Public Officials Need Backup : Latest Seal Beach threat must spur law enforcement crackdown

All’s well that ends well, now that Seal Beach Mayor Gwen Forsythe has reversed a decision to leave the City Council after previously learning that she had received a threatening message. The outcome was a relief, and occasion to affirm that public officials should not be drummed from office by thugs.

But now we learn that there is more to the story. The FBI is investigating at least six bullets that appear to have one thing in common--those who received them, like Forsythe, have ties to Orange County development projects being built on land containing Native American bones or artifacts. One was sent to an Irvine Co. vice president, another to the Seal Beach development director, and another to an American Indian leader.

The city of Seal Beach also had a lesson to learn from this unfortunate episode. Police had not informed the mayor immediately that a rifle cartridge and message threatening her was received at City Hall on March 6. Forsythe got word days later from a City Council colleague. This was disconcerting, to say the least.

The Police Department took responsibility, which is good, but it almost was too little too late. By the time Chief William Stearns said his department should have a notified the mayor immediately, Forsythe had submitted a letter of resignation, and people close to the mayor’s office said that the response of the department was a factor. Bureaucracies often mishandle information, but in a small city, news that such a packet was left at the city clerk’s office should not escape the attention of the mayor, especially when she herself is the target.

The larger concern is that a diligent city official could be routed from office by threat of physical harm. Forsythe actually has been a voice of moderation over development issues, which police say may be at the source of the threat. The community has been embroiled in a longtime dispute over plans to develop the Hellman Ranch property near the Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station.

No community can tolerate such disruption of its deliberative processes of government. Now that Forsythe is staying, it is time also to get to the bottom of all these seemingly recurring threats. The police, the FBI and the California Justice Department should redouble their efforts to find those responsible.