Santee Mayor Declines Regional Mayors Luncheon Invite, Calls It a Show

Santee was invited to participate in the Regional Mayors Luncheon in October, but has "respectfully declined" that invite.

"Any other Mayor would probably crawl over dead bodies to be on that stage, I on the other hand eschew this as being simply a 'show,' " wrote Voepel in an email to Santee Patch.

The luncheon is put on by the San Diego County Taxpayers Association and is billed as a chance for "leaders throughout our region to come together to discuss issues in their cities, and to describe how they are creating opportunities out of those challenges." San Diego will be in attendance, and two other local mayors have been invited in addition to Voepel.

The invitation read: "The event is structured as a casual setting with four mayors on stage, in easy chairs around a coffee table. A moderator will help to guide the conversation, but ultimately it's more about watching our regional leaders in action as they interact and discuss important regional issues."

Voepel replied to this invitation in his .

"I have switched more than a year ago from , simply because I have lost faith in either democrats or republicans," wrote Voepel in a reply email. "Because over 50 percent of Americans pay no taxes, my view is that we are doomed to the have not's extorting money from the productive people.

"You probably would not want to have such as I in the spotlight," he continued. "I respectfully decline your invitation, deferring to the inevitable decline of our civilization and Republic. I will just restrict my survival skills to Santee."

This declined invitation to a meeting of mayors comes a month after Voepel announced he wouldn't be attending the Binational Mayors Summit in Mexico, explaining Mexican drug cartel violence as the reasoning for his absence.