The Larry Bennett Story
There is a newly minted blog called OC Daily, evidently the brain child of GOP slime ball Dave Gilliard, and operated by another small-time hack named Matthew Cunningham. A Friend directed my attention to this post written by Cunningham about our recent Fullerton election that blames Larry Bennetts’ fourth place finish on a divided GOP – basically throwing the rat on Bruce Whitaker (by name) for not supporting Bennett, due lack of supposed conservative purity on the part of the latter. Cunningham also points out Bennett’s broad bi-partisan support as an indication of his strength.
Since this post shared a link to Bennett’s fabulous list of endorses, I will too. Except that I will pick out a few familiar names and add some piquant commentary that may come as surprise to those who hold the opinion that these endorsements have much value outside the aging little clique who signed on. They won’t surprise you, Friends.
| Bob Huff | CA State Senate bag man for Redevelopment profiteers |
| Dick Ackerman | State Senate Minority Leader – Retired (Tried to sell OC Fair to pals, tried to carpetbag wife into Assembly; 1994 & 2012 recall opponent) |
| Jennifer Fitzgerald | RINO Mayor – lobbyist for Curt Pringle; refuses to release client list |
| Jan Flory | Mayor Pro Tem, 2012 recall opponent; illegal water tax supporter; supported utility tax in 1993 |
| John (Jack) Bedell, Ph.D. | RINO Vice President Orange County Board of Education, recently smeared Chris Norby in BoE election |
| Molly Mc Clanahan | North OC Community College Vice President (recalled from Fullerton council in 1994 for unnecessary utility tax |
| Hilda Sugarman | RINO Fullerton School Board Vice President, |
| Janny Meyer | RINO Fullerton School Board Member; wife of previous city manager |
| Chris Meyer | Former Fullerton City Manager (holder of MASSIVE pension; oversaw a city government with zero accountability) |
| Paul Dudley | Former Director of Community Development (responsible for massive over development of Fullerton) |
| Dick Ackerman | Former Mayor (see above; this scumbag is so repulsive he gets listed TWICE) |
| Don Bankhead | Former Mayor, only person in the history of California to be recalled Twice from the same office |
| Buck Catlin | Former Mayor, recalled in 1994 for imposition of unnecessary utility tax, father of Janny Meyer |
| F. Richard Jones | Former Mayor, recalled in 2012; rude, bombastic Southern-fried imbecile |
| Linda LeQuire | Former Mayor, repulsive former councilperson resurrected for nasty duty every election cycle |
| Molly Mc Clanahan | Former Mayor (also listed TWICE did I metioned she was recalled?) |
| Leland Wilson | Former Mayor,(RINO- mitigating factor – got rid of Flory in 2002) |
| Peter Godfrey | Former Mayor Pro Tem, completely useless RINO |
| Pat Mc Kinley | Former Council Member, recalled in 2012 – created the FPD Culture of Corruption “I hired them all” |
| Jim Blake | Former MWD Board, busted partying on the taxpayers dime as the perpetual appointee to the MWD |
| Rick Crane | Former Planning Commissioner, Redevelopment Agency bonanza beneficiary |
| Samuel Han | Former Planning Commission, Grace Ministries front man for dad and booze peddler map supporter |
| Roy LeQuire | Former Planning Commissioner, spouse of Linda LeQuire, above |
| Wade Richmond | Former Planning Commissioner ( Bankhead crony since the year 1492) |
| Jim Alexander | Local small-time lobbyist |
| Carol Bankhead | Wife of Don Bankhead |
| Karen Dudley | Wife of Paul Dudley, above |
| Norma Jones | Wife of Richard Joes, above |
| Tony Florentine | (Guy who buil restaurant addition on public sidewalk; operated illegal dance club) |
| Pat Florentine | Spouse of sidewalk grabber, above |
| Barbara McKinley | Wife of Pat Mckinley, above |
So, basically Bennett was the front man for Old Fullerton, the same crew that has done everything possible to keep Fullerton in a weird stasis in which they ran the show. These were the people that fought BOTH recalls, tooth and nail; that imposed a utility tax in 1993, that have given away the store to the public employees and upper managers alike; that stole $27,000,000 from us in illegal water taxes, denied it, and never even bothered to say “sorry;” that enabled a Culture of Corruption to pervade the FPD, who denied its existence contrary to all the evidence, and who hid behind their curtains when an innocent man was bludgeoned to death by their own little Praetorian Guard.
And every rancid step of the way proclaiming with hosannas their dedication to “good government.”
These are the people who now survive in ever-dwindling numbers, their days long past, who see in people like Fitzgerald and Bennett some sort of embryonic form in which their own feeble genetic material is passed on.
Blaming Whitaker for not backing Bennett? How about shame on all of those who did? Electing Republicans qua Republicans, even though they are supported by all of Fullerton’s Old Guard liberals, instead of principled conservatives is how we got into the place we are today – awash in red ink, overdeveloped and with zero accountability in sight.
Cunningham’s calls for party unity are allways conveniently selective. He never complained about Lucille Kring’s decision to challenge Tom Tait for Mayor of Anaheim, for example, even though the move could have handed to Mayorship to Democrat Lorri Galloway. And when Bennet himself ran two years ago, his allies on the FPOA (a public employee union Mr. Bennet pledged to not solicit or accept any support from in connection with his bid to obtain Republican Party endorsement) ran hard against Greg Sebourn, leaving Doug Chaffee completely unscathed, something else Cunningham never complained about at the time, nor did he criticize Dick Ackerman’s open campaigning for Chaffee in 2014.
That’s because his complaints have a really strong connection to his checking account.
Cunningham works for Pringle. Honey Fitz works for Pringle. Bennet was Honey Fitz’s boy.
