On local government: cover-up always worse than the crime
Remembering what you lied about.
That is part of the problem with lying. The other problem is having the lie so easily uncovered.
The Redondo Beach City Council runoff in District 3 has become a crucial one in the area of commercial development in King Harbor. The two candidates have clearly different views on the subject. Candace Allen Nafissi, the leading vote getter in the first round, is opposed to the CenterCal harbor development project while her opponent, Christian Horvath, is definitely in favor.
In fact, his pro-development stance has led him into the lying problem.
It seems that a developer, Mohamad Pournamdari, who owns the lot behind the AES power plant, attempted to curry favor with not just Horvath, but Mayor Steve Aspel as well through, in Redondo Beach terms, substantial contributions.
There is nothing wrong with soliciting or receiving contributions to campaigns. They are, in fact reported to the Fair Political Practices Commission for general publication.
The problem starts when you start denying how, or why, you got the money.
It seems that in 2005, when then-Hawthorne City Councilman Louis Velez voted to approve his city’s use of eminent domain to acquire a parking lot for $500,000 next to a closed motel owned by Pournamdari. The city then voted to sell the land to Pournamdari. At the time, Velez was renting a house owned by Pournamdari’s family. In 2008, Velez pleaded guilty to felony conflict of interest charges stemming from his vote.
At first, Horvath announced that he knew nothing of this. While grateful for the money, it came out of the blue, having never met or spoken with Pournamdari. However, it turns out that Pournamdari blew the cover himself by indicating that he had, in fact, spoken to Horvath prior to providing the contribution.
Horvath’s story then changed. He indicated that he had reached out to Pournamdari for the contribution, quite possibly having received the reference from Aspel, who had gotten contributions from Pournamdari in his election campaign in 2013.
The question of integrity is always a powerful one in an election. Horvath took the money and didn’t bother to check the donor’s background. That’s kind of stupid, but not something that required such a campaign of lying.
The result is now far more damaging that the original “crime.”
The questions for District 3 voters remain: Is he a man to be trusted? What else is he lying about? His work? His history?
Very often, local campaigns hinge on these sorts of questions. For my former Council colleague, Steve Colin, this situation has caused him to rescind an endorsement. For other voters, it could be well be the only thing they know for sure about the candidate.
If you are going to lie, remember what you lied about and stick to the story or else this will happen to you.
Even better, don’t lie at all.