Letters to the Editor: Make Glendale a better place to live by getting involved in civic matters

Harry Zavos recently passed on. He was an honorable man of strong faith and commitment to his community. Having known Harry and worked with him for many years to help make Glendale a better place, I want to let other residents of Glendale know about his dedication to Glendale as the “People’s Attorney,” a nickname he rightfully earned.

I met Harry over 20 years ago when I became active with the Glendale Homeowners Coordinating Council (GHCC). One of the issues facing many homeowners was the overdevelopment of hillside homes throughout the city. As leaders in the GHCC, Harry and I were heavily involved in trying to control the number and size of homes and condos being built on our hillsides. I was among those calling for a stop to hillside developments. However, Harry, with his legal background and expertise, also recognized the rights of property owners to develop their land. The end result of these differences resulted in the GHCC working closely with the Glendale City Council and staff in the creation of the Hillside Ordinance that is still in effect today. Harry’s demeanor was to argue his points in a civil and constructive manner.

Harry continued his support of Glendale residents in many legal aspects. His frustration with the lack of support from the City Council and staff over important issues led him to become a co-founder of the Glendale Coalition for Better Government. That organization’s primary goal was to stop illegal transfers from the GWP utilities to the Glendale City General Fund. The GCBG successfully won a lawsuit against the city of Glendale requiring the city to return millions of dollars of illegal transfers to the ratepayers.

Albert Hofmann
Glendale

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In America, thankfully, we enjoy freedom of speech.

Some believe it is all well and good to ridicule and criticize a political candidate, especially when that candidate exposes the truth. However, Americans also have a responsibility to speak out at local city council meetings when the public’s interest seems not to be a priority, when they believe they are overtaxed and when necessary services are diminished because of poor fiscal management.

This is a rallying cry for the young people in our city to frequently attend Glendale City Council meetings, get involved and publicly call attention to instances of abuse of power.

Many people just sit in the comfort of their home, do not attend City Council meetings, do not write letters to the editor and are not active in the community. They should not criticize a person who cares enough to be this active. If you can do better, then it is your responsibility as a member of our democracy to face powerful politicians and hold them accountable.

In our most recent election, how many candidates did you recognize from their frequent attendance at our City Council meetings?

Helen Lucas
Glendale