It is the normal policy of this newspaper that its contributors not respond at length to critical letters to the editor. In the case of a letter from a taxpayer-salaried top city official denying his own demonstrated incompetence, however, such response is seriously warranted.J. Paul Brownridge is, at the moment, still the six-figure-salaried treasurer of the city of Los Angeles. In his letter to the editor last week, Brownridge took serious exception to a column I wrote last month regarding his reported plans to depart city employment. I basically said his self-announced departure was good news on the basis of his past and present performance. He called me a liar.One thing we both can agree on: Someone is indeed not telling the truth. Here’s what is in dispute. According to Brownridge’s letter, he isn’t really resigning: “There has been no ‘resignation notice,’” he writes. Might I refer him to his own news release of January 15, in which he stated on city letterhead that “. . . J. Paul Brownridge [has] announced plans to step down after serving eight years as one of the city’s top finance officers”? Is he saying this particular document isn’t a resignation notice, or is he saying that it was not released with his authority?
Source: Credibility Chasm | L.A. Weekly