‘Special Treatment’ for Commissioner

In regard to the appointment of Stephen Tan to the Monterey Park Planning Commission, there are several facts that were not included in your March 17 article.

First, Tan was appointed during a special council meeting on March 8 at 4 p.m. It was not held in the council chamber, but upstairs in a conference room. Why the unusual place? What was the hurry? Why couldn’t the appointment have been made in front of the community the following Monday at the regular council meeting?

Second, Tan’s application for the Planning Commission was received at City Hall the same day that he was appointed! There were 17 other applicants for the same position. Some of them had been waiting for more than a year. Isn’t it strange that Tan’s application was acted upon with such unbelievable speed?

Third, it is customary for each Planning Commission applicant to be interviewed by the full City Council. Why were there no interviews this time? Is Tan so knowledgeable that the other 17 didn’t stand a chance?

Fourth, Mayor Christopher Houseman appeared at Tan’s first commission meeting to introduce him to the press. I’ve never seen this happen before. Is it a new policy?

If Tan is just an insurance salesman with no special planning knowledge, why was he accorded such special treatment? If Tan works 80 hours a week, seven days a week, as he stated, how can he do justice to the commission job, to his fellow commissioners and to the community? Neither Houseman, nor Councilmen G. Monty Manibog and Cam Briglio answered any of these questions.

The attack against the Residents Assn. of Monterey Park is mere smoke. Houseman, Manibog and Briglio cannot cover up extra-special treatment given to Tan.

IRV GILMAN, former councilman

Monterey Park