Start the Presses: Starlings and birds of a feather

Who are Doug and Shelly Starling?

The mysterious Montrose residents have been sending letters-to-the-editor to the Glendale News-Press and Crescenta Valley Weekly since at least mid-2014. They touch on range of local subjects, most recently dancing on Dave Weaver’s political grave.

But you won’t read it in our paper. Why? Because the Starlings don’t exist. They are ciphers, ghosts — or to paraphrase “The Shawshank Redemption” — second cousins to Harvey the rabbit. They own no property, have no address or phone number and have never voted in Los Angeles County. The last is particularly odd for a couple so clearly invested in local happenings and politicians.

“Doug Starling” does have a Facebook page, but his photo — thanks Google reverse image search! — is actually of a therapist in Michigan. I suppose that makes a bizarre sort of sense, as whoever is doing this may very well need the service of a shrink. Hat tip to Scott Lowe of Tropico Station fame for tipping me off.

I have an idea of who might be behind this, however. Read on and see if you agree.

We ask that people writing letters provide a phone number, information we use internally for verification. Frankly, this is only a spot check, as we don’t have the resources to identify everyone. The letters, though, raised enough questions for me to make time.

The number provided, according to another search, belongs to Ray Trim. Trim, or Starling, or whoever, did not return multiple calls seeking clarification.

Trim wrote numerous letters-to-the-editor back in 2005 supporting — wait for it — John Drayman’s first, and unsuccessful, run for Glendale City Council. In addition, Drayman and Trim are listed as co-purchasers of a Montrose condominium in 1999. Trim, who apparently now lives in New York, is listed in the voter registration database as last casting a ballot in Los Angeles County in 2007 — living at the very same address where the disgraced former councilman resides today.

For those of you who have forgotten, Drayman won a single term in 2007, lost a bid for reelection, and was convicted last year of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from the Montrose Farmer’s Market.

John! We’ve missed you! No need to hide, though. I’m happy to print your letters, but it has to be under your name, man. Just not cool otherwise. Not cool.

Need more proof? OK: A letter printed by the CV Weekly on Christmas Day last year by the “Starlings” references a 1947 movie called “The Bishop’s Wife.” On Dec. 12, John Drayman’s public Facebook page — sadly, we are not friends — references not only the same movie, but the same part of the movie mentioned in the letter.

I reached out to John too, but didn’t hear back either. Given our history, I was not entirely surprised.

In other politicians-behaving-oddly news this week, local Democrats were roiled by allegations of fraud during an internal election for party delegates.

This is almost the very definition of inside baseball, my friends, invisible to those outside the rough-and-tumble trade known as politics. Every other year, the state Democratic party holds elections for delegates in each of California’s 80 assembly districts. Those delegates attend the state convention — to be held in Orange County in a couple weeks — and help decide the official party endorsements for Democrats in their area.

Since this is internal party stuff, delegates and voters are required to be both Democrats and residents of the area — in our case, that would be the 43rd Assembly District. Following challenges by friends and associates of a losing slate, state Democratic officials ruled that 117 of the 738 people who took part in the January election weren’t eligible to do so, ordering a repeat of the election.

Despite this, and despite cries of fraud by the losing slate, state officials remained silent as to the cause of the troubles, and did not blame any person or elected official. I have received more than a few emails and phone calls begging, demanding and pleading I lay blame, and let the righteous fire of the press burn the perpetrators.

But I can’t, because state Democrats have refused to do so and I haven’t been able to prove anything independently. I’ve reached out to a number of people identified as voting improperly, but have only encountered confusion as to the reason for my call.

In my experience, the guilty normally hang up on a reporter who asks them about fraud. The people I’ve talked to thought — so they said — they were allowed to vote. But if I find something, rest assured I’ll light that match.

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DAN EVANS is the editor. He can be reached at (818) 627-3234 or dan.evans@latimes.com.