• Wildomar City Council Election 2024

There are about 37,000 people who call Wildomar home. Of that number, as of May 2024, there were 22,160 registered voters, but only, roughly, a fifth of that will be getting ballots with a city council race on it. 

That is what happens when there are district-based elections in a small city instead of at-large. 

District 2 had no one compete against incumbent Dustin Nigg. So he was appointed without needing to campaign for votes, whereas incumbent Bridgette Moore has two challengers.

Such a disservice to the voters and the candidates as well, that we, along with hundreds of other cities in California, were forced to go away from at-large city council elections due to money-grubbing lawsuits falsely waving the race card around. 

But that's its own long story... buy me a coffee and I'll go on about it for at least half an hour... maybe even two half hours. lol

Who are the three people on the ballot?

The first two photos were supplied by the candidates, and the last one was the best current photo I could find online.

How did I come to know them?

I met Bridgette back in 2013 when I was picking up litter near the old Brown house, where the new Kaiser medical office building is today. That chance meeting predated Wildomar Rap by about two months.

She was concerned that we might be trespassing. It was one of those 109 degree August days, but there she was, looking after the city. I asked her what was slated for the field across the street. 

There was nothing at that time, but she asked if I'd like to set up a meeting with the city manager and her to talk about things in Wildomar. I politely declined. 

Ah, the memories... who misses that old place?

The correct answer is, NOBODY!

Veronica had been a member of the Planning Commission for a couple of years when I first started to attend city meetings in late 2013. That's where I first came to know her. 

Let me add to the lore of how Wildomar Rap came about. 

Here's something that occurred at one of the first planning commission meetings I ever attended.

This is how I remember it. 

A former city councilwoman became a gadfly after she lost in 2010. She would always pal around with a poison pen blogger of that era and they would go to as many city meetings as they had time for. After which he'd do a quick write-up cutting down the fledgling city, the council members, and city staffers.

Mind you, the old council chamber was quite cozy compared to today, and the audience was all of about five feet away from the dais. The public speakers would tower over the council members or planning commissioners. 

From left to right are Veronica Langworthy, Stan Smith, Bobby Swann, Dan Bidwell, Dan York, and behind the microphone is "longtime resident out at the farm" George Taylor.

In the September 2013 planning commission meeting the former council member was essentially heckling the commission members from just about the same spot that this photo was taken. 

 

After several minutes of it, Veronica had run out of patience with Chair Stan Smith who was allowing the chatter to continue on unabated, and she told them to cut it out. I loved it. Good job, Veronica. 

The next day there was a complete lie posted about what had transpired by that blogger. Somehow it was a topic at The Patch since the writer never allowed comments on his blogs, and that's where I straightened out the narrative... two weeks later Wildomar Rap was born.

I met Karen about a month ago at Montague Brothers and we had a nice chat for more than half an hour before we got into the blog interview, but that's the extent of my dealings with her.

Link to the interactive districts map

How do I know them now?

It's fair to say that I would have tired of Wildomar Rap before the first year had gone by had it not been for Bridgette's unanticipated promotion of the blog. 

I wasn't sure why she'd refer to Wildomar Rap during city council meetings, but I have to admit that it was fun to hear. Also, the previous local blogger was needlessly harsh and was only trying to cause problems for his own amusement. 

Since I was down the middle, and not a hater, that was obviously a welcomed relief for the city council and they embraced me. 

By 2015, Bridgette and my wife Grace became very good friends, and that lasted until my wife got ill enough to get medically retired at the age of 50 in early 2018. It's not that the friendship ended, it's that my wife couldn't leave the house so it withered.

Though we were friends, she didn't publically endorse me when I ran for city council in 2018, and I understood the reasons why.

Bridgette and I started Wildomar Beautification Volunteers back in the Summer of 2020. She and I have worked well together and have remained friends despite disagreeing on many items that have come before the city council.

There I am in the upper left-hand corner, George Cambero, Bridgette Moore and Grace Morabito at a Susan G. Komen event at the Lake Elsinore Levee in 2016.

Regarding Veronica, I was literally at every planning commission meeting from September 2013 on, and so was she. 

I always liked her approach, and that she took her position seriously... even if there were occasions when she tried to uncork a few one-liners that might have gone sideways (as you'll see in the video).

I thought highly enough of her to ask if she'd like to be part of my 2017 Thanksgiving blog, and she was happy to participate. 

This appeared in the Wildomar Rap 2017 Thanksgiving blog.

