Councilmembers who are veterans expressed reserve about resolutions, voted for it in the end.
By Jonathan Friedman/Special to The Malibu Times
The Malibu City Council joined more than 100 municipal government bodies Monday by approving a resolution that encouraged the Bush administration to work toward a peaceful resolution with Iraq. The resolution passed by a vote of 4-0. Councilmember Joan House was not at the meeting. Included in the resolution is a statement that mentions the city’s support for the men and women of the American military. Several councilmembers said it was essential the statement be included.
“I can support this (the resolution),” Councilmember Andy Stern said, “but I want to make it crystal clear that in doing that, if this passes, the City of Malibu supports our military men and women.”
Mona Loo, a member of Malibu Citizens for Peace, approached the council at its previous meeting about passing an antiwar declaration. She wrote a resolution draft, which was used by the city as a reference for writing the final copy. Loo’s group has held several peace-promoting events, including an antiwar rally last Saturday.
Loo was one of several members of the public who spoke to the council, encouraging the members to approve the resolution. Another person who spoke was Ronn Hayes, who served as a platoon leader with the Marines Corps during the Korean War. He said, by passing the resolution, the council would be speaking for the people of Malibu.
“I don’t see people standing in the streets of Malibu with signs saying, ‘Let’s go to war,’ ” he said.
But not all the speakers had that view. Malibu resident Jack Corrodi said he felt it was a shame that the cities of San Francisco and Los Angeles had passed antiwar resolutions, and he hoped Malibu would not join them. He compared the war on terrorism to World War II, pointing out the major difference being that there is no clear enemy. For this reason, he said, people should trust that the government is doing what it needs to do to win the war.
“I believe our president and his team are doing their best to seek out those sneaky little terrorists throughout the world,” he said. “And I think it means Iraq has to go. I think they’ve established that and they’re going to keep on establishing that.”
Mayor Pro Tem Ken Kearsley, an Air Force veteran, said it was a difficult decision to approve the resolution. He is a major supporter of Malibu’s adopted Army Company, currently stationed in the Middle East. Last year, the city adopted the company as part of the America Supporting Americans program. Earlier in the meeting, Kearsley announced that he wants to match people in the community with a member of the company so they can send them care packages. But he said he could feel comfortable with the resolution, since it referenced support for the troops.
“All I can say tonight is I’m going to pray, and I’m going to pray real hard that nothing comes to harm our people,” he said.
Mayor Jeff Jennings, who was awarded the Bronze Star for his military service in Vietnam, said he also had a difficult time making a decision on the resolution. Jennings acknowledged that he does not usually like the council taking action on items outside of the “meats and potatoes of city business.” Last month, when the council passed a statement in support of the Ralphs employees who had been fired for selling alcohol to underage students, Jennings voted against it. He said it was not a City Council matter. And he had a hard time at first justifying why this resolution was any different.
“At no time during any of the campaigns when I ran for City Council did anybody ask me what my foreign policy stance was, or whether I even have one or whether I even know anything about it,” he said.
But Jennings said he finally decided he could approve this resolution, because of its wording that the Bush administration should “continue to work with the United Nations Security Council and allies of the Untied States to find and implement a peaceful and diplomatic solution before engaging in a pre-emptive war with Iraq.” He also favored the statement that supported the people in the American military. Jennings called the resolution something that 100 percent of Malibu’s population could support.
The council meets again on Mar. 10.