The biggest disappearing act in south Orange County has yet to be picked up by the OC Register. But then again if all we write about are yogurt shops and new restaurant openings why should I be surprised. The Mission Viejo Community Foundation.
Seven years ago the city of Mission Viejo provided over $400,000 in start-up and front end operating funding for the above named 501 C-3 non-profit whose FIRST PROJECT was to raise over one million dollars for the expansion of our Murray Community and Senior Center. At that time they told us that this was NOT a single project non-profit organization. This group of 13 high profile local executives were also going to actively raise funds for future city projects. An important point that needs to be stated is that the city has no control of any independent organization. As such they have never been asked to present reports of their current/future activities nor their finances.
In Sept. of 2008, when I invited myself into one of their meetings at the city’s Potocki Center, I questioned their failure to raise any money for our Rose Parade float. Foundation Chairman Joe Celantano was polite yet reminded me that we do not call the shots as to what control we have over their organization and its commitments.
Unlike the Community Center expansion, that was virtually completed before they lifted a finger, there was no time to raise community funding. I was very vocal pointing out that you cannot raise funds for a project after it has been completed. According to our Treasurer’s office we received a check in the amount of $177,500. There were claims of in-kind funds being raised but I have never seen any proof. Nor has the Foundation supported any other city project. The City Manager tried to spin a Grant that we received but that was not the charter of their efforts. I believe that the above referenced Grant was applied for by a member of city staff.
Fast forward to last night’s meeting where the City Council took the first step in creating a $1,000,000 dog park. Yes, you read it correctly, not $100,000, a million dollars. While the base estimate is $850,000 that does not include any of the award winning goodies like covered tables and golden fountains that we are famous for in follow-up Change Orders and CIP project phasing. Nor does this figure cover the design fees of RJM Design, the only vendor qualified for 99% our city’s contracts.
Council Member Schlicht was correct in her remark last night that “the $850,000 (cost of the proposed dog park) is a floor not a ceiling.” That is something we have all learned while watching phased projects and a la carte pricing so that the public is not aware of the final CIP cost.
There was some light coming out of the tunnel. Sharon Cody offered to have her group, DAWG, participate in a work day and possibly participate in some fund raising. In her remarks she mentions “possible corporate sponsorship.”
Based on her group’s prior success in shaking the trees, and whereas the MV Community Foundation never lived up to their grandiose fundraising commitment, let me challenge these two independent organizations to commence working together as Mission Viejo joins other south county cities with our own dog park.
Vice Mayor Leckness stated “I do have an issue with the price” later adding “there’s ways to get people to do things.”
Very true. Perhaps the Vice Mayor, who was a member of the MV Community Foundation, can get that group back on track and do what they were created to do. Raise money for city projects.
And my last comment relates to our vendor selection. At one point in the meeting Dave asked RJM designer Larry Ryan how many dog parks he has designed to which Larry responded two, neither of which are located in this county. Who designed the dog parks in Costa Mesa, Fullerton, Huntington Beach, Irvine, Ladera Ranch, Laguna Niguel, Laguna Woods, Orange, Seal Beach and Yorba Linda?
It’s time our city staff stopped awarding every contract to our favorite vendors.
One point worth adding. When Flo Jo park was created across the street from our house there were two grass areas separated by Applegate Road. The larger eastern side had costly sod installed while the western side towards fire station #31 had grass seed. As the proponents of this project have waited this long, I would hope that the CIP will be based on grass seed and simply wait for the seed to take root rather than a turnkey lawn from day one. The cost differential was huge and the large and small dogs will be happy on either pad.
During MV’s. August 25, 2005 televised City Talk program, COX Cable VP Jim Leach, Chairman of the Foundation Board, discussed the Mission and Purpose of the Foundation’s first project, the community center expansion with Mayor Trish Kelley. In his remarks Jim stated “the Foundation hopes to raise $1 million to $1.5 million within the next 12 months to complete the funding needs of the project.” Folks. Never happened.
The Orange Juice blog policy of retaining Archives of older posts is priceless, especially, when our city manager cannot force us to remove them.
After publishing my June 12, 2008 story entitled “MV Fundraising Failure…” and my Sept 24, 2008 report entitled “Who is Running the MV Community Foundation?” we received the following comment to the second post from someone named Robert Kiley that you can read in the archives.
Robert Kiley says:
February 11, 2009 at 11:21 am (Edit)
Larry,
I was the individual who brought the idea of a community foundation to the city council with all good intentions, experience, and a track record.
My proposal was three-fold
1. Preparing, filing the necessary paperwork, and qualifying it as a 501(c)(3) non-profit community foundation.
2. Being hired as its Executive Director for 2 years at $30,000/year.
3. Develop a Board of Directors of high-level individuals from within the community and begin raising money.
I was hired by the city to just to establish the Mission Viejo Community Foundation as a 501 (c) (3) non-profit corporation, which I did. I was told that the city wanted to raise funds for many of its programs and the expansion of the Murray Community & Senior Center. I also applied to be its Executive Director since I have successfully setup boards and been Executive Director of several, such as the Tustin Community Foundation and Community Foundation of Orange.
If you remember correctly, the city set up a task force to interview and recommend someone to be the Director and raise funds. Well, the committee recommended a professional fund-raising operation which required the city to invest over $220,000 to start. That is not my idea of how you operate a 501(c)(3) non-profit foundation. My proposal to the committee was that i would set up an independent board of directors of high-level individuals from the business and finance world within the community who had never been asked before and begin raising money. my fee for doing this was $30,000/year for two years and then the foundation could pick up the my compensation. And in that two year period I guaranteed to raise double my salary.
