Local News in Brief : Councilman Quits Group

Councilman Terry Birdsall has announced his resignation from a recently formed political group called Fair and Honest Government for Lawndale, saying that he agrees with some of the group’s views but opposes its criticisms of three fellow council members.

The group sent out a mailer last weekend attacking attorney-developer Jonathan Stein and his rival political organization called Citizens for Increased Property Values. Stein then filed a $4.5-million suit against the 24 members of the Fair and Honest Government group, plus Mayor Sarann Kruse and her husband, Robert Kruse. Mayor Kruse said the defendants refuse to comment on the suit on advice of their attorney.

Birdsall, reading from a prepared statement at Thursday’s City Council meeting, said he joined the Honest Government group because he opposes Stein’s organization. But he said he decided to resign from the group because he believes its citywide mailing implied that fellow Councilmen Harold E. Hofmann, Larry Rudolph and Dan M. McKenzie had violated the state’s open-government law. Birdsall referred to them as “longstanding friends.”

“I would never imply or insinuate that these candidates/colleagues are unethical.”

All five members of council are seeking reelection on Tuesday. They are opposed by seven candidates: Nancy J. Marthens, Ronald Maxwell, Carol Norman, Ralph C. Williams, Virginia Rhodes, Herman Weinstein and Tina Zarro.