City Council member censured for taking a stand
In November, voters decided by a 12 percent margin to reject the Lowe’s home improvement store and town center proposed for Westlake Village. Following months of acrimonious debate about whether or not to build the commercial development, the message was made clear: Put something else on the 22-acre parcel at the north side of town, not another big box store.

That message, it seems, has fallen on deaf ears.

Last week the City Council took action that was viewed as a reprimand for the victorious anti-Lowe’s forces. Instead of approving Mayor Pro Tem Jim Bruno as the city’s next mayor, the council instead named incumbent Susan McSweeney as mayor for another term.

It’s the first time in the city’s 25-year history that a mayor pro tem was not ushered in as mayor. In most local municipalities, the mayor pro tem rotates automatically to the higher office. But Bruno had been a leading voice against the Lowe’s retail center and paid for his outspoken tactics by being passed over as the city’s titular head. He deserved better.

The question now arises as to whether the council wants to make an end run around the Nov. 7 decision and perhaps bring a revised Lowe’s project back to the table, although such an action seems unlikely given the outcome of the vote.

Pushing Bruno aside appears to be the result of a backroom deal, a move that smacks of petty politics and keeps the city’s old wounds from healing.

The move was especially perplexing in light of the fact that when he was elected to the City Council, Bruno received more votes than any other current member of the council. Today, he’s deemed incapable of serving as mayor. Why?

After swallowing his pride, Bruno joined the majority and voted in favor of McSweeney. He said it was time to begin the healing process and move the city forward.

It’s too bad the other City Council members didn’t demonstrate the same conciliatory attitude.