Mayor Hasse just does not get it. His admitted conscious decision to break the law to deal with his personal urgent financial obligation, coupled with his repeated deliberate refusal to honor his promises to the court, demonstrate a lack of character and honor which we citizens have a right to expect from our elected public officials.
His attack on the reporters who exercised their freedom of speech and freedom of the press proves that he has violated the oath of office he took to “uphold the Constitution”–when his own criminal activity is revealed, he squeals that a “conflict of interest” should prevent any reporting (of the truth from public court records) by anyone who has ever been appointed by anyone in Malibu politics. What he is really saying is, “I don’t want the truth told about me by anyone I cannot control and I don’t care what the constitution says or the vehicle code or the judge when I have a personal financial priority.”
Is it any wonder that his obvious character flaw is being related to his salesmanship for the Malibu Bay Company development deal he negotiated in secret? If he has no job for money he does here, no family he has raised here, no home he has bought here, then he is not woven into the fabric of life here and should not be trusted in his ‘judgment’ about what is best for the future of our community. His judgment was to drive while his license and insurance were suspended and if another citizen had been injured due to his negligent driving, the damages to that person would remain unpaid unless the City was held liable, as it would be, while the Mayor was driving within the scope of his duties. How many times did he borrow a city or another’s car and not get caught?
He has two choices: resign or be removed. Whether or not he is getting favors now for his development salesmanship, I do not know. Based upon his political ambitions as a member of his party, and the donations made to the same party by the developers, he is likely more like a pizza man–he collects when he delivers. Malibu is just a stepping stone in a dirty creek made dirtier by Hasse who has brought his carpet here in a bag. If only the citizens could vote directly on proposed major developments, then politicians’ personal agendas would not rule our world.
Sam Birenbaum
Editors note: Nidia Birenbaum was formerly Tom Hasse’s appointment to the Telecommunications Commission. He removed her.