Editor,

The endorsement of Pam O’Connor for City Council by Santa Monicans For Renter’s Right’s (SMMR) will end what little credibility SMMR has as an organization and will continue the certain degradation of life for the residents of Santa Monica.

Pam O’Connor was first introduced to Santa Monica politics as my campaign office manager when I ran for City Council in 1990 as a SMRR-endorsed candidate. I was one of the Council members who appointed her to the Landmarks Commission. Over the years I worked with Pan on several issues side by side and considered her a friend as well as colleague.

In 1998 I supported Pam for re-election to a second term on the City Council. In 1999 I was appointed to the Planning Commission and worked with Pam on issues of mutual concern.

However, by the middle of Pam’s second term it became clear that her values had taken a drastic change. And by the beginning of her third term it was clear that Pam O’Connor no longer had the interest of SMMR, or more importantly, the interests of the residents as a priority.

As the Chairman of the Planning Commission, I saw first hand how she ignored corruption and mismanagement in the Planning Department and supported staff members who were thought by many to be responsible for the corruption.

She teamed with then Council member Michael Feinstein and the two joined forces with the big developer and luxury hotel backed Council members, Bob Holbrook and Herb Katz, to create a new pro-developer Council. This move left SMRR with only three votes and in the minority.

However, O’Connor pretended that she was a SMRR Council member and attended SMRR meetings, while at the same time voting against the tenets of SMRR and constantly siding with the developers and voting in lock step with Holbrook, Katz and Feinstein.

Fortunately for the residents of Santa Monica, two years ago the SMRR membership recognized what was going on and did not endorse Feinstein who was up for re-election. Feinstein was soundly rejected by the residents, who instead filled his seat with Bobby Shriver.

This didn’t seem to matter one bit to O’Connor because it was only a matter of moments after the last election that she again teamed up with Holbrook and Katz and brought Shriver into the fold to keep the majority away from the other SMRR Council members, Bloom, Genser and Mckeown.

O’Connor then did something that no other SMRR-endorsed Council member has done. She showed her true colors and allegiance to Holbrook, Katz and Shriver as well as the developers by giving the leadership role of Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem to Holbrook and Shriver and keeping it away from the SMRR Council members. This has never been done. Never has SMRR held a majority and not held at least the Mayor Pro Tem position.

Why did she commit this unprecedented betrayal of her colleagues, SMRR and the SMRR membership? The answer is simple. The position of Mayor is a position of much higher visibility publicly. The Mayor also sets the political agenda for the Council and largely decides what items come to the City Council.

But most importantly politically speaking, it is the most prized position a Council member who is running for re-election can be in. A Councilmember who is in the position of being Mayor will get more votes simply from the recognition and title and is more likely to be quoted and get more press attention.

O’Connor wanted to make certain that her true ally, Holbrook, had a political advantage over her SMRR “colleague” Kevin McKeown, who is also up for re-election. O’Connor wanted to make certain that Holbrook had his name on the ballot as Mayor instead of McKeown in the hopes that the developer slate will be able to re-elect Holbrook and whomever else he runs with him and dump McKeown.

This is because McKeown has repeatedly made attempts to rebuff O’Connor’s efforts to turn the City over to the developers and this has annoyed O’Connor to no end. O’Connor’s contempt for McKeown borders on pathological. And she makes no attempt to hide it.

This contempt has manifested itself in many ways including denying McKeown the mayorship, which by all rights he should have been given to him, but also verbally. O’Connor takes every opportunity to get in a personal remark directed at McKeown and has even tossed out obscenities at him during Council meetings.

But this verbal hostility is not spent only on McKeown. O’Connor has become infamous for berating and making disparaging personal remarks to members of the public who disagree with her or City staff.

If Denny Zane is successful in manipulating the membership into endorsing O’Connor her behavior and blatant pro-developer voting pattern will put SMRR in a sever dilemma.

Every election year SMRR starts the campaign with a letter that goes out to the voters introducing the “SMRR TEAM” telling the voters that the big developers and luxury hotel owners are trying to take over the City and if they do the City will be in traffic gridlock and all the apartment buildings will be turned into luxury condos.

They then go on and say that the only thin line that is stopping this from happening is the SMRR City Council majority. They continue by stating that Holbrook can’t be trusted and is in bed with the developers because he takes their money and does their bidding.

In fact, this is true. Holbrook is in bed with the developers and does take there money and does vote their way.

The problem for SMRR is that O’Connor is right in bed with them snuggled up close to Holbrook. Just look at the recent revelation that O’Connor took thousands of dollars form the developer who was proposing the largest development in the history of downtown Santa Monica.

How can SMRR tell the voters that the “SMRR TEAM” has been “working together” when O’Connor gave away the Mayorship and key position of power?

How can they say that Holbrook can’t be trusted because he takes developer’s money when O’Connor took thousands of dollars from the developer of one of the largest proposed projects in the history of Santa Monica?

How can SMRR tell the voters that if Holbrook is re-elected the City will be overrun with traffic when O’Connor has been doing everything possible to make certain that the streets are already at gridlock by voting for more development?

How can SMRR tell the renters that Holbrook will make it easier for apartment buildings to be torn down for luxury condos when that is already taking place and O’Connor has been right there helping make it happen?

The real “TEAM” is O’Connor and Holbrook. SMRR would be better off endorsing Holbrook. Yes, he is in the developer’s pocket and ruining the City, but at least he is polite while he is doing it.

Kelly Olsen