Council Race

The advice offered by Frank del Olmo on the First Councilmanic District race (Editorial Pages, Nov. 30) should be carefully reviewed . . . then, promptly, discarded.

If he argues that candidates should be banned from focusing on their opponent’s “personalty and political rivalries,” then it should be equally prohibitive for political writers and columnists like, Del Olmo, to report on them. But don’t expect that to happen.

Let’s face reality--Del Olmo and his media colleagues write and broadcast these stories, what one candidate says about another candidate, and which rival is against another rival because it helps ratings and dollars. If the campaign is boring, uneventful or simply focuses on the candidates’ positions on issues, the media would not report anything or call the race boring. And everyone knows dull stories don’t sell papers or earn television viewers.

If Del Olmo is serious about establishing campaign standards, maybe he should direct his comments to the people in his shop who buy the political ads from the candidates he and his peers seem to resent.

You can bet that the voter will be capable of discerning fact from fiction. And it won’t be due solely to the candidates’ positions on issues. They will use leadership abilities, intelligence, competency, ability to complete a job, personal qualifications, record of community service, and the list of supporters which each candidate for the First Councilmanic District will provide on themselves and their opponents, And that should not be limited or eliminated.

DAN VERCHES

Los Angeles