RON DAVIS -- Through My Eyes
You have to wonder whether Fountain Valley Councilman Chuck Conlosh
hired Dr. Jack Kevorkian as his political consultant.
Conlosh, as an incumbent councilman, had a clear edge over anyone
running for his seat. But in August, for some suicidal reason, Chuck
decided to chuck a hand grenade, in the form of a letter, in the
direction of his fellow council members and the city administration. The
explosive letter, wrapped in a political flier, alleged that the city had
failed to investigate possible high-level wrongdoing by unspecified
officials -- possible wrongdoing that Conlosh says he brought to the
attention of city leaders several months earlier.
The shellshocked City Council and the administration had every right
to consider the written barrage to be a suggestion of a cover-up at worst
and indifference to possible wrongdoing at best.
Apparently, what Conlosh was referring to was an incident that
occurred in April during a trial that involved the city of Fountain
Valley and the city’s fire chief in a lawsuit filed by a city
firefighter.
A jury ruled unanimously in favor of the city and the chief, saving
the taxpayers a potential judgment involving hundreds of thousands of
dollars.
Apparently, Conlosh thought the city should have lost the case. He
felt he observed something during the final argument that smelled of
courtroom theatrics and which he believed prejudiced the firefighter’s
case against the city and the chief. According to the record, this
incident was brought to the judge’s attention, and the judge disagreed.
Moreover, it appears Conlosh’s version of the incident doesn’t square
with the court record.
Regardless, Conlosh asked three of the jurors to attend a City Council
meeting in May. I’ve read the transcript of the council meeting, and
other than expressing their opinions about the difficulty of sitting as
jurors, I read nothing in their statements to suggest they were
complaining about any misconduct by the city or the fire chief.
After the jurors’ comments to the council, Conlosh stated, “Perhaps I
would like to see the city investigate this matter to find out if those
concerns [of the three jurors] are true or not.”
This “perhaps” he’d like to see an investigation hardly rises to the
level of a demand for an investigation. Moreover, he was told by the city
attorney that even if it did, the council couldn’t legally act on the
request because the subject was not on the agenda. He was further advised
to place the matter on an agenda if he wanted council action. He did not.
His City Council colleagues and the administration had every right to
believe the matter had been dropped. In my view, it would be improper to
investigate “possible wrongdoings” without some credible evidence of
actual wrongdoing. Further, it’s beyond me how a city could begin such an
investigation at taxpayer expense without the subject being on the agenda
and approved by the City Council.
After sitting for almost four years on the City Council, Conlosh
certainly must have known that. Nonetheless, he decided to construct this
letter bomb accusing the City Council and city administration of failing
to act -- the kind of allegation, whether true or not, that finds a home
(perhaps a recreational vehicle home) in the hearts of some voters.
Public service is tough, and even under the best of circumstances the
public is generally suspicious of the conduct of virtually everyone
elected to public office. In my mind, this letter was a deliberate and
unwarranted attack on the City Council and the city administration solely
for political purposes.
A letter grenade designed to cause injury.
I don’t know if Conlosh has “loshed” it or has merely been conned.
Neither scenario is particularly pleasing. He suggests that he wants the
City Council and the city administration to be accountable. Of course,
that includes him, and I couldn’t agree more.
Having taken the time to write the letter, obviously Conlosh knew of
the content and the potential consequences as surely as one knows the
potential consequences of pulling the pin on a grenade and tossing it at
a particular audience.
I have to believe that Conlosh expected his comments to be as
explosive as a grenade. Grenades do indeed explode. But what Conlosh
forgot is that sometimes the intended victim tosses them back.
* RON DAVIS is a private attorney who lives in Huntington Beach. He
can be reached by e-mail at o7 RDD@socal.rr.com.f7
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