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Kessler seeks re-election despite report

By Shannon Weatherford
Reporter

     The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department Special Investigations Bureau forwarded a report to the county district attorney’s office earlier this week recommending that charges of embezzlement by a public official and accessory after the fact be filed against City Councilmember Frank Kessler. This follows a months-long investigation into alleged misuse of his City-issued credit card. Charges were also recommended for Frank’s wife, Suzanne, for theft of access information and misuse of a credit card.
     The investigation was launched in late April of this year following the discovery by City staff of possible inappropriate use by Frank of his City-issued credit card. The use in question included charges totaling $6,239.03 to the Diamond Princess, a Valencia-based ship the couple vacationed on in March, and $2,008 to consumer collection agency NCO Financial Systems; the total of both charges were subsequently paid back to the City through a personal check issued by Suzanne Kessler on April 24. At that same time, Frank also returned his City-issued credit card.
     Frank, who filed candidacy papers last Friday seeking re-election, had been hopeful that the investigation would clear both him and his wife of wrongdoing and when contacted via phone on Tuesday, he indicated that, while his attorney has advised him not to discuss the situation, he did declare that “the only thing I can say is I’ve done nothing wrong and I will take that to my grave.”
     According to the RCSD, investigators will file a report with the district attorney’s office if it is felt that a crime was committed. The district attorney’s office then has three options – to file charges based on the report, not to file charges or to recommend further investigation. The district attorney’s office has not yet made a determination as to how it plans to proceed in this case.
     “The City did not get a copy of that report, at least to my knowledge,” said Mayor Carl Armbrust when asked for a comment on behalf of the City. “I don’t know what the police officers gave to the district attorney. Frankly, I think they are dragging this out.” He added, “We are all biding our time and waiting to see what they will do. That’s really all I can say right now.”
     Frank was stripped of his mayor pro-tem – or vice-mayor - designation as well as relieved of various committee responsibilities following the allegations; John Zaitz was named as mayor pro tem and alternate Marty Gibson replaced Kessler on the Riverside Transit Agency Board. Kessler still sits on the executive board of the Riverside division of the League of California Cities, however, as that post is not a Council appointment and the decision to remove him does not lie with Council.
     Kessler was first voted to the Council in 1996, shortly after relocating to the community from Garden Grove, where he served first as that city’s Chief of Police for 13 years and later as both a councilmember and Mayor. He has an extensive background in law enforcement, beginning his career in Tucson, Arizona, where he served for 21 years.
     An incumbent in the 2004 City Council election, Kessler was one of the two biggest vote-getters along with fellow incumbent John Zaitz, garnering 2,078 votes, or roughly 22.13 percent. He ran on a platform of protecting property values in the community, indicating his belief that the primary interest of every resident of Canyon Lake is the investment they have made in the community through their home. Through his involvement in various county and state boards, he says he’s worked to ensure that the city, though small, was not overlooked in the bigger picture.
     
     

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