A Plea for Ideas and Dignity

Re: Last Sunday’s article by Times staff writer Stephen Braun, “Legal Eligibility of La Pietra to Hold Office Questioned.”

I hope the citizens of West Hollywood, are learning a lesson. Groups are dictating our City Council’s thoughts and actions.

What it looks like to me is that our council, whose majority is controlled by the Coalition for Economic Survival, has put the word out to get anyone who opposes the CES and the council. Now they are investigating Gene La Pietra for something that happened years ago. . . .

I would like to see an investigation of every member of any group that dictates or backs a potential (candidate) or an incumbent holding public office. Every person living or dead has something in their closet.

Council members, as individuals, should endorse a candidate of their choice, but they should not act as a group to try to change the thinking of their constituents. This is, or was, a city with dignity, but it is turning out to be a city of jealous blank .

I personally am not for La Pietra, and I am definitely not for the groups’ new puppet, Abbe Land. In fact no one running for office has shown me much yet, but that can change.

A couple weeks ago, Steven Michael came out with a first. An idea . Bingo and card parlors. I wish the people of West Hollywood would think rather than complain. This is a fresh idea. No political group or faction dictated it; this is the idea of an individual. An individual who thinks for himself. He doesn’t need a group or faction to dictate to him. Think about this please.

We do not need groups. Most of us know what happens when dictators (groups) do get everything their way. It will destroy our freedom. . . . What about our family and friends still in Russia? A government run by a group. Please think. We have an opportunity to change things. We are free, we can speak out, we can change anything we want by voting for whom we want, not for someone just because there is no one else. If groups and factions have only their people running and no one who is independent then what do we have? A form of dictatorship. I ask is this what the city of West Hollywood wants?

We are in the driver’s seat as we punch the card in the booth. We vote, as Americans, and if we do not like any of the candidates, let’s do a write-in campaign. Write in “none of the above.” This is our right, and I am sure that the city of West Hollywood’s council will get the message. Do your job, as a council that trys to make this a nice place to live in; a place not run by groups, factions, developers, but run by the people. People with ideas, honesty and most of all dignity.

JOE R. SNYDER

West Hollywood