When I was elected in 2018 I had the option to retain her for the planning commission (as her term was expiring) but after a couple of meetings, we couldn't get to the place where I'd ask her to stay on. 

On to Karen, I've only had the one conversation with her, but I left with a very high opinion of her. 

How do I assess them as potential Wildomar City Council Members?

I'll start with Karen.

She's a nice and amiable person. One that I believe has the requisite tools to do a good job on the city council if she were to be elected. 

This January she'll mark the third year that she's called Wildomar home. I have seen her at several city council meetings over the Summer, and she told me that she's watched many more online.

So far she's not opted to speak on any items at city council or use the three minutes of public comment time to introduce herself to the current council, staff, and community. 

Jumping over to Veronica, she's a longtime resident and has been involved in the city longer than I have been. She's proven that she cares deeply for the community. 

If there was suddenly an opening on the city council from District 4, and she were to apply for an appointment, I know that she'd do a good job, she has a good working knowledge of Wildomar; both historically speaking and how it's currently going. 

Now let me shine the light on Bridgette. 

Like her two challengers, she's also a nice person. We can check that box for all of them.

She's owned a home and lived in Wildomar for more than 25 years. She's been active in the community, to a nearly unbelievable level that whole time.

Her dedication to Wildomar, and to the region, is well noted by people all throughout Western Riverside County. 

Just a couple of days ago I was attending an RTA meeting as an alternate for Bridgette and CEO Kristin Warsinski used part of her report to the Board of Directors to acknowledge some unplanned community involvement that Bridgette jumped into (see video for details).

Though I believe that Veronica and Karen are both equipped to do a good job, Bridgette is already doing a good job. 

In all honesty, the very best that either Karen or Veronica could hope to do is approximate the job that Bridgette is currently doing and has been doing since she was first elected in 2008.

I can hear many of you saying, "What about term limits, Joseph?" 

That tends to make more sense when it's a partisan position.

Let me share a quote from 2014 winning candidate Tim Walker on the topic of term limits (originally found in the September 2014 "Better Know A Candidate" blog featuring him).

I share the same opinion as above. 

One of Karen's slogans is "Time for change in District 4."

Can I ask you a serious question?

What does that mean in the real world?

What kind of "change" does she think is needed in Wildomar, or that she could bring about?

Change from Bridgette Moore's impeccable record? 

She's missed one city council meeting since I've been watching starting in 2013, and that was due to a family emergency. 

In reality, she puts in so much time that it makes the rest of the council look like we're standing still... and the suggestion is to "change" that. 

Really, why?

As I said earlier, the best that either Veronica or Karen could possibly hope to come close to is approaching her high water mark of preparation for city council meetings, community involvement, public engagement, and willing spirit that has been working for the betterment of Wildomar's residents for longer than most of us can remember. 

I don't fault either Karen or Veronica, they simply have the bad luck of being in the same district as a Hall of Famer named Bridgette Moore.

"Oh Joseph, calm down with your fanboy review of Bridgette already!"

Let me put it this way... for those who think "it's time for a change in District 4". 

When you find a good auto mechanic, do you go to the term limits card and say, "Well, ya know, Beau has done an incredible job taking care of my car for the last 15 years, but on the other hand, Jethro is new to the area and has a lot of pretty signs out there, so, it's time for me to change my mechanic... or hairdresser, or house cleaner."

C'mon Gramps, don't change yet, remember he's the guy who always takes your calls and answers your emails about random questions you could have easily found yourself by googling in the first place.

If you think the job of the city council isn't much more than a ceremonial position, and that experience has little bearing on how a person is able to get things accomplished when dealing with a professional staff and all the egos one encounters, then that shows how disconnected you are. Sorry, I'm not going to sugarcoat it. 

Experience actually matters and more than a decade's worth of a positive track record should be a significant factor to the voters. 

If endorsements have any meaning, I'm endorsing Bridgette Moore for another term on the Wildomar City Council. Here's a look at her other endorsements while we're on that subject.

Though this is a District 4 election, the whole of Wildomar will be watching since it matters to all five districts who is on the council. 

Still, if it turns out that voters decide it is indeed "time for a change in District 4" I have complete confidence that I'll be able to work well with either Karen or Veronica. 

They are both quality people. Elections always break one way or the other and in the aftermath, it's up to the electeds to have short memories once the vote counting is done. 

Link to blog of challenger Karen Ellison

Link to blog of challenger Veronica Langworthy

Link to blog of incumbent Bridgette Moore