End of story.
With or without Bennett, nothing changes, same team, different faces
Right. What did they need Bennett to do that Jesus Silva won’t? The list has to be short.
Come on, I’m sure he’ll be an unshakeable defender of good government just like Shar-
Oh.
Very true. I predict an immediate alliance with Chaffee and Fitzgerald, more massive apartment projects (we gotta go up!) and less accountability than ever.
A story mentioning Dick Ackerman just isn’t complete without showing this photo:
http://www.fullertonsfuture.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/ackerman-swig-500×340-300×204.jpg
If this is a list of Bennett’s life insurance customers, he might be out of business soon.
Totally Whitakers fault, not the fact that there were 12 people on the ticket, two of whom did not campaign, one who bought a lot of signs and ran the “I’m old” campaign, one who ran a viral online campaign (now writing for this place), a crazy who littered to town with signs of someone vomiting, a guy who just wanted the college vote, another person backed by Royce who’s mom actually worked for him, and a champion of coyote hills who’s signs actually said stop the development.
None of them had anything to do with him losing. Or how about the fact that he’s on the planning commission? Or the fact he ran the most Vice presidential campaign for city council ever. I almost wonder if people assumed they did not have vote for him if they voted for Jennifer.
The Joe Biden of Fullerton (except he won’t actually get to serve)
“the most Vice presidential campaign for city council ever”.
Yes to that. 100 times yes. Well played.
And I’ll take that little bit of credit for taking down Bennett. Just a smidgen will do for me. Cheers.
How funny…I have lost count of how many people think that a 44 year old woman can’t have possibly done something herself just because her mother did something. I know for a fact that the candidate who ran with Royce’s endorsement worked for Royce herself. Totally got paid and everything. Anywho, totally not important, just tired of being marginalized.
Okay, then. Cunningham said you were recruited by Bruce Whitaker.
“Councilman Bruce Whitaker deemed Bennett insufficiently conservative (according to his lights) and recruited ironworker Susan Gapinski. ”
Is that accurate?
No. I have a fascinating back story, you should ask me before listening to people who do not even know me. 2 years ago Greg encouraged me to run when I expressed an interest in it…Bruce did not discourage me from running when I expressed interest. Greg and Bruce know that I have been interested in running for some time, you see, I am not just your average ironworker, there is more.
Nobody listens to that guy, if by listening you mean believing. He works for Curt Pringle (one way or another) and the Pringle people dislike Whitaker (and probably you, too).
I just wanted to verify that Cunningham is intellectually dishonest. I mean dishonest. Okay, the guy is a liar.
Fair enough, sorry for that. Did not mean to offend, well you personally… some people are another story.
Fitzgerald and Bennett cozy up to the unions for tens of thousands of dollars every time they run.. the same unions that spent over $100,000 hitting Whitaker last time he won. What kind of dipshit blogger-for-hire thinks Whitaker is obligated to join that confluence of graft?
The same one that thinks burning Teddy bears and outing victims of child rape are innocent mistakes that shouldn’t negatively impact his reputation.
You mean “Suite C”?
Bennett ran (and made a complete disaster of it) the anti-recall campaign in 2012. He is the poster boy for the hermetically sealed old regime with its little incestuous relationships. By defending the Three Bald Tires he earned the undying love of people like Flory and Molly McClanahan, people whose endorsement ought to be an immediate disqualification for public office.
have we seen the last of Bennett? Probably. The actuarial numbers of his built-in base don’t look good.
Bennett was the liar who stood up and said there was no waster tax because it wasn’t on the water bill. Of course the tax WAS on the bill, just not disclosed. This blog exposed the sack of crap for what he is – a spineless, truthless stooge. If he lost it’s because enough people know all about this guy and voted for somebody else.
It was just a damn good thing for bennett that nobody ran an IE campaign against him.
This Cunningham clown is paid to sell fake “conservatives” like Lucille Kring and Kris Murray on us in Anaheim. We are awash in crony capitalism and corporate welfare. I’m not at all surprised that he is now bemoaning the loss of Bennett since he was the little project of Fitzgerald – a Pringle employee. It’s obvious that crowd wants to milk Fullerton the way they’re doing it to us in Anaheim.
As I’ve said before, if the folks of Fullerton want to see what’s in store for their fair city, they need look no further than a trip south on the 57 and get off at Katella Avenue and head right and look at all the high rises stacked next to each other so tight together that each resident can hear easily their neighbors fart.
Actually check out the Orangefair godzilla, the Santa Fe monster; more giant blocks soon on south Harbor and Commonwealth and of course the never-ending Amerige Court prison block. Fullerton is already there.
I love pringles.
You forgot to mention that LeQuire won a coveted Fringie back in 2009 as Worst Ghost of Fullerton’s past. She was nominated again in 2012.
*snore* Should we…. really care?
WELL I READ THESE POSTS AND HAVE TO DISAGREE 100%
LARRY BENNETT IS A GREAT STAND UP GUY WHO IS ALWAYS VOLUNTEERING HIS TIME FOR EXCELLENT CAUSES.
HE DOES NOT HAVE SOME KIND OF HIDDEN AGENDA TO JUST BENEFIT HIMSELF. HE IS A VERY COMMON SENSE PERSON.
HE IS ACTUALLY A GREAT PERSON.
WHOEVER IS WRITING THIS BLOG IS A SMALL AND VERY PETTY PERSON THEMSELF.
WHAT A WEIRDO CRITIC YOU ARE.
I KNOW. RIGHT?
RAWRRRRRR!
Why are your arms so tiny?
QUESTION: WHY AM I SO MAD?
RAWRRRRRR!