In the aftermath of a flap over disbursement of some of the proceeds from last year’s “Dancing with the Stars” fundraiser sponsored by La Jolla Town Council, event organizer Nancy Gardner chastised the council for “playing politics” and getting away from its mission of “serving the community.
“Why can’t the town council do something in the community for the children, for the merchants; why are we letting an organization that has the potential to help La Jolla become a joke by its behavior?” she asked.
Gardner questioned the validity and necessity of a recent town council mail-ballot vote to have her removed from its board after she had already resigned, noting that “it’s not in the bylaws that they had to send out ballots. I happen to know many more people voted to keep me in than they said, and the number of ballots sent out exceeds the number of members in the council.”
Gardner noted the council spent nearly all of the “$1,238 in question” in the membership-nonmember mail-ballot election with return stamped envelopes. She added the town council should be directing its attentions toward addressing the problems and issues of the larger community rather than focusing on itself and on individual members.
“The town council needs to get rid of the personality issues, get rid of the angst,” she said, adding that members “need to ban together with all the other community groups in La Jolla. None of us are paid. We all volunteer to give our time back for the good of the community. So let’s not lose sight of what’s in the best interests of the community.
“Where does the community of La Jolla need help?” asked Gardner, adding, “That’s where the town council should be focusing their efforts—not on personality issues.”
Gardner said the good news is that “Dancing with the Stars” will go on.
“It was so well-received; people just absolutely loved it,” she said, noting the event’s debut “was a sell-out crowd our first year.” She added that the Police Historical Association plans to host “Dancing with the Stars” as a family fundraiser for the downtown Family Crisis Center in early 2015.
“We’ve got people very high up in the community of San Diego that want to be involved as judges and dancers,” she said. “We have a hotel that wants to donate most of their services.”
Continuing the event as a fundraiser for needy causes is “the right thing to do,” said Gardner.
“When you do something that gives back to people that really need it, that’s what should be done,” she said, adding, “‘Dancing with the Stars’ is going to be fabulous. We will do the right thing for San Diego.”
“I don’t lie,” Gardner concluded about allegations raised against her. “It’s not the right thing to do. It will always come back to bite the offender, and it will in this case. The truth will out.”
If anyone wants to get involved in planning for the next “Dancing with the Stars” event, they should contact Gardner at (858) 775-7575 or (858) 456-3000.