By Victor Fresco Santa Monica
Money from developers going into City Council campaigns is a legitimate issue and to bring it up is not “nasty” (“Politics take a turn for nasty,” Oct. 31, page 1) That’s why the Santa Monica Coalition for a Livable City co-sponsored the rally this weekend to protest the hundreds of thousands of dollars hotels and developers are pouring into our city to defeat Kevin McKeown, a Council person who shares many residents’ concerns about over-development. It’s also why the SMCLC sent out a flier exposing the money Councilmember O’Connor took from one developer — money she took, not even during an election cycle, and when that developer had business pending before her.
Instead of attacking residents who question her actions, wouldn’t it be refreshing if Ms. O’Connor said something like: “I can see now that taking money from executives of a company who had proposed the largest development in SM history, before I was to vote on their new proposal, was not the right thing to do. At the time, I didn’t think it would have had any effect on my vote. But now I can see that by even presenting the appearance of impropriety, I have let the residents of Santa Monica down. I promise that should voters give me another chance, I will not accept money from large developers with business pending before council.”
If only I was Pam O’Connor. I’d be a much better Pam O’Connor than she is. Unfortunately, the one we have has chosen to attack residents who are trying to protect Santa Monica from over-development. It’s similar to when she attacked Santa Monica parents who came before council asking for funding for neighborhood schools. In that instance, she called them “thugs.”
I get the feeling Ms. O’Connor may not like most of Santa Monica’s residents. Everyone makes mistakes. Character is judged, not by the mistake, but by how one addresses it. Ms. O’Connor has failed that test.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on November 4, 2006. Read the original PDF.