If you, like me, have served on jury duty, you will probably remember a standard admonition given by the judge to all jurors that went something like this: “If you believe a witness or defendant has not been truthful in one answer, you are within your rights to assume that any or all other statements made by that individual are also untrue.”
My experience as a juror hearing the judge’s admonition brings me to Kipp Mueller, the Democrat candidate running against Suzette Valladares for the state Senate District 23 seat.
If you have been following the recent scandal as detailed in multiple media sources, including the excellent coverage by The Signal, you know that Mr. Mueller has significantly exaggerated — lied about — his legal experience claiming that he was a U.S. Department of Justice and Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office prosecutor. In actuality, he was none of those things. Rather, Mr. Mueller worked as an intern, extern and law clerk prior to even taking the bar exam.
In this era of political falsehoods being perpetrated by so many Democrat candidates for elected office, does it surprise anyone that even Santa Clarita residents are being subjected to unethical candidates for office? Sadly, it doesn’t, especially for those of us who pay close attention to the political landscape.
If we can’t trust Kipp Mueller with something as basic as being truthful about his resume and experience, then how can we trust him to tell the truth about his worldview, his political philosophy, his overall intentions should he be elected, and the priority that he would place on the welfare of Santa Clarita residents?
The fact that Mr. Mueller agrees with so much of what Democrat Assemblywoman Pilar Schiavo believes, does and votes for is reason enough to be skeptical of his views and political aspirations. Lying, for most of us, is not considered to be a good resume enhancer. Such unethical behavior does not bode well for Santa Clarita voters who value ethics, integrity and transparency.
In stark contrast to Kipp Mueller, I am voting for Suzette Valladares, an experienced and ethical representative for Santa Clarita with a sterling record who doesn’t need to exaggerate her experience and achievements or fudge her resume.
I never realized until now how valuable the judge’s admonition was when it comes to viewing people who tell untruths. It would behoove Kipp Mueller — now, and in any future attempts to run for political office — to consider the following: “Trust takes years to build, seconds to break, and forever to repair.”
William Creitz
Santa Clarita