Also, you are correct, once established their should be no involvement by the city. No employees of the city should be working for the foundation or have any say on what the foundation doing. It should be a stand alone non-profit.
So, it is not surprising to hear that it has gone no where and at a great expense to the taxpaying citizens of Mission Viejo.
Bob Kiley
In closing let me say that city staff was participating in the meeting I attended. As of now I do not know if this 501 C-3 non-profit organization is still in existence
Larry:
A great job of summarizing the Mission Viejo miss steps of the past.
As I can attest to; studying history is a peek into the future. The Dog Park crowd, like the tennis center crowd– are just another group of entitlement groupies asking for a hand out–don’t count on anything of substance from them. Indeed one of them (SVS) said at one of the past meetings ” I do not care what the neighbors think–I want the dog park !”
If there is not free food, free services, or award certificates this bunch will disappear.
The MV Foundation failed for a lot of reasons, one of which was putting a bunch of posturing, pompous clowns in charge of it. They enjoyed the publicity of having their names on it, and they failed because they had no interest it in.
What kind of fool would make a donation to GOVERNMENT projects anyway? Do reasonable people make a donation to the Post Office or DMV? Residents had a choice: taxpayer funds for government projects or taking money out of their bank accounts to donate to the government. Duh.
The dog park entitlement group can fund their own dog park. If they raise $10,000, then they can have a $10,000 dog park.
Obvious outcome.
What surprises me is that the city manager has not mentioned the Foundation for the past few years.
If he has, I surely must have missed it. He generates multiple publications with updates in our city.
I did see Karen Wylie and Dennis in a Foundation meeting. Is that a conflict?
Wilberg is a failure as a city manager. His two successes are maintaining three votes to keep his job and three votes to keep his contract if he is convicted of felonies. Incredible. He’s failed at his basic responsibility of maintaining the city infrastructure. He funnels money to worthless feel-good projects and hides expenses as maintenance.
He illegally participates in city politics by using taxpayer funds to influence a ballot measure, and each act should be prosecuted as a felony. BTW, the person posting chapter and verse on a blog should send it to the grand jury.
Wilberg is incapable of raising private funds or managing a foundation. His only ability is to spend other people’s money.
A Google search shows that the Foundation gave $7000 ($2000 of that raised from Park Place Lexus) to various teachers for school supplies in October of last year.
seems to me the residents who own dogs pay taxes just like the residents who have kids. Kids have a lot of city-paidfor fields. We can’t squeeze out one for the dogs? We can seem to afford $513,000 for special elections. I got that figure from watching council meetings from my couch. Seems the only one the two special elections this year tried to benefit was Dale Tyler. I’d rather my money go to the dogs.
LBM.
Kindly help out all those who read this blog.
Document how Dale Tyler benefited from the special elections!
Let me add that before each “special election” qualified it took around 10,000 registered voter signatures to even take that step. Somehow you forgot that a simple 3 member majority of our city council can, and did, vote to sue BOTH of our public school districts WITHOUT voter approval.
I would say that’s a minor distinction wouldn’t you agree?
By the way if Wilberg’s only ability is to spend other’s peoples money then he is qualified to run a foundation. Doh! think about what you say first?
LBM.
What are you smoking?
Every City Manager has the ability to spend OPM. The difference is that while Dennis supported creation and massive funding of this defunct non-profit, technically he has zero power over their actions.
The fact that I surprised Dennis and Karen at a Foundation meeting raises questions about the role of City staff in conjunction with the non-profit.
At this time its a mute point. While well intentioned, like any other volunteer effort, it takes a unique leader to keep the group engaged in the mission for which it is created. Trying to have their own companies survive during an extended recession does not help.
That said, in his capacity as our city manager, Dennis could/should invite them to a council meeting to provide an update on what they are working on which was the justification for their creation in the first place.
If they have disbanded, simply tell us and I will drop the subject (for now).
To Bruchmann (LBM). A foundation first has to raise money (OPM) if Dennis Wilberg wants to spend it. No one running the foundation was concerned about raising $, and it failed as soon as potential donors realized they were only donating to an administrator’s paycheck.
Was it Bob Zuer who was acting as its high-paid leader? He had no responsibilities, no accountability, no hours, no supervision … and no results. When residents asked questions, the foundation board told everyone they were a private organization and it was no one’s business how they operated.
WHAT A HUGE SURPRISE the foundation failed. Instead of closing the books, they put another monkey (Dennis) in charge of guarding the bananas.
Readers. I am sorry to disappoint you. In the past, if Dennis didn’t like what I posted he would send me an email. To date he hasn’t. The only conclusion one could reach is that he recognizes that he screwed up funding the non-profit acknowledging that he has no control over their comings and goings and will not respond which by itself says it all.
Erin, regarding your info., the city foundation was raising money for city projects, not for schools. Fun With Chalk is an entirely different entity (a/k/a Children’s Creative Festival or something like that), and it donates modest sums to schools each year.
Fun With Chalk is fueled primarily by the energy of one person in the private sector with volunteers. The city Foundation was a joke, taking $400,000 from city coffers — called seed money — and spending almost everything on its own administration. They should have called it weed money because it went up in smoke.