Amante Develops Amnesia, and Takes the Low Road Again

After 24 hours, the team at the City of Tustin finally managed to get the video of Tuesday night’s council meeting up and running.  And Pam Keller was eloquent and classy in dressing down Boss Tweed Jerry Amante for being a bully and refusing to work with Councilwoman Deborah Gavello.  In brief remarks at the end of the meeting directed at Keller who had since left, Amante doesn’t recall the exchange and use his time to take another low blow at Gavello.

You can watch the exchange here.  Keller comes on at the 32 minute mark.  Amante makes remarks at the 1:20 mark.

Amante expresses admiration for working with Keller in the past and says, lamesly, he doesn’t recall the exchange.  This is the same man who gavce detailed accounts of Gavello’s absences from a number of council meetings while tracking the attendance of other council members.  The same man who can cite arcane details on why the city should sue the school district over building construction.  And the same man who undoubtably would memorize the list of thousands of Tustin voters who signed the petition to recall him, but he couldn’t recall an exchnage so volatile, that if left Keller shaking?

He doesn’t recall; a standard line uttered by Republicans when they are lying, used so efectively by Nixon administration officials during Watergate, by Reagan officials during Iran-Contra.  Perhaps because Amante can’t recall this exchange, the Tustin city council won’t deal with it.  He doesn’t recall.

And I have a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you.

In his public statement at the end of the meeting, Amante offers a tribute to Keller and then, to show he’s still a bully at heart, verbally punches Gavello in the gut.  He praises Keller’s passion for policy and then says: “I wish their were people that had that kind of passion for service our this own dais.”  It’s clearly a swipe at Gavello, but the comment really applies to Amante himself.  How much has his petty politicking cost taxpayers of Tustin?  The massive severance package paid to a city manager who lasted less than three months?  Legal fees that bust the city’s budget.  Nice new iPads that had to be shamed to learn to use after buying them off the budget.  Let’s not forget the extended legal battles with property owners in Old Town or the massive lawsuit against the school district where taxpayers lose twice.  Yes, I bet residents of Tustin wish there was a passion for service on the dais from the person who sits in Amante’s chair.