Carson Council and Mobile Home Parks

The article written by staff writer Anthony Millican, putting Carson Mayor Michael I. Mitoma on the “hot seat,” (The Times, Jan. 5) contains some inaccuracies, and I would like to set the record straight.

I have attended Carson council meetings on a regular basis for the last five years, and council members Vera R. DeWitt and Kay Calas do not generally vote favorably on issues involving mobile home residents, as Mr. Millican stated in his article.

The record will show that Mrs. Calas has the worst absentee record of any council member, and Mrs. DeWitt either abstains from voting or absents herself from the podium during any issues involving mobile home matters. She says there is a conflict of interest involved because she is a mobile home owner, even though the city attorney made it clear that unless the vote concerned the park where she resides, no conflict of interest is involved on agenda items concerning mobile home parks or residents of mobile home parks.

Evidently, these council members are using the theory that by being absent and thereby not casting a vote against mobile home residents, you should assume they would have voted favorably had they been present. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure that out!

It is also interesting to note that Mrs. Calas has extensive real estate holdings in Carson and Torrance and Mrs. DeWitt is involved with a family business, Rudy’s Bail Bonds, so no conflict of interest exists with their dealings with Pacific Business Bank, but personal loans co-signed by James Bradley, co-owner of Vera Carson Mobilehome Park and chairman of the board of Pacific Business Bank is something else. Mr. Millican stated in his article that Mrs. DeWitt got a loan from Pacific Bank to purchase her mobile home. That does raise some questions about the relationship between Mrs. DeWitt and Mr. Bradley.

The term of office of three members of the five-member Carson City Council is expiring, and all three, Mitoma, DeWitt and Calas, will be candidates for reelection along with a large number of challengers who have until Feb. 11, 1992, to file or run. No doubt there will be an airing of dirty linens over the next couple of months.

In spite of the attempts to create doubt and suspicion about Mayor Mitoma, he still has the support of the majority of mobile home residents in Carson and will have no trouble winning reelection to the council. Enlightened and informed voters should have no trouble disposing of the “trash” and will vote to elect three members who will best represent the interests of the city and its citizens.

KATHY HOSA

Carson