Moorpark : Mayor Names 2 to Planning Agency

Moorpark’s mayor has appointed two new members to the city’s Planning Commission, including an electronics engineer whom city officials once criticized for trying to organize a citizen crime patrol.

Steve Brodsky, 43, was approved by four members of the City Council and opposed by Mayor Paul Lawrason, who appointed him. Despite his personal reservations, Lawrason said he nominated Brodsky because other council members considered him a strong candidate.

Bart Miller, a retired postmaster and the city’s first honorary mayor, was appointed to the other seat on the five-member Planning Commission.

Commissioners are appointed by the mayor with the advice and consent the City Council.

In July, Brodsky alarmed some citizens and city leaders with his proposal to organize a group called Graffiti Busters that would make citizen arrests and take photographs for courtroom evidence. He also wanted group members to remain anonymous, which a few residents protested at City Council meetings as the equivalent of a fascist, secret police force.

Although Brodsky spent several months working with the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department to modify the program, City Council members declined to sponsor it in February, citing a lack of money, manpower and liability insurance.

Councilman Bernardo Perez urged Brodsky’s appointment because he said they both support moderate growth. The councilman also said Brodsky understands planning issues because of his experience as a member of the Environmental Coalition of Ventura County.

Miller, who has lived in Moorpark for 42 years, served on the Ventura County grand jury and on a committee that worked on the county’s General Plan in the 1970s, said Councilman Roy Talley, who urged Miller’s appointment.