After Protect Fullerton–Recall NO! released a fiery volley at Tony Bushala and his effort to recall three city council members, saying he’s used Kelly Thomas’ death to his political advantage, Councilmember Pat McKinley said he, Mayor Richard Jones and Councilmember Don Bankhead “will fight the recall right to the end, and we’ll see who wins.”
“Today we tell Tony Bushala that our family community will not be bullied by his harsh rhetoric and plan to take over city hall through recalls to benefit his development business,” James H. Alexander, a retired Fullerton businessman, said in a press release issued today. “What kind of person uses the death of a homeless schizophrenic man to advance his personal political agenda?”
Chris Thompson, a Fullerton School District board member and Bushala supporter, called the anti-recall effort “silly.”
“I don’t understand how they think it’s going to be effective to base their defense on lies. Tony has never asked for government assistance for anything. There is zero evidence that he has backed anyone that would vote on anything to benefit him,” Thompson said.
“The truth is, he just likes transparent and open government. It’s his hobby and he happens to have the money to do something about it.” 
Bushala has previously said he wants Mayor Richard Jones and councilmen Don Bankhead and Pat McKinley recalled in part for a “failure of leadership” that culminated in the beating death of Kelly Thomas.
Bankhead said the anti-recall group is organized by Dick Ackerman, a former state assemblyman and Fullerton councilman, and consultant Dave Ellis. He expects other backers will make themselves known as they join the campaign.
“Our interest is in the city and keeping it above water by not spending $200,000 on a special election,” Bankhead said. “We can’t afford that.” He added that recall signature gatherers “told us the reasons for the recall were poor management, poor infrastructure. They said nothing about the Kelly Thomas case.”
When asked to specifically address claims on the anti-recall press release about Bushala’s “sleazy tactics in Fullerton city council campaigns,” Bankhead said, “We will be putting out a fact sheet soon.”
“[Bushala] actively campaigned against me when I was running [for city council],” McKinley said. “He bolstered that he was going to spend up to $30,000 or $40,000 to try to keep me from being elected, but he failed. He said at a recent council meeting that he would spend $140,000 on this recall.”
Jones was matter-of-fact about the recall effort. “If the citizens don’t want me, I won’t get in the way. If people elect me, I’ll serve,” he said. “I’m willing to see things on until the end of my term. I wouldn’t leave an operation during the middle of it. I wouldn’t leave a guy on the table.”
As for the Protect Fullerton comment that Bushala did not share $3.5 million in Orange County Authority funds in his divorce settlement, Thompson said “[Tony] thinks it’s funny. He laughed. He didn’t share $3.5 million with his wife? He didn’t share his drum set with her either.”
Tony Bushala did not return FullertonStories.com’s phone calls.
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In the top photo: Mayor Pro Tem Don Bankhead, left, Mayor Richard M. Jones and Councilmember Pat McKinley, listen to a speaker at a recent City Council meeting.
In the bottom photo: Chris Thompson and Tony Bushala lean in to hear comments on the television in the lobby of City Hall during an overcrowded City Council meeting.
Reported by Story by Carrie Barber/FullertonStories.com
There’s that name Ellis again!
It’s too bad that this fighting spirit wasn’t directed to getting the townspeople some justice in the aftermath of the beating death that happened some months ago.
I personally think that these bloated bureaucrats should be heaved out of office and replaced by public servants willing to do something for the good people of Fullerton.
All that talk about costing the people of Fullerton $200,000 when a substantially larger sum was quietly offered to hush the beating matter up. Was that a waste of money too? These guys remind me of the worst that I have seen in do nothing administration. Now they want to attack the only person with the intestinal fortitude to take on bad cops. Ha Ha
Say what you want, Tony got this thing this far despite the efforts of the three stooges to shove it under a rug.