Dear Editor,
Former Councilmember Karen Rarey knew that if she ran for mayor and lost, instead of running for re-election in District 3, she’d no longer be on the city council. She took that risk, ran and lost. Councilmember Susannah Meyer was elected in District 3 to replace her. Now, Meyer, the other new Councilmember Jovita Mendoza and their special interest group are trying to get Rarey appointed to Mayor Joel Bryant’s empty council seat to have three votes to the council. That’s not right.
Do we want a small, local, special interest group to control the majority of our council? Of course not. They need to accept the fact that Rarey lost. And she needs to be respectful of the people’s vote, gracious in defeat and step away, instead of trying to get back on the council and be the leader of a new majority coalition for a seat she can’t even run for in two years!
It’s time to give the new leadership that the people voted for a chance. Joel Bryant is that leader. The council needs to hold an application, interview and appointment process, not waste $200,000 of our tax dollars on a special election, and not appoint Rarey to his open seat.
They say politics is the art of compromise. Jovita and Susannah need to remember that and learn to compromise and find common ground with Mayor Bryant and Councilmember Johnny Rodriguez and appoint someone, preferably from District 4 to fill the seat for the next two years.
Please take the City Council survey on the city’s website by next Monday, Dec. 28 at www.brentwoodca.gov/gov/council/council_survey.asp. Join me in telling the council we want them to hold an application and appointment process, not a special election and not appoint Rarey. Thank you.
Pauline Giles
Brentwood
Pauline Giles is way off base with her comments. Karen Rarey has been the only member of our city goverment who has stepped up for the people with a voice on many issues this community has faced including over development. Joel Bryant and Johnny Rodriquez have been paid off by these same developers. Jovita and Susannah are a breath of fresh air for this city. Karen Rarey lost the mayors race by less than 2 percent. She is obviously the best choice for the vacated seat on this council!! She is for the people and not for special interest.
Rarey actually is for special interests, just different ones, as she took over $7,000 from labor unions. She only gave the money back after it was found out and to try and have at least one issue to use against Joel Bryant in her failed campaign for mayor. Here’s the Brentwood Press article about her ploy – https://www.thepress.net/news/brentwood-mayoral-candidate-returns-campaign-dollars/article_2c273a24-13f3-11eb-af98-d32933407874.html.
As the letter writer wrote, Rarey didn’t run for council, but chose to run for mayor instead and lost. She definitely did not run for the open council seat that was created, and never once was that idea discussed during the campaign or was it part of the voters’ decision. It wasn’t a one-two vote. So, it’s time for her to bow out gracefully and give someone from District 4 a chance to serve on the council and represent this part of Brentwood.
I feel that we do not need a special election to choose another person on the council. I feel that we should have an applications, interview, and appointment process during a public meeting. This would give the public a say in the appointment. No way should we spend money on another election.
I feel that we do not need a special election to choose another person on the council. I feel that we should have applications, and interviews, which probably should be from people who ran for the council. Then at a public meeting one should be chosen to fill the open seat. No way should we spend money on another election.