of city finances. He voted to divide our city into five districts, which denied voters any say in four out of five City Council seats.
Perhaps worst of all, Tomlinson voted to carve Capo Beach into two separate voting districts. As a longtime resident, he had to have known we have been an historic, tight-knit community since 1928. Tomlinson could have been the third vote, with Lewis and Wyatt, to give Capo its right to vote for council in 2018. Instead, he threw us under the bus and sided with Viczorek and Muller. His pivotal vote disenfranchised Capo Beach, making us the only district with a city council incumbent not allowed to vote in 2018. This betrayal by one of our own was shocking and sad.
Now let’s look at the Dana Point Taxpayers Association awarding him this dubious “honor.” Its local supporters and contributors are too cowardly to reveal their identities. Other supporters include a Newport Beach billionaire, a Texas millionaire, and possibly several real estate and pro-developer “dark money” PACs whose donors remain hidden. DPTA dumped more than $20,000 into our 2018 city council election, spreading lies and smearing great candidates, Charles Payne, Mark McGinn and Joe Jaeger. DPTA even published Mr. Payne’s address and pictures of his home. It is currently being sued for defamation. In my opinion, DPTA is about as corrupt and dishonorable as it gets.
Capo Beach residents have long memories. We will not forget what Mr. Tomlinson did to us.
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