COMMUNITY COMMENTARY:

Recently, I have been characterized as a hypocrite for campaigning for Congress on an environmental platform while at the same time including energy stocks in my personal investment portfolio. The editorial (“Cooking with oil,” April 24) claims I can’t have it both ways — that I can’t invest in energy stocks and call myself an environmentalist.

I strongly disagree with your premise and in my mind, nothing could be farther from the truth. Anyone looking at my record as a member of the Huntington Beach City Council and as a life long citizen activist can see how devoted I am to protecting our environment and advocating for alternative energy sources. An environmentalist? You bet.

And I’m other things, too. I’m a businesswoman who believes in American capitalism but also the checks and balances our system of government provides. I’m fiscally conservative but also a person who feels it is crucial to provide more funding for health care and education. I’m a strong supporter of our military and the brave men and women who serve in it but feel it is long past time to bring them home from Iraq. I’m also a wife and mother who is taking steps to build for my family’s financial security. In each of these instances I could be labeled a hypocrite but I’m sure your readers would agree that would be telling only half of the story.

To my dismay your editorial only told half the story.

I’m happy to have a debate about my investment practices and allow the voters to decide for themselves.

Let them decide who is the real hypocrite. The person whose every vote and action is open for public scrutiny or the person who attacks the energy industry and then runs to the gas station in their gas guzzling sport utility vehicle. The person who has a lifetime of fighting for real environmental causes or the person who sits back and does nothing but complain.

I have challenged Americans for years to look beyond their immediate comfort and to make lasting changes to their everyday lives.

Changes that will address our long term needs of reducing our dependence on all fossil fuels and instead develop alternative energy sources and mass transit for the sake of our health and the health of our planet.

I appreciate your giving me this opportunity to tell the whole story and I would hope in the future your editorials would do the same when it comes to discussing the records of public officials.

DEBBIE COOK is the mayor of Huntington Beach.