Get out of the way—Bruce Silverstein is on a rampage! He has attacked our city manager, our former city attorney, the current city attorney, and he has now set his sights on our three council members who have dared to question his scorched-earth tactics.
In a recent posting on Nextdoor, Silverstein once again smears reputations, claiming, “The ‘three’ on city council care only about the power, benefits and personal aggrandizement of public office.” And so in one short sentence Silverstein dismisses the considerable accomplishments and public service of Mayor Mikke Pierson, Mayor Pro Tem Paul Grisanti and former Mayor Karen Farrer.
Silverstein wants investigations and plenty of them. He has given Malibu a choice. Either he can conduct investigations into unsubstantiated allegations he himself has promoted, or we can hire independent counsel at a great cost to our city.
The irony is that it is Silverstein’s own behavior that needs to be investigated. The city manager’s attorney has sent Malibu a legal letter charging harassment, a hostile work environment and so much more—all a result of Silverstein’s conduct. Should there be a lawsuit, it would not be frivolous. As Doug Stewart pointed out at a recent council meeting, the responsible thing for our city to do is to hire independent counsel to look into the city’s potential liability resulting from Silverstein’s conduct.
It might be time for Silverstein to look into the mirror before he accuses everybody else of wrongdoing.
Burt Ross