By Les Greenberg
Re “Council Ruling Looks Like a Victory for the Church”
Did Councilperson/Attorney Andrew Weissman suffer an ethical lapse when he attempted to strip residents of the 10700 block of Farragut Drive from the preferential parking that has been in place since 1982?
Those parking restrictions curb intrusions caused by persons attending the 49-weekly activities at Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church.
In 1957, the church sought and received a building variance to dispense with all on-site parking. In November 2013, this same City Council grandfathered-in Farragut’s long-standing parking restrictions that City Councils in 1982 and 2004 enacted.
At Mr.Weissman’s request, the matter came before the City Council on Sept. 8. Ken Smith was in the audience and later addressed the Council in his capacity as a member of the church’s Board.
As every Culver City politico knows, Ken and Jozelle Smith are Culver City’s premier power couple. They hosted Mr. Weissman’s kickoff fund raiser and otherwise participated in Mr. Weissman’s election efforts.
A Farragut resident addressed the Council by asking whether any member has or had a relationship with anyone they know to be associated with the church. Mr. Weissman declared nothing, and he later advocated that Farragut’s parking restrictions be removed.
Ken Smith, when he spoke to the Council, was also silent concerning the power couple’s efforts on Mr. Weissman’s behalf.
In my humble opinion, Mr. Weissman needs a course in ethics, with emphasis on the subject of conflict-of-interest and associated disclosures.
Mr. Greenberg may be contacted at plgreen@att.net
Attorney at Law – Culver City, CA
