Let me see if I have this right. In 2008, Mario Rubino, Peter Arth and Kathay Edmondson submit paperwork to run for 3 council vacancies slated for the November 2008 ballot. Because they were the only 3 candidates there was no actual election on the ballot so they were sworn in as default winners, having won despite never getting a single vote. The 3 new council members joined Tim Padula and James Phelps who were already on the council. Tim Padula and James Phelps both gained their council seats by appointment, not election. Upon the 3 new council members getting sworn in James Phelps motions for Tim Padula to be the next mayor arguing he has the most seniority of the council. Mario Rubino motions and argues that he himself should be the next mayor. After several arguments and comment by the city manager, Kathay Edmondson is selected as the new mayor of Dunsmuir. Tim Padula stands and resigns his seat on the council. An article in the mtshastanews reflects these events. Helen Cartwright is soon appointed to fill Tim Padulas seat. In late 2009 James Phelps also resigns the council, stating from the council dais he did not share the same vision for Dunsmuir expressed by the remaining members of the council. Within a month of James Phelps resigning Kathay Edmondson receives notice that she is being fined by the FPPC for failing to disclose 2 years in a row that she owned an income generating vacation rental on her 700 form. The complaint to the FPPC was spawned from her decision not to recuse herself and leave the room during council discussion regarding an ordinance governing vacation rentals. She owned one which created a conflict of financial interest. Rumors at the time were that Mario Rubino helped a local citizen file the FPPC complaint against Kathay Edmondson and even told them how to obtain a copy of Kathays 700 form from the city. Cherie Dupertuis is soon appointed to fill James Phelps seat instead of fellow appointee candidates Ed Steele, Leslie Wilde, and Bill McIntyre. Ed Steele and Leslie Wilde run in a special election in June 2010 to fill Kathay Edmondsons seat, Ed Steele defeats Leslie Wilde. In July 2010, a city council body consisting of Ed Steele, Helen Cartwright, Peter Arth and Cherie DuPertuis vote unanimously to censure fellow council member and vice-mayor Mario Rubino for his outrageous and unprofessional conduct as a member of the city council. During this same time, Dunsmuir voters gather almost 500 petition signatures against Mario Rubino which places his seat on the council on the November 2010 ballot for a recall vote. Then a group forms called Dunsmuir Moving Forward to try to save Mario Rubinos council seat. It is spearheaded by Ed and Joanne Steele, who open a campaign headquarters at their house. Joanne Steele, who has worked much larger campaigns, uses her expertise and devises a campaign slogan, designs campaign t-shirts, buys campaign signs, produces online campaign emails to their greenie supporters, buys newspaper ads, writes weekly letters to the editor against the recall and also has a large group of volunteers going house to house talking to voters all to save Mario Rubinos seat. Despite this Herculean effort by Dunsmuir Moving Forward, Mario Rubino is recalled with a whopping 397 votes, which is more than Leslie Wilde received in her recall in 2014. Heres is what I want to make sure I understand. Mario Rubino was censured for his detrimental conduct by his peers on the council, then soundly kicked out of office by a huge majority of voters. Yet currently, he is routinely spotted inside city hall still meddling in city policy, and triggering lawsuits against the city with his unlawful behavior, and then going on a Facebook forum to disparage Leslie Wilde. Leslie Wilde has the one thing Mario Rubino doesnt have, which is the guts to run for office in a contested election. And she may never have won an election, but she did get votes, hundreds of them, which is something else Mario Rubino has never received....a single vote in favor of his candidacy. This is why Leslie left the forum, because instead of discussing any political issues you obsess about the County Clerks clerical error of her street address.
Posted on: Sun, 10 Aug 2014 23:38:56 +0000