Dear Editor – “Uncalled For and Ugly”

Dear Editor:

Paulette Greenberg recently exposed the anti-Farragut ravings on Dan O’Brien’s closed-Facebook page. In response, Dan O’Brien published a reply stating, in part, “I am a member of Grace Lutheran Church.”
Council Member Cooper’s recent posts on Dan O’Brien’s Farragut-bashing-closed-Facebook page are revealing and scary.
Cooper recently published, “The slanderous flyers ripping two candidates are still circulating around Culver City but just know this, i (sic) fully support the two gentlemen named on this piece of drivel that is being dropped by residents of a particular street that the council has voted to conduct a parking study on. … Please feel free to share.”
Our porch was also papered with the opposition-campaign flyer. The flyer’s basic claim is that Scott Wyant and Göran Eriksson favor business interests—supported by the Chamber of Commerce—over residents’ interests, and it is time that the Chamber’s domination of the City Council ends. That does not seem defamatory.
Also, Cooper should put on his big-boy pants and realize that Culver City is holding a City-Council election, not the coronation of his Chamber-of-Commerce buddies.
With all the weight of his official status, Cooper’s statement accused the residents of Farragut of “slander.” (“Slander” deals with oral statements. Let’s assume that Cooper means libel or defamation.) First, what does Cooper consider defamatory about the campaign flyers? He neglects to say. Second, what proof does Cooper have that any Farragut resident “dropped” the alleged flyers “still circulating around Culver City”? If he had eye-ball knowledge, he would have said.
One of Cooper’s fellow-Facebook-group members posted, “Was just at the Mayors (sic) Lunch. Mayor O’Leary specifically addressed the handouts the Farragut folk had distributed all over town and basically said … it was uncalled for and ugly.” So, it appears that Cooper either relied upon that Facebook post or O’Leary. This unworthy-third-hand hearsay appears to be Cooper’s source. Remember, Cooper publicly dismissed information from the Farragut residents as just anecdotal. Anecdotal beats third-hand hearsay every day, except in Cooper’s mind.
Cooper also states, “I look forward to the results of the parking study…. Point being, really tired of the rhetoric, false accusations and bullying and none of this crap will influence my decision.” Of course, Cooper does not explain to what “rhetoric, false accusations and bullying and … crap” refers? But, it appears he is referring to what he read on Obrien’s Facebook page.
Cooper publicly (at about 1:30 AM on March 15, 2016) claimed that he voted for the $35,000 “parking study” based on “social media.” It appears that he was referring to “social media” that is closely aligned with the Grace Church, and on which he posts. Again, of course, he failed to mention that. When Cooper was publicly asked whether he has or had with relations with anyone at the Grace Church, he sat silently. He did not reveal Dan O’Brien’s fundraising kick-off party.
How could Cooper claim to be unbiased after spewing these meritless allegations against Farragut residents? It is time for Cooper to recuse himself from the Farragut-parking issue.
Also, one must wonder whether Cooper asks Culver City residents to elect two City-Council candidates—Wyant and Eriksson—who are just like him. Remember, there are at least four other City-Council candidates who are not like Cooper and support all residents over the interests of the Chamber of Commerce. Your vote is too precious to waste. Please vote on April 12, 2016.
Les Greenberg