Speakers urge council to focus on important matters, not ‘inquisition’
Michele Willer-Allred, Staff Reporter – 6:12 am PST January 13, 2021 – Malibu Surfside News
Before the Malibu City Council even got down to business during a six-hour meeting that started Monday night and stretched into Tuesday, residents weighed in during public comment about the conduct of council members.
About 28 people spoke, many of whom said the council and the city should be focusing on more important things than accommodating newly-elected Bruce Silverstein’s document requests of City Manager Reva Feldman.
Pamela Conley-Ulich, who served as mayor of Malibu in 2008, said her mother died from COVID-19 on May 15, 2020, and questioned why hasn’t a vaccine been made available to those most vulnerable in the community.
“This past month, I was so disappointed in the back and forth bickering I witnessed at your very first council meeting, and tonight I’m sickened,” she said, adding that the council should talk about more pressing things like distributing the vaccine.
Several residents likened what is happening in the city to controversy surrounding President Trump and “conspiracy theorists” trying to overthrow the government last week.
Joey Goodman said what may have originated as a well-intentioned attempt at reform by Silverstein and Steve Uhring, who also won a council seat in the November election, has “taken on the tone of an inquisition.”
“After enduring four years of deep-state conspiracy theories, lies and deceit, we find ourselves not leaving that insanity behind, but beginning a new, more localized chapter,” said Goodman.
After urging the council to tap a neutral third party to lead investigations into the city manager, Goodman asked them to seek some common ground and halt momentarily the “incessant barrage of assault of character.”
“We heard you, Mr. Silverstein, and admire your tenacity to ‘drain the swamp,’” said Goodman. “(But) haven’t we had enough of bullying behavior? Can we leave the blame game behind and focus on a more productive and positive approach to our new council’s undertaking.”
Mark Baute, a lawyer who owns three homes in Malibu, likened Silverstein to the bullying antics of Trump, saying that Silverstein has gone on social media to call Feldman all sorts of names, including a “fascist.”
Others defended Silverstein.
“It is unfortunate (Mayor Mikke Pierson, newly-elected Paul Grisanti and Councilwoman Karen Farrer) chose to let your personal dislike to not give Silverstein the honor he deserves,” said Bill Sampson, referring to Silverstein being passed over as mayor pro-tem.
Deborah Frankel said “most of the people in the city want Bruce and Steve to do what they’re doing.”
Malibu resident Scott Dittrich agreed.
“They were elected to deal with the elephant in the room, the accusations that things were being done underhanded and in secret in the city,” he said. “We need to do everything we can to be transparent.”
Hamish Patterson called for some middle ground, asking everyone to be “human to each other.”
“I think part of the problem is, we are all doing this via Zoom, and we’re not all sitting in the council chambers looking at each other face to face,” he said.
“I do know people don’t communicate the same way when they’re in the same room.”
In response, Silverstein said he has no desire to find Feldman has committed a crime or is corrupt, and hopes an independent, internal investigation clears her of any such alleged misconduct.
“I do believe that Reva Feldman is deceitful, duplicitous and unethical,” Silverstein said. “That’s not criminal. That’s not corrupt, and I believe she should be replaced as a matter of the discretion of the city council.”
Silverstein added that Feldman has thrown up roadblock after roadblock in his efforts to educate himself, and that he has to spend at least 20 hours a week dealing with problems caused by Feldman.
Silverstein said that former City Council member Jefferson Wagner told him about his personal experience with Feldman, which Wagner included in a sworn affidavit against the city as his final term ended in December. He also said that Feldman has created and maintained an email destruction policy which violates a documentation retention policy adopted by previous city councils.
“Based upon my post election experience with the city manager, I am now convinced she is a contemptible person, who should not be running our precious city,” Silverstein said. “Her actions are giving me every reason to believe she has something to hide or she seems to be believe she has something to hide, because honest and innocent people simply do not act the way she’s been acting.”
As for the Trump comparisons, Silverstein said that actually there is a large group of people who are so enamored with him that he can’t say or do anything wrong.
Silverstein said people and some council members also view the city manager that way.
He said he wanted to thank the 2,400 residents who voted for him and will continue his commitments made during the election.
“We’re not headed in a good place where everything is suspect, everyone is suspect,” Farrer said in response, adding there was a tragic response in Washington, D.C., because of people believing in conspiracy theories.
Farrer said she hopes it doesn’t happen in Malibu.
Pierson said he is saddened to see the nation divided, as well as the people in Malibu.
“I think so many of us were so hopeful coming into this new year that we could find that common ground and move forward,” he said. “I just hope and pray that we can do that as a city. I vow to do everything I can to help push that forward personally as the mayor and as a citizen of Malibu.”