Saturday, June 11, 2016

Candidate Mercurio's Miraculous Solutions

FINALLY, HER (OR SOMEBODY'S) POSITION ON ISSUES!
During a late-night Facebook joust with one of the Costa Mesa Public Square minions Friday/Saturday midnight timeframe he presented me with the link to a commentary published in the Daily Pilot under the name of Julie Mercurio - recently chosen as a Parks and Recreation Commissioner and an announced candidate for Costa Mesa City Council.

MIGHTY THIN QUALIFICATIONS
Since Ms. Mercurio's qualifications for the Parks and Rec. Commission position were, er, thin, to say the least, I've been curious about what her position is on... well, anything.  Her application is shown here.
 WHERE'S THE QUALIFICATIONS?
Apparently, based on her commentary, her only qualification for either job - the Parks and Rec. Commission or the City Council, is that she's "built" the Costa Mesa Public Square into a closed site with more than 6,500 members.  Of course, she's had a lot of help with that from folks in Huntington Beach, using the political playbook followed to construct a similar site in that city two years ago.  I'll give her a little credit, though, and assume that sitting reading Facebook comments is hard work.  I do know that it makes my fanny sore!  I don't know if she's being paid to do it, but it's probably worth minimum wage.

DON'T THINK SHE WROTE IT
Now, then, back to her commentary - which can be viewed HERE.  Let me be perfectly clear... I don't think she wrote it.  Nope... it's too professional with too many buzz words.  I suspect she had help - a lot of help - with this piece of political literature.  And, our friends at the Daily Pilot have helped her kick off her campaign!

TOO LONG, BUT...
As you read through her long, long, long commentary - my word counter indicates 860 words - you'll see that it certainly exceeds the normal preferred length.  However, when one is laying out her entire campaign in one swoop, it takes more than a few words to do it.  I'm OK with that.  I just hope the editors are as generous with those who might wish to rebut what she has to say.  That's a separate problem.. I can take all the time and space I wish right here to address her words - that's all they are right now... words.

A BIG DEAL?  REALLY?
She seems to have drawn on her "Facebook reading" as the cornerstone of her campaign.  Keep in mind that this fount of all her knowledge about Costa Mesa and it's problems is a CLOSED site - where she, and she alone, decides who gets to play and who doesn't.  Since she took over from my friend, Bruce Krochman, she converted it from what was a grand idea to be exactly what the title says - a "public square" - into a closed society where only like-minded viewpoints are tolerated.  All others are either blocked or ousted for offering differing views.

NEW TO THE PROCESS
Now, lately she's begun attending City Council meetings - at least for a short time - I guess to gather intelligence on how the group operates.  This is new, but she may have been watching on television or on the computer for years... we don't know because she's never spoken out on this issue where "real people" can find out.  We DO know that when she first presented a public face on political issues she told us she was new to this stuff and asked for help understanding it.  Didn't believe it then and still don't.

EXCERPTS FROM HER MANIFESTO
We learn in her epistle, for example, that she apparently has a solution for every single ill facing our city - except, maybe, the current council majority.  Her words are straight out of the "mom and apple pie" handbook for politicians... got a problem?  I'll fix it!  I suppose I could dissect it line-by-line, but that would take all the fun out of it for you.  You can read through it yourself.  However, there are a couple things that just call out for comment.

OOPS!
She says, "I applaud the action of our Homeless Task Force.", but that organization no longer exists.

OH, STEVE!
She frequently uses the word "attractants" - that's a Mensingerism, apparently borrowed from his "Politics for Dummies" handbook.

REALLY?
Down about midway she says, "I will request the Costa Mesa Police Assn. to add a homeless services liaison services officer to tie together law enforcement with compassionate service."  So, she expects the men and women of the CMPD - the ones her benefactors on the City Council are suing - to dig into their pockets to hire a new person?  Really?  Or, did she really mean the "Costa Mesa Police Department" and that was just an ignorant gaffe?

