Kruse Wants to Fire Official Who Mailed Flyers Urging Citizens to Vote

Lawndale Mayor Sarann Kruse has asked the City Council to dismiss Parks and Recreation Commissioner Ronald V. Maxwell because of a mailer he sent last month that Kruse contends is misleading.

A decision on whether to remove Maxwell was delayed Thursday to give staff time to research state campaign mailing laws.

Kruse blasted Maxwell for a mailer that encourages Lawndale residents to vote in Tuesday’s municipal elections. Maxwell paid for the one-page mailer, which he sent to about 800 residents.

The mailer includes a picture of Maxwell with a headline that says “Commissioner Ron Maxwell Encourages You to Vote.” It describes the issues on Tuesday’s ballot and includes space to request additional information on initiatives and school board candidates.

Kruse told the council that, by including his title as commissioner, Maxwell misled the recipients of the mailer to believe that he was speaking for the city.

“It would be all right if it was (sent) as an individual,” she said.

Maxwell, who opposed Kruse in the 1988 mayoral campaign, defended his mailer, saying it did not mislead anyone and insisted that his only intention was to encourage residents to vote.

He accused Kruse of trying to dismiss him because “if you don’t agree with Kruse or ‘Kruseonomics,’ she asks for your resignation.”

Maxwell received support from four residents who told the council that Maxwell’s mailer was a service to the city.

“What he did is good for the community,” said John Stein.

Said Jerry Finley: “My hat’s off to him.”

Councilmen Larry Rudolph and Harold E. Hofmann agreed that the mailer should not have included Maxwell’s title but said that his intentions were good and urged that he not be punished.

Thursday’s discussion about Maxwell’s mailer was almost a rerun of an incident in July, when Kruse unsuccessfully sought to dismiss Maxwell for a questionnaire he sent to residents asking their opinions on city recreational facilities and needs.

On Thursday, Parks and Recreation Commissioner Tina Zarro told the council that she also objects to the mailer because she said it suggests that Maxwell represents the entire commission.

“When this happened before, he assured us this would not happen again,” she said. “For me personally, this is like a slap in the face.”

Councilman Dan McKenzie also criticized Maxwell and added that Maxwell identified himself as a commissioner last month while circulating a petition to develop a park at the site of the Lawndale Community Gardens.

“When you have something like that, you have to do something about it,” McKenzie said. McKenzie requested further information about campaign mailing laws but did not say whether he supported Maxwell’s dismissal.

In an interview after the meeting, Maxwell said the only promise he made to the commission was to notify at least one member before sending another mailer. He said he met that obligation.

Commissioner Phyllis Gillam acknowledged Friday that Maxwell told her weeks ago that he was planning to send out a letter, but she said he did not tell her the purpose of the letter or that the letter would identify him as a commissioner.

Gillam said she had not seen the mailer, but when it was described to her she said she objects to Maxwell including his title because it may mislead the public.

She said the Parks and Recreation Commission will discuss the matter at its Nov. 14 meeting.

When he circulated the petition for the park last month, Maxwell said he was sometimes asked to identify himself and said he did so with a card provided by the city that identifies him as a parks and recreation commissioner.