Hours before fire, city leaders thank supporters and say thanks to outgoing councilmember
Just hours before the Franklin Fire erupted, city leaders gathered before family, friends, and supporters for the swearing in of the 18th iteration of the Malibu City Council.
Noting that a Public Safety Power Shutoff could be imminent under red flag conditions, Assistant City Manager Joseph Toney advised speakers to try to keep their comments brief in case power was lost. With electricity still not affected before the fire a thank you to outgoing Councilmember Paul Grisanti got underway.
Grisanti, who served for four years but was not reelected to office, received an outpouring of accolades for his four decades of community service to Malibu. Representatives from Calabasas, Hidden Hills, Westlake Village, and Agoura Hills thanked the outgoing councilmember for his years of service to the Las Virgenes Council of Governments. Representatives from Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, State Senator Ben Allen, and Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin presented Grisanti with plaques, certificates, and gifts thanking him for his collaborative work on civic projects. Grisanti was recognized for his decades of work on the Public Works Commission, Arson Watch, and CERT.
Grisanti acknowledged the residents of Malibu.
“It was a great honor, it was something that I really wanted to do,” he said of serving. Grisanti thanked city staff, his commissioners, and his wife for her support. With a long history of volunteerism Grisanti ended his comments saying,“I’m not done working to make Malibu a better place … I am definitely gonna be involved in other things as well. I’mlooking forward to attending meetings and trying to get things over the finish line from Malibu.”
Reelected to a second term, Bruce Silverstein stated, “I am honored to receive the highest number of votes among all candidates for the second time … If you voted for me, I thank you for your support and your trust. If you voted, but did not vote for me, I thank you still for participating in the democratic process, and if you did not vote at all, I encourage you to take a more active role in the future. And without regard to whether or how you voted, I’ll strive to represent your collective interests to the best of my ability.”
After thanking his supporters, Silverstein also thanked Hayley Mattson, the publisher of the The Malibu Times, “who put principles above finances and declined to run a full page attack ad against me a developer-funded political action committee sought to purchase.” Silverstein vowed to continue to carefully scrutinize commercial development in Malibu in an effort to preserve Malibu’s “fragile rural nature.” He added,“It’s impossible to please everyone and do what everybody wants. I will, however, always pursue what I understand to be in the best interest of the community as a whole.”
Also reelected to the council, Steve Uhring congratulated fellow elected councilmembers Silverstein and Haylynn Conrad saying, “You guys ran very professional campaigns, avoided any of the mud slinging that entered our campaign this past year, and the voters rewarded you with a a victory, so congratulations.” Uhring thanked his supporters and his wife. He added, “It really is an honor to be selected to run your City Council. And with that honor comes a responsibility. I believe you elected us to work together as a city council, to improve the quality of the life of Malibu residents, and I want to assure you that I will do everything I can to make sure my future decisions justify your support in me.”
Conrad, a newcomer sworn in by her daughter and her soccer team, told the audience while she doesn’t “dig politics, I dig doing service. I like giving back, I like volunteering, so it works. I’m grateful for your love and it means the world to me.”
After thanking her supporters the mother of two stated, “Your trust in me is not something that I take lightly, and it is with great honor and humility that I stand before you today ready and excited to serve our beautiful community and make it better for the generations to come.
“Malibu is not just a place. It’s a lifestyle. It’s a sanctuary. It’s a unique part of the world. My commitment to you is to ensure that the essence of Malibu is not only preserved, protected, but also enhanced.
“We will explore innovator solutions to make our community safer and operate more efficiently. All the while, keeping in mind a vision for the future sustainability and continuing the rural nature of this coastal village. It is crucial more than ever to foster an environment of integrity, transparency, decency, and civility not only in our political discourse, but also in our everyday exchanges, whether that is in person or online, because our children are watching, let’s make them proud.”