Editorial

We don’t like the way Dave Garofalo has conducted himself while on the

City Council. And we’ve said as much. Since being elected to the council

in 1994, he’s unnecessarily blurred the line between personal and city

business. He has even received special treatment -- first pick of a

prized house, vaulting ahead of about 300 “ordinary” residents -- from a

developer with millions of dollars of business before the city.

The questionable dealings have prompted investigations by the city

attorney, district attorney’s office, the Orange County Grand Jury and

the Fair Political Practices Commission.

And for all that, we called last month for Garofalo’s resignation.

Debbie Cook, a longtime political enemy of the mayor, deserves a lot

of the credit for uncovering Garofalo’s potential conflicts of interest.

Her tenacity and investigative gusto prompted the FPPC to initially

investigate the mayor’s publishing contract with the city-funded

Conference & Visitors Bureau.

We’ve always admired Cook, a razor-sharp attorney in the slow-growth

camp, even if we haven’t agreed on all the issues.

A decade ago, she helped pass Measure C, the ballot initiative that

requires a citywide vote before the city can develop on parkland and

beaches. She served on the Planning Commission in the early 1990s and has

helped run a number of City Council campaigns.

And now she herself is considering a council run.

That’s why her over-the-top rhetoric on Garofalo -- published in

recent news reports -- is disappointing, as well as just plain offensive.

Cook has used analogies involving Adolf Hitler and Charles Manson when

being quoted about Garofalo.

Cook says she thought the conversation was off the record and that her

comments were taken out of context. The problem is, we can’t figure out

any context where they’d be appropriate.

We all have our opinions about Garofalo’s actions. But no one --

especially a media-savvy activist such as Cook -- should blurt out

something so inappropriate as tying him, no matter how loosely, to two of

the most notorious figures of the 20th century. Cook clearly violated the

boundaries of decency.

Cook said she was upset when she saw the quotes actually made print

and was sorry for the comments. A good start.

And we’re sure Cook is smart enough to ease back on the analogies, at

least by picking out troubled politicians instead of a mass murderer and

a dictator who killed 6 million Jews.

Garofalo deserves a lot better.

And Cook’s a lot better person than that.