Accusations Against Mayor

* Your coverage of Mayor Dave Garofalo of Huntington Beach does a great injustice to a man who commits so much of his energy and life to bettering his community.

Garofalo gets a pittance of pay and spends almost all his waking hours in public service only to be nit-picked, slandered and victimized by exaggerated claims and accusations.

Although The Times is making it front-page news (June 25), there is nothing new about the charges against Garofalo.

He is being attacked for selling ads in his newspaper and visitors guide. Many of his customers, however, predate his election to the City Council. Should people who own newspapers be denied the right to serve on a City Council?

Should a grocery store owner, for example, have to refrain from voting on issues concerning any long-term customer who has spent more than $250 in his grocery store over the last year? How about a car dealer who sells a car? Should he abstain from voting because he sold a car to someone? No businessman qualifies for City Council if that is the standard.

Garofalo is an honest, hard-working fellow. Unless there is something we have not seen, he has committed no crime and is being paid back for all of his time and effort for the community by being trashed.

REP. DANA ROHRABACHER

R-Huntington Beach

* I hope that the mayor of Huntington Beach will immediately resign. He is a source of entertainment and, more important, a source of embarrassment.

His stint in office has not served the citizens of this community. He has served only the developers and city employee labor unions, and possibly himself.

JAMES H. BRIDGES

Huntington Beach