EDITORIAL - FOLLOW THE MONEY

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Who would spend $14,300 to win a little rural election?
Big dollars can drown out the voices of Campo community members

By Billie Jo Jannen

When was the last time you donated $2,000 to control the
selection of members for an advisory body in a tiny little rural town? This
may hardly seem worthwhile to you and I, but it clearly is to a number of Star
Ranch development proponents, some of whom have spent much more than $2,000.

Campo has its very own political action committee (HOPE of Mountain Empire),
and it is fielding and financing a full slate of candidates for the Campo Lake
Morena Planning Group, so I obtained its financial statements to see for myself
what is donated and spent. I’m sure that few readers need me to explain
the importance of knowing the source of candidates’ campaign funds.

Since I believe that community members should have the biggest voice in their
town’s destiny, I am dismayed by what the documents reveal. I hate the
thought of an outside big money interest drowning out the legitimate voices
of the community. I hate the thought of my neighbors being manipulated by the
kind of slick public relations that only money can buy.

Over the past year of filings, $5,600 of HOPE’s total
itemized donations of $8,100 came from Barry DeVorzan, Star Ranch Company,
and Star Ranch Development LLC, with an additional $2,000 from Randy Lenac,
a

“I hate the thought of my neighbors being manipulated
by the kind of slick public relations that only money can buy.”

longtime Star Ranch cheerleader.

Prior to that, donations consisting of both cash and “in-kind” contributions,
such as website services, have flowed from Star Ranch partner Doug Paul, The
Paul Company, Randy Lenac, Barry DeVorzan, and startlingly, the Campo Band
of Mission Indians, who contributed $5,600 shortly before the 2006 election.

Those financials state that HOPE spent an astounding $14,306 trying
to seat its 2006 slate of four school board candidates and four planning group
candidates.

In the current filings (Jan. 1, 2008 through June 30, 2008): of a total $3,000
in attributed donations, $2,500 is from Star Ranch owner Barry DeVorzan and
$100 from Star Ranch Development Company.

This filing states that the club accumulated $3,351 at fundraisers in small
enough amounts that they don’t have to be itemized. I can only surmise
that people who attended their free food rallies were unusually generous in
dropping nickels into the donation can.

As of four months prior to the election, HOPE’s stated expenditures
to promote its 2008 candidate slate total $6,610, so the candidates
fielded by HOPE - Brandon Will, Mitchel (Mark) Sanchez, Kristi Kor, Paige McAllister
and Brian Elmore – have each benefited by $1,325 apiece.
And the final sums for the 2008 election aren’t in yet.

When asked directly, HOPE’s candidates have repeatedly declined to state
their positions on the Star Ranch development proposal, citing various reasons
for doing so, and bridle up over being viewed as forced growth advocates. Two
have claimed that it would be inappropriate or unethical to state a position
on Star Ranch’s plan to pack hundreds of houses into high density neighborhoods
on and around Highway 94 and Buckman Springs Road near Cameron Corners.

Their
avoidance doesn’t make a lot of sense to me, since political campaigning is supposed to be about telling the voters where you stand. If the presidential candidates used these candidates’ logic, we would never learn anything about their stands on foreign policy or energy or anything else that voters need to know before they punch the hole in the ballot (or whatever we’re
doing this year at the polls).

These candidates have side-stepped the question
of big development every time the subject is raised. For instance, candidate
Mitchel Sanchez, a California Highway Patrol officer, recently commented on
Star Ranch to the San Diego Union-Tribune: “I understand there has to be some growth, and we need to make sure it happens in a productive way," he said. "Growth
is invaluable if we plan it correctly.”

I have no idea what he means by that. Do you?

In fact, their silence in land use matters has been deafening - even when
they had the opportunity at the planning group’s last meeting to contribute
project comments to the county and planning group. Of all HOPE’s candidates,
only Kor tendered a comment, but it consisted of a thinly veiled slam on the
planning group and her belief that the project is already approved (which it
is not).

Most of the non-HOPE candidates DID speak to the project. Tammy Inman, Larry
Johnson, Joe Carmody and Shirley Perkiss Driscoll all made suggestions as to
how the project could be made more palatable to the community. I feel confident
that I know what these candidates stand for.

But HOPE’s candidates remain a cipher, beyond what I can surmise from
HOPE’s financial statements. Will they be expected to earn their salt
if they are elected with the financial backing of Star Ranch? I’d like
to think not, but … they won’t say.

Perhaps they will offer us some clarity on Sept. 29 at the
candidate forum.

Billie Jo Jannen is a property owner and resident of Campo for
21 years and has written and edited rural news for 22 years. Her children and
grandchildren also live in Campo.

Opinions expressed in this editorial are the views of the author
and do not necessarily reflect the views of East County Magazine or its publisher.


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