Glendale Mayor John Drayman’s Response to Barry Allen’s Brown Act Violation Accusation

An Open Letter to the Public from Mayor John Drayman Re: Accusation of Brown Act Violation.

Dear Friends:

I admire people like Barry Allen and Herbert Molano. They challenge our elected officials, myself included, to be better representatives and help us stay on our toes.

In the last 24 hours, both Barry and Herbert have complained about supposed violations of the Ralph M. Brown Act concerning what constitutes guaranteed speach on an agendized item during a council meeting.

Both gentlemen point to a variety of "legal" citations in an attempt to bolster their claims that local government just doesn't honor the law in general and ignores it in specific in the cases they cite whenever their opinions do not carry the day.

Neither of these of good gentlemen are attorneys. Neither of these good gentlemen are anything remotely resembling experts in law or governmental legalities. They do occasionally make a play at reciting legal citations which are invariably "shot down" by the City Attorney of Glendale, Mr. Howard, who is an attorney and is experienced in the area of governmental matters.

Yet, I still admire these gentlemen. They still play a valuable role in the prosecution of good government. They ask intelligent questions, do research, point out inefficiencies and sometimes prod our elected officials in the right direction.

However, incorrect is incorrect. Their use, and interpretation of, the Brown Act as an accusation of last resort is reminiscent of an amateur's wishful thinking at best and a punch-drunk sailor's roundhouse swipe at worst.

I freely admit that I am no expert on the subject of governmental law. I rely on the expertise of our City Attorney. Unfortunately, in this particular case, Mr. Allen and Mr. Molano are simply upset that they did not get their way on a variety of issues and desire their pound of political flesh to save face.

I have no problem absorbing their accusations. They are certainly entitled to make them, whatever they might be. I like to think that their hearts are in the right place even if their facts are wrong.

We live in a remarkable country which protects the interests of the public to disagree and to protest and even to be wrong. Carry on, Mr. Allen and Mr. Molano. I applaud your attempts to help us all learn more about the Brown Act.

Best regards,

John Drayman