Dear Editor,
At the end of Women’s History Month at the last City Council meeting, I asked our newly self-appointed second term Mayor Grisanti why he did not have any women on his commissions. He didn’t answer and he also didn’t answer this in a follow-up email from me.
I do want to bring attention to the other fact that our council member Mikke Pierson initially tried to replace his only female senior commissioner with a younger male with children on Parks & Recreation but upon the backlash he received has since chosen a younger mother to replace Dr. Goldfarb. I’m glad he acknowledged in this way that his first choice was wrong but it still doesn’t explain away the political retribution of this replacement.
Only two days after Dr. Goldfarb spoke in favor of following precedent in choosing the next mayor and going against Mr. Pierson’s decision did he call her up to “fire” her. His only explanation has been she is not right for his “team” — I personally would want ALL the residents on my team, especially seniors who are 25 percent of the voters and need representation, and not be so exclusive.
I’m grateful to everyone who has congratulated me on my recent appointment to the Public Works Commission and I hope I can bring much perspective from the viewpoint of a strong, tenacious woman and also from the Malibu Vision and Mission Statement in everything we do.
I am hoping that Mr. Grisanti is listening and perhaps one of his more progressive male friends can talk to him or one of his appointees can resign so that he can possibly replace them with an appropriate woman. He obviously isn’t hearing any women who have spoken out on this topic.
Jo Drummond, Malibu