WILL SOLVE THE HOMELESS PROBLEM
She "pledges" to find better ways to address the influx of homeless in our city.  Really.. I can hardly wait for those ideas!

THE BEST LINES

Her best lines are, in my humble opinion, found in the next-to-last paragraph of her commentary/manefesto.  I almost choked as I read them.  I especially enjoyed this one:
"As a first-hand witness to the partisanship that sometimes infects city government, I am fed up with obstructionism based on petty, personal grievance."

ALL I NEED TO KNOW
Yep, that tells me just about all I need to know about Candidate Mercurio.  It tells me that, despite all the political fluff she told us before, she's 100% behind the current political power elite and she will simply become another guaranteed third vote... that's reason enough to NOT vote for her.  She'll become their "Chatty Cathy" - pull the string in her neck and out will come the current party line.

THOSE DARN GRIEVANCES!
She's concerned about those "petty, personal grievances" that seem to get in the way of doing the  business of the city like a business.  You know, those darn complaints from regular, everyday people who have problems in their neighborhoods and want to present them to their elected officials.  Nah, those guys - and fully supported by Candidate Mercurio - will continue to make presenting those grievances even MORE difficult.  Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if she recommends barring public comments at council meetings altogether!  "Off with their heads!"

I WANT TO HEAR THOSE WORDS

I'm REALLY eager to hear Candidate Mercurio actually speak to some of these issues in the near future.  I want to see if she actually understands the words published under her byline, or are they just the ramblings of a political PR hack, hired to freshen her makeup.  Time will tell.

TAKE YOUR TIME
In the meantime, enjoy the commentary... and take notes.







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10 Comments:

Anonymous Xyn Bohemia said...

these are such strange times in costa mesa. there's so much going on that makes no sense to me. thanks for posting this info. i can't read any of it on daily pilot. i don't have a subscription.

6/11/2016 08:29:00 AM  
Blogger Honeyman said...

Now we know why the majority is so insistant the candidate debates not be shown on CMTV this season as anyone who hears the idiocy from her mouth (and Steves for that matter) would certainly stay away.

Who would have thought they could find a less qualified candidate to run than Rita Simpson?

6/11/2016 08:41:00 AM  
Anonymous Arthur Nern said...

So the Newport bosses decided to replace a boozehound obsessed with pot with an aging cheerleader?

Smart money says she's just a distraction and a placeholder until said bosses convince the hero of Latinos everywhere, Mansoor, to formally announce.

6/11/2016 10:50:00 AM  
Anonymous Where's My Coffee? said...

Of course she didn't write that commentary. That's obvious if you've ever spoken to her. I suspect if there were a candidate forum, she'd decline under Mensinger/Righeimers' insistence. She and Steve will never be allowed to speak in public, for their own sakes.

Mercurio was selected to attempt to take the female votes away from Sandy Genis. That's laughable. Sandy is everything Mercurios is not. Sandy is highly intelligent, extremely knowledgeable and has a background as a urban planner as well as being honest. Mercurio has no qualifications whatsoever.

She has made an attempt to clean up her image on FB, but we all remember the horrible things she used to say. She just isn't what I want to see on our city council. We are far enough down the toilet already.

6/11/2016 11:24:00 AM  
Blogger kwahlf said...

I believe the voters in our city are sick of the distractions
that have been disguised as solutions to the many problems
facing Costa Mesa.
This was evident with the tremendous turnout for the
Town Hall meeting last Thursday.
It was a great success with many outstanding presentations
and speakers.
Thank you to all who made it possible!

6/11/2016 01:01:00 PM  
Anonymous breaking bad said...

kwahlf, what the voters should be sick of is the fraud. Julie Mercurio came on the scene like a bird with a broken wing crying help me, help me. She pretended and stated she didn't know anything and asked people to educate her on the charter and other Costa Mesa related issues. It was all a fraud and soon she was promoting the charter and other stances of the majority. It was all a fake. I hoped most people would see through that. But maybe they got distracted by another fraud Mensinger and his clan pulled. Remember CostaMayberry. That was all a farce too, to get people distracted so they could then sell CostaMayberry out to their developers com-padres. It was Costa Mayberry because it was a Barney move for sure.

