A small group of people are sadly trying to bring the type of divisive politics we see in Washington, D.C., to our local community in Irvine by pushing an unnecessary and expensive recall simply for their own personal political gain.

Kevork Abazajian, who lost in his attempt to run for City Council, is now circulating a petition to recall Irvine Mayor Christina Shea and Councilman Mike Carroll. His petition is misleading at best, not to mention a divisive, expensive and desperate attempt to make himself and ally Harvey Liss relevant in local politics.

Mayor Shea and Councilman Carroll have both been stellar examples of leadership and progress in Irvine, from the Great Park and the high standards for local education to the veterans cemetery and public safety. Not only do their accomplishments speak for themselves, they have also brought civility and compromise to the City Council. They do not deserve to be recalled.

Despite the recall’s claims being preposterous, it also is going to cost residents a lot of money — nearly $1 million. For an attempted political power grab, Abazajian and Liss want to burden Irvine residents and taxpayers with a million-dollar recall, not to mention divert much-needed funds from other well-deserving projects in the city.

While this confusing endeavor has only a small number of people working to do Abazajian’s bidding, its existence should alarm residents. Simply put: The recall is bad for the community, a waste of money, and without basis. A deeper look into its creators leads one to believe that its intent is not about the well-being of Irvine’s residents but rather the latest in a long line of political ploys to attack the city of Irvine and its council members.

The idea that hundreds of thousands of tax dollars can be spent at the whim of political rivals is scary enough. When coupled with the premise that a simple disagreement with political positions is enough to overthrow city officials, it is clear that a lot more is at stake than removing appointed Irvine officials.

Given the enormous taxpayer cost and city staff effort involved, recalls should be reserved for actual misconduct — such as corruption or misuse of funds — not political differences.

As a former planning commissioner, Councilman Carroll has used his expertise to bolster Irvine’s interests, including voting on a final location for the long-awaited veterans cemetery that not only ensured its creation, but saved the city money while doing so.

As for our mayor, she ended the political drama and acted in the best interest of Irvine by doing all she could to get the cemetery built, Shea has a long legacy of serving Irvine since first elected to the council in 1992. She has a 28-year legacy in serving the city of Irvine and doing the right thing for our residents. Abazajian wants taxpayers to fund his crusade and validate his political disagreement. We, however, hope that residents will see this recall for what it is — an attack on Irvine’s values and its future.

Do not sign the recall position. Do not support the recall. And remember the names of those who are using it to drive a wedge in our community.

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