What in the hell is going on in Lompoc?

Usually it’s not much; Lompoc is a sleepy little town, after all. But holy cow, the Lompoc City Council has blown up with bickering, warring factions, and finger-gun pointing.

I think most would agree that Mayor Bob Lingl was being a tad inappropriate when he gestured toward Councilmember Jim Mosby and joked about shooting him in the head.

Nothing came of the threat because Mosby didn’t press charges against the mayor, which he described to the Sun as a “favor,” and hoped Lingl would apologize in return. But he didn’t get his apology, which is why Mosby’s wife published her telling of the incident on Facebook.

Mosby even tried to pass off the blame for all the publicity on his wife and his mother, saying their concerns were what warranted an apology. That’s something the millennial generation would call “cringe worthy.”

And now, Mosby and fellow Councilmember Victor Vega want to fire City Manager Patrick Wiemiller (check out our cover story on the matter on page 8), but why? Was he really being insubordinate when he told Mosby and Vega to stay in their respective lanes as councilmembers regarding city staffing?

Mosby and Vega, with the help of Councilmember Dirk Starbuck, have really dug their heels in over the city budget and are pushing to cut city services—that also means jobs—significantly to somewhat address the city’s massive deficit. They won’t even put a possible sales tax increase up for a vote next year.

This isn’t the first time Vega, Mosby, and Starbuck have openly disrespected city staff. Earlier this year they changed the seating arrangement at City Council meetings so that the city manager, city attorney, and assistant city manager would no longer sit at the dais. That says a lot right there—these councilmembers would rather preside over city staff than work with them.

What a joke! This trio of councilmembers needs to realize they aren’t just crapping on city staff but on Lompoc’s voters as well. Why do they think they know exactly how Lompoc feels about the sales tax increase?

Let me tell you something, boys. Lompoc resident and prolific letter to the editor writer Justin Ruhge is for the sales tax! This is Justin “president of Concerned Taxpayers Inc.” Ruhge we’re talking about here, and he doesn’t want to see Lompoc’s services slashed just to save your egos.

Well, if Lompoc’s City Council won’t give the city’s residents that choice, those voters are left to decide the three seats up for grabs on the now-exclusive dais. Starbuck, Vega, and Lingl are all up for re-election next year.

I wonder how all this buffoonery will affect the election.

Amid all the fighting, Lompoc’s deficit is growing and nothing’s getting done about it. I really feel for Councilmember Jenelle Osborne, whose plea for sanity and respect is probably ringing in a lot of ears in Lompoc. 

The Canary won’t ever run for city council, anywhere. Send your thoughts to [email protected].

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