Angels Camp, CA…I’ll admit being concerned what will happen when Dennis Mills’ family, close friends, and ardent supporters discover he’s a pathological liar. There are so many lies in Mr. Mills’ statement it’s hard to know where to start. Let’s try the hilarious “Big Pot” accusation.

If you watched the day-to-day evolution of this successful recall, “Big Pot” is laugh-out-loud funny. Paid signature gatherers were indeed hired by long time Calaveras resident, retired teacher Jeremy Maddux, who’s been running a medium-sized cannabis operation.

Jeremy received ZERO help from any “cannabis organization” much less one with vast financial holdings or growing operations. In fact, he complained often about that lack of help often. Financially, he put himself at considerable risk paying for this and other recall endeavors out of his own pocket. In fact, I’m going to start a GoFundMe campaign to reimburse some of the money Jeremy felt compelled to spend.

In the three months of gathering signatures, professional gatherers were brought in in the last few days to provide a buffer over the minimum amount of signatures required to recall this deeply dishonest politician. So the total amount of man hours contributed by them was probably well under 5% of the total.

I’m going to have to start calling Jeremy “Big Pot” from now on. He’ll enjoy that nickname. Maybe his creditors will find it funny too.

Speaking of money, bankruptcy recipient Mills’ claim county finances are in “good shape?” We’ll see what the county Controller-Auditor, who is on YouTube stating Measure C cannabis taxes balanced the last two budgets, reports next quarter without millions in cannabis taxes to draw on this time.

But that’s one of Mills’ smaller fibs. Here’s some bigger ones:

Big Lie #2: Banning regulated cannabis farming here is a “majority view.”

Even sociopaths would balk at making such a claim three days after every candidate who ran on that platform either lost badly or got set up to lose in November. Ed Langen in District 3? He earned last place, demolished by avowedly pro-regulation Merita Callaway. Second place went to pro-regulation incumbent Michael Oliveira.

Shockingly under-qualified hothead Gary Stevens managed to get into a runoff for Sheriff only because strongly pro-regulation Pat Garrahan’s 21% included the 31 votes incumbent Rick DiBasilio needed to avoid another run in November. Basilio is also unopposed to strict regulation. Stevens has zero chance of gaining enough votes from Garrahan supporters. Outside his core group of culture warriors he has no support.

Mills acolyte Clyde Clapp is also set to lose in November. His 13 vote “win” over 1st time challenger Ben Stopper will get erased by the anti-Clapp vote of two candidates who finished in 3rd and 4th place. Stopper is stricter about regulation than many farmers regard wise but he’s no banner.

And one day after the election, 2000 signatures, (more than the votes he got to win his seat,) were turned in to recall him. “Divisive” Dennis’ anti-legal-farmer “mandate” is only a majority view of people used to lying to themselves.

Big Lie #3: “There’s no difference between regulated and illegal growers” as to polluting our environment.

Google “One Big Lie, Dennis Mills” and you’ll see a 5 minute YouTube documentary about this despicable lie. As a 40-year veteran environmental scientist called Mills’ “Cultivating Disaster” faux-scientific report, (written by non-scientists,) it’s misleading at best, intentionally deceptive from beginning to end, or, in Patrick Sullivan, Ph.D’s words, “a work of science fiction.”

The tragedy of his 61-page lie is the media never challenged it so thousands of people believed a smear job conflating polluting, often criminal-cartel-backed foreigners, with mostly local decent family farmers. The outrageous immorality and indecency of that got this non-cannabis grower motivated to call out Mr. Mills tsunami of lies.

Sadly, Mills’ most ardent supporters abet his lying. Today, five polite posts I made on a “Support Dennis Mills” Facebook page proving, beyond a shadow of a doubt, his assertions are easily disproven falsehoods, got deleted. So much for honest debate.

As my dad used to say, “make the truth your friend, even when the friendship is difficult.” I can’t honestly say I believe Mr. Mills character is up to admitting he’s been lying. And I have next to zero hope he’ll apologize to the small family farmers he’s destroyed.

That destruction is more than financial. One very successful local farmer of cannabis and wine grapes told me, stifling tears, Calaveras is where his heart is and he’s hating having to move his family and operations to a county that’s actually welcoming him and the $250,000 in taxes he paid Calaveras last year.

Dennis Mills’ financially reckless, divisive culture war is going to be the gift that keeps on giving . . . to another county. Meanwhile, we’ll be less safe, with millions of fewer dollars to pay for eradicating the real bad guys. My only hope is after the hateful cancer of his dishonest tenure ends, this community will be able to work together to repair the damage.

David Kevin Sweet resides in District 3 where he manages vacation property and goes fishing “less often than I’d like.”