The Recovery of Richard Dixon

The cake was laid out. The VIPs had arrived, from O.C. Supervisor Patricia Bates to Orange County Transportation Authority chief Will Kempton. Everything was set for the reception party for outgoing City Councilman Richard Dixon at City Hall on Dec. 7.

But the guest of honor was missing.

Speaking at Tuesday's City Council meeting, Dixon explained why he was a no-show. His voice cracked, and his hands tapped at the lectern as he struggled to get through the story.

He said he was completely dressed for the party. But he found himself sitting on his floor, unable to get up.

"I hadn't been eating correctly," he said. "My girlfriend realized that I wasn't here, I wasn't on time, I was late, and that was unusual. So she came to my house. [Former Mayor] Helen Wilson came to my house. [Kiwanis Vice President] Margie [Matsil] came to my house. They all realized something was wrong. And it was."

When he checked into the hospital, Dixon, 5 feet 11 inches tall, weighed 138 pounds.

The incident was the most recent in a string of medical problems that Dixon, who served on Lake Forest's original City Council, has faced during the last year. Some blame his election defeat on those problems. He had been hospitalized for more than a month over the summer, and his recovery took weeks.

But speaking over the phone last Friday, Dixon said he believes this latest chapter is soon to be behind him.

"I feel strong," he said. "It's just amazing. I wish I felt this strong during the election period. It's really sad, but it is what it is."

He said he didn't want to blame his election defeat on his health; after all, his loss came as a complete surprise to him. But his first 34 days in the hospital did give him a hint of what life would be like after he left the council.

"I wasn't missed," Dixon said. "Life went on without me; I learned that lesson very well. I don't mean I wasn't missed missed—of course I was missed. But I learned that city business went on, City Hall didn't stop functioning, all the boards I serve on continued to function, even though I wasn't there. It was actually a very good lesson to learn."

Dixon won't talk publicly about the exact nature of his health problems but said he believes they're mostly finished, although he will have to return to the hospital in January for some sort of procedure. He estimated he had been spending about half of his time on government-related work but now will be able to focus more on his profession as a health insurance broker.

But that doesn't mean he's gone from City Hall for good. Dixon said he will run for a position on the city's Planning Commission. He may even run for council again in 2012.

"I'll have to test the waters on whether or not the people of Lake Forest are interested in having me back on the City Council in 2012," he said. "Clearly they didn't in 2010."