READERS RESPOND -- Behavior of mayor criticized by readers

Dave Garofalo has brought ridicule and embarrassment to the city of

Huntington Beach since he was elevated to the largely ceremonial position

of mayor last year. Cozy with developers, Garofalo has never failed to

cast a vote in their direction, while ignoring vast problems with

infrastructure, beach waste, internal questions regarding city funds, et

al. His mentality when questioned about items regarding his litany of

questionable dealings has been very illuminating, adopting the

“Clintonesque” tactic of attacking and disparaging his critics.

This tactic reeks of guilt and does little to shed light on some very

serious accusations leveled against him. If the truth was really on his

side, these scandals could have been dismissed weeks ago. Instead,

Garofalo has decided to delay providing answers, conveniently changing

the topic to the Fourth of July parade or another irrelevant item.

If Garofalo truly cared about Huntington Beach, he would resign

immediately and apologize to the residents for wasting countless hours of

time devoted toward his countless [alleged] conflicts of interest.

Attacking [Councilman] Tom Harman and trying to dismiss credible

activists like Debbie Cook is a slap in the face to every Huntington

Beach citizen. But Garofalo’s calculated gambit may work, if the people

of Huntington Beach fail to realize that our mayor thinks his

constituency is incredibly ignorant or unwilling to demand more from

their public servants. Garofalo’s apologists insist that we are

misjudging their man, pointing to his charitable works and his legendary

fund-raising skills.

What these people fail to realize is that our mayor has abused his

public trust, and while raising funds for nonprofit organizations is a

laudable skill, it hardly excuses the transgressions he has been accused

of and failed to answer completely.

Garofalo’s haughty, arrogant approach toward legislating the city’s

business would lead you to believe he must have had quite a bit of

support when he was elected to the City Council. Some mandate he

received; his approximate 20,000 votes barely beat out Connie

Boardman....

Garofalo’s “Meet the Mayor” promotion on [cable] Channel 3 was such a

poorly disguised attempt at self-promotion that I actually felt

embarrassed for him. Our mayor needs to take a big step and resign

immediately. Only then would I believe his claims that he is a an actual

public servant concerned with the welfare of our beautiful city. KEVIN

CARLIN

Huntington Beach

*

Dave Garofalo violated another responsibility of his public office

during the July 17 City Council meeting. The city’s Code of Ethics states

that every officer of the city shall be “courteous and avoid making rude

or personal remarks.”

Those watching the meeting on [cable] Channel 3 observed this man’s

rude personal behavior when he attacked Debbie Cook’s patriotism. As her

husband of 25 years, I know her family has a rich history of service to

this nation dating back to the Revolutionary War.

For the record: Her father is a retired naval commander and served

this nation in both World War II and Korea. Her oldest brother served

with distinction as a pilot in the Air Force during the ‘60s and ‘70s,

while another brother served as an officer in the Navy during the later

stages of Vietnam. Her immediate family served this nation for four

continuous decades, and of that service she is proud. Her family has

always supported our men and women in uniform and they continue to do so.

Garofalo’ cowardly attack -- launched after Debbie left the [lectern]

and could not respond -- represents a new low in the McCarthyism that

Garofalo has begun to emulate.

JOHN FISHER

Huntington Beach

*

Dave Garofalo must be feeling pretty heady these days with his five

supporters speaking on his behalf at a recent City Council meeting

[“Garofalo supporters speak out,” July 13]. Let me see, five out of

26,000 purported voters, that comes to a robust .02%. Keep up the good

work, Dave.

ED BUSH

Huntington Beach