The hypocrisy is so loud in Costa Mesa. Especially with the folks on the Public Square. Some of the most vile people post there and then come to the City Council meeting pretending to be so nice and concerned about civility. They are worse than what they complain about. They just recently had a conversation when one of their speakers was at the podium and someone caught Katrina looking down. So of course Katrina was being vilified for not listening. They even went so far to start several comments that she had to poop so leave her alone. And that was one of the tame threads over the years. So who is vile here? And how do the good people there allow that to happen? Maybe there aren't any good people there. And yet when the Mayor actually got up and left to get water when the guy in the Black suit started talking nobody is being critical of him. That's not rude to them just Katrina looking down for a moment was rude. This is how these people operate.

This Mercurio appointment, while a slap in the face to the resident with her handwritten weak resume, could also be a blessing. Anyone can see if you had that resume you wouldn't even be qualified for one a low level job. But it shouldn't surprise anyone because look who they have given Planning and Parks appointments to past and present. And the future appointments look-out if they maintain their majority. A couple of predictions. Byron De Arakal who has turned from "Return to Reason" to a developers best friend gets a planning spot and Chris Bunyan who has totally sold out gets a Parks spot.

I just thank god Mercurio didn't list she could drive a golf cart because we know if you do that for the boys they give you a higher appointment. Maybe they'd give her that Public Director job that just became vacant.

6/11/2016 08:35:00 PM  
Anonymous Heart for Costa Mesa said...

I believe I am the most qualified. I understand what people want. I care about the things I care about. I understand because I support the things I think are right. I know what is best. I will do this because I want to. I want to do this because I live here and I know how to get things done because I know the right people. I will listen to the people I want to listen to. I have a question because I value people I want to listen to. I want to ask the people I want to listen to, does this comment make me look self centered?

6/11/2016 09:07:00 PM  
Anonymous Where's My Coffee? said...

Breaking Bad, the Facebook thread criticizing Foley for looking away from the speaker, was started by Mercurio's boyfriend, Chris Byrne. He's from Huntington Beach, where she by her own account, spends most of her time. Lovely.

Heart, I got the same impression when I read that application. She only filled it out as a formality. They'd given her the job before the selection process even began. She already knew she had it. That's how these guys work. No honesty, no regard for the actually qualified candidates, just a finger to the residents that this appointment fails.

6/12/2016 05:15:00 AM  
Anonymous Who are you kidding? said...

The little cadre of candidates and their wannabe groupies, are really pathetic. Never have they or their moderator demonstrated a serious concern for the city or her residents, instead playing a jousting game, for personal recognition. This groupie following, appeara out of the woodwor every couple of months, professing ignorance and pleading for enlightenment,with new profiles but the same old line, "I'm new and don't know nuttin. Can you help me?"
Then the next day this newbie is all concerned, not over trash pick up, crime or other community issues, but are losing sleep over pension liability. Oh, the hilarity of it all. After a few days of "knowin nuttin", candidate JM, was supporting the twice defeated charter and a long shot council candidate because he was "nice to her." I hope that secret doesn't get out that a dozen donuts and a hello will win her concil support. Her obvious recent appearance in council, with no input, just a ploy to be seen, is so transparent and disturbing. Our city deserves serious candidates, with excellent qualifications....education, tried and true dedication, history of participation and active participation. What a slap in the face to residents, a shill candidate.

6/12/2016 09:24:00 PM  
Anonymous Heart for Costa Mesa said...

It wasn't her parks & rec app that inspired that little riff. it was her Daily Pilot Commentary where she says "I will do this" "I will do that" "I believe this and I that, "I...I...I...," Someone in the DP comment thread said there were 48 "I"s in her commentary. So my guess is her focus may not really be on the residents.

6/12/2016 10:42:00 PM  

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