Repercussions from Mike Duvall's resignation

Now—with television comics and radio hosts finished with Mike Duvall and his
15 minutes of national fame faded—is an appropriate time to assess the political consequences of the legislator’s self-inflicted fall from grace for Yorba Linda residents.

First, the incident drives another nail into the coffin representing the reputations of all political leaders. The cynical statement “Duvall just got caught by an open mike” is a telling comment about the level of trust the public has in today’s elected officials.

I hope faith and trust is still possible, but such a belief is becoming increasingly difficult to hold, given the revelations about so many politicians recently.

Second, aspirations of other Yorba Linda leaders for higher political office are dealt a severe setback. Duvall was the first City Council member to win a state office, and potential future candidates from the council will suffer due to the association.

In Yorba Linda’s historical milieu, Duvall’s resignation might be likened to Richard Nixon’s departure from office. Nixon lived in Yorba Linda only nine years, but he frequently invoked the community’s rural roots and values in his speeches.

Duvall is a 40-year resident who associated his name with the community’s rural values in his council and Assembly campaigns, thus raising some doubt about the merit of those values.

Third, what’s next for Duvall? I left a note for him at his Lemon Drive insurance agency two Fridays ago, asking for an interview. I thought he might want to offer an explanation to his friends and neighbors, and he always answered my questions in the past.

But I haven’t received a response yet. I’d like to know what he has to say to Yorba Lindans who placed their faith in him for so many years, and I wonder what he plans to do with the $66,732 he reported in his 2010 campaign account as of June 30.

He should offer to return cash contributed by constituents, with the rest going to a community-wide charity, such as the financially strapped Boys and Girls Club.

Here’s what I reported in a 2007 column, based on comments Duvall made at his only Town Hall meeting in Yorba Linda, held a year after his first election to the Assembly:

“Although Duvall’s a sure bet to win two more two-year Assembly terms, and he’s bought a house four miles from the Capitol, the genial lawmaker looks to return to Yorba Linda when his legislative career ends.

“Unlike some in the Sacramento crowd, Duvall explained, he has non-political ties to his hometown, including a successful insurance firm and a thriving business he and his wife Susan recently purchased from her father.”

And now, with Duvall’s political career over, he owes Yorba Lindans some straight talk.