Special interests swayed Groveman

I am one of the former supporters of Barry Groveman who has become disillusioned with him and hope he will not win another term on the Calabasas City Council.

I'm a professor of environmental law, so I quizzed this ambitious "environmental attorney," who talks a good environmental line, closely four years ago. Despite doubts, I decided to endorse him at that time and trust that he would work to protect our area's natural environment.

I no longer trust him. He dropped the ball on the Malibu Inn & Spa, dropped the ball on the sign ordinance in the 101 corridor, worked to defeat the two strongest environmental voices on the City Council and pushed the planning commission in the wrong direction.

Moreover, state records show that in his recent, obscenely expensive primary campaign for California Assembly (which he lost), he took contributions from developer and real estate interests. Records for the current race are not yet available.

I urge Groveman voters to move to Toby Keeler in the upcoming election. Keeler has a long record as a real environmentalist. State Sen. Sheila Kuehl, Save Open Space and the Sierra Club all endorse him. He is a straightforward, not a slippery, guy. And he refuses to take money from developers.
Robert Benson
Calabasas