Darren Spellman is wrong about my past.
I would not have brought up aspects of my past at this time, since no one yet knows if the recall signature phase will be successful, but since Darren has brought it up, I feel compelled to respond. How he could justify telling the public about my past without knowing it, and how he could make judgments about my character based on that misinformation, I have no idea, but he couldn't be more wrong.
My wife and I did not move here from L.A. I did live there many years ago for career reasons, but moved away as soon as I could. I hated it there. My wife and I moved to Ventura and we lived there for several years.
I had my mom in an assisted living place nearby. She was very depressed and wanted to live with family. Her estate also couldn't continue to pay for that care. I was the only one in my family who would take on the job of caring for her, but my wife and I lived on a boat and that wouldn't do for Mom. So, for three years we looked for a place we could afford and liked, knowing the move might hurt my career. We looked all over California, as well as Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Nevada and Arizona, always in rural areas, but when we found Valley Springs, and in particular, Rancho Calaveras, that was it. We knew this was the place. For nine months we drove up here, on average twice a month, to look at homes and make offers. We have come here by choice, and after much searching, not by being lucky to have been born here.
Darren thinks I'm a big city L.A. guy? That's a hoot. I was born into a Marine Corps family, so we moved around a lot, but I spent most of my growing up years in Eagle Creek, Oregon. I think the population is less than 100, or was back then. Very rural. It makes Darren's Manteca look like New York City. For that matter, it makes Valley Springs look like NYC.
We lived on a small farm. I was in FFA and I worked as a farm hand on several area farms from age 14 through 18 every summer, Christmas vacation and spring vacation. That’s what lots of people do, including most everyone I grew up with, when the family doesn’t have a lot of money. I know many others share the same experience.
I also worked my way through college (lumber mill green chain, pick and shovel laborer, gandy dancer, gas station attendant, house framer, dish washer, you name it). I'm about the farthest thing from a big city guy you can imagine, but I got a college education, including a Masters Degree so I could have chance at a career.
Darren writes that it is his "guy next door mentality" that I find "annoying and beneath public office." Wrong again. I actually like that part, but Darren seems to be in denial. It is mostly his behavior that has shown him to be unsuitable for public office. Does he think the best way to describe his atrocious behavior is "guy next door" stuff? Not any guy I ever lived next door to.
It's also not about "polish." Who cares about that? Plenty of effective elected officials don't have it. Even President Truman didn’t have it. Doesn't Darren understand that you can be "down to earth and honest," as well as dignified, professional and polite? To be a good and effective public servant, you should be all those things. Some humility would be nice too. Those aren't mutually exclusive concepts.
He alludes to the behavior of Congressman Anthony Weiner of New York as behavior that would justify a recall. No, that justified Weiner's resignation. Had he stayed in office, he also would have been a completely ineffective public servant. Even Weiner eventually admitted to the fact that he had caused his own problem. Hopefully, the public understands a recall can be based on behavior somewhat less horrible than that of Weiner.
If it was just Darren’s behavior that would be bad enough, but there have been some serious breaches of conflict of interest. He has twice encouraged law suits against the county, offering even to testify against the county. That’s taxpayer’s money he’s talking about - money that is his job to protect.
Darren says he’s “disheartened” that I announced my intention to be a candidate if the recall petition is successful. “Disingenuous” would be a better word for it. He knew I would probably be on the ballot in that eventuality because I told him I so a few weeks ago. Here’s what happened.
A several weeks ago, after the new district boundaries were drawn, Darren contacted me about my possibly being his replacement selection for the Planning Commission. Mind you, I had withdrawn my support for Darren following the Copperopolis debate debacle, but had nevertheless maintained a cordial relationship. We me on the subject of the Planning Commission and I agreed to be considered for the post.
A few weeks later in early September he called me for a second meeting on the same issue during which he said I was still one of three in consideration and asked if I was still interested. I said I was, but in the ensuing weeks, the recall drive had been announced. I told Darren that because of the peculiar conditions of the recall ballot, namely that the recall decision and the replacement candidate decision are to be decided on the same ballot, he would likely see my name on the ballot. I told him I would not sign the recall petition, but if gets recalled, someone else is going to fill that chair.
He wasn’t just OK with that, he said it was a “good idea.” He said if he got recalled, I would be a good alternative. We talked about various other things, but that’s basically where the meeting ended.
About a week later, he came out with his choice. He said that for “political reasons” he chosen someone else, which was OK with me. No problem.
Then, just a few days later on Sept. 28 at a meet up for the Campaign for Liberty, he completely flipped his position, and “flipped” is putting it mildly. He was there to speak about county business. One topic was one of his lawsuit issues. He said he had encouraged Nick Baptista of the Valley Springs News to sue the county over the contract for the legal announcements. I suggested it was one thing for him to hope the VS News got the contract, but for him to encourage a suit against the county was a conflict of interest. Without addressing that issue, he went on a rant against me for “just being after his job.” I told him that was the kind of behavior that has lead to this recall effort. He went on about me wanting his job and walked off. I invited him to stay and talk about it, but he insulted me and left the meeting.
Now he claims I’ve been after his job from the beginning – total nonsense, but I’m pretty sure the “cordial relationship” is over.
In my opinion, to be an effective public servant, especially an elected one, you must at least have the respect of your counterparts and you can't have that if you make enemies of them. You also have to have the respect of the voters. The constituents of the other board members aren't going to put any pressure on their Supervisors to vote your way if they have no respect for you. Insulting and attacking the others, and members of the public, and elected officials in higher offices, and encouraging lawsuits against the county may give you some sort of weird satisfaction, it may stroke your ego, but it gets you absolutely nowhere. Worse, it gets US absolutely nowhere.
Darren says he's "disheartened." How about us, the ones who supported him?
David Tunno
To read Spellman's comment to the Copper Gazette re: Tunno's interest in District 5 seat click HERE
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