On September 4, Steve Morris, Al Glatt, Bob Baker and members of the Clark Team provided a great breakfast. Our program chair CDub arranged for all eight Dana Point City Council candidates to appear. At the last minute former two-term councilman Scott Schoeffel announced his unavailability, so we heard from seven candidates.
As three of the candidates vie to represent Niguel Shores voters, most member questions were directed to them.
District One (includes Niguel Shores):
■ Amy Foell comes to Dana Point from her day job running the Pasadena Chamber of Commerce. Amy wants performance-based budgeting and facilities for the homeless.
■ Joe Jaeger, residing in Ritz Point, was a vocal member of the decommissioned Dana Point Financial Review Board and asserts that Dana Point runs ever-increasing deficits. He wants homeless, sober-living and shortterm rentals addressed.
■ Incumbent Joe Muller supports rational development and the homeless task force. He understands the US constitutional limitations CC&Rs place on short-term rental/AirBnB/sober living facility “property rights.” He asserts Dana Point continues to have an operating surplus.
District 2:
■ Mark McGinn is an engineering sales person recently relocated from Philadelphia. Mark wants to eliminate homelessness. His focus is problem-solving.
■ Scott Shoeffel served two terms on City Council and wants to return. He was unable to attend our meeting.
■ Richard Viczorek, lawyer, incumbent, says things are going well.
District 3:
■ Jamey Federico, a long-serving Marine, wants to preserve the character of our city.
■ Charles Payne, policeman in San Bernardino for twenty years, put himself through law school and is a hands-on guy.
At our second meeting September 18, we welcomed new member Tim Williams. Kudos to the Enger Team for breakfast, Dick Kichline for keeping the roster up to date, Jack Christiansen for continuing to oversee the cooking teams, Bob Enger for managing the football pool for the benefit of the Men’s Club scholarship fund, and to Jon Cobain for parlaying a raffle of Mission San Juan Capistrano “Music Under the Stars” tickets to $700+ for the scholarship fund.
Our speaker was financial planner Gary Edkins of Prudential Financial. Gary, a seasoned professional and member of the South Orange County Estate Planning Council, has been active in the financial services industry for 36 years supporting his clients’ business, retirement and estate planning needs. He focused on life’s five retirement derailers: rising health care costs; outliving savings; risk-taking with low interest rates and spending more than investments earn; market volatility; tax increases. With the societal change from traditional pensions to individual responsibility for retirement income and wellbeing, these derailers have become more pronounced. According to Gary, to accomplish your financial goals you need not only a clear vision of what you want to achieve but also the proper toolkit and an experienced guide. Know what you are facing and continue to plan for the future.
Next up: Lisa Bartlett, unopposed incumbent candidate for Orange County Board of Supervisors, October 2.
For information on the Niguel Shores Men’s Club, please contact Robert F. Saint-Aubin at (949) 466-2400 or email rfsaint@me.com.
—Robert F. Saint-Aubin
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