Allen slammed for being ‘irresponsible’

CITY HALL — More than a half-dozen long-time community activists, volunteers and neighborhood representatives spoke out at the City Council meeting on Tuesday against self-styled government watchdog Barry Allen, calling his recent tactics at City Hall counterproductive and irresponsible.

The wave of speakers, made up mostly of presidents for many of the city’s most powerful and active homeowners associations, used Allen’s latest threat of legal action against the city for an alleged open meetings law violation as a lead-in to further criticisms of his nonprofit, Vanguardians Inc., his online newsletter, and frequent use of the Public Records Act.

In addition to the thousands of dollars the city incurs each year responding to Allen’s often obscure public information requests, the council has on an almost weekly basis heard the activist criticize it for alleged transparency and accountability shortcomings — assertions other longtime, and less heard, advocates took issue with on Tuesday.

“It’s so damaging to the whole process here because some people don’t know what’s going on,” said Lenore Solis, a community activist who will again make a run for the council in 2009.

The more established set of community advocates charged Allen — that through his public speaking, organization and online newsletter — has engaged in character assassinations of council members, spread hurtful rumors, propagated innuendoes through unattributed claims and inaccurately assumed the mantle as the citywide representative of the public at large.

“We have no relationship with [Vanguardians],” said Peter Fuad, president of the Northwest Glendale Homeowners Assn.

Last month, Allen submitted a “cure and correct” letter to the City Attorney’s Office demanding it set aside the council’s vote to approve the fiscal 2008-09 budget and hear 10 speakers who were disallowed from providing further public comment.

Allen cited the inability of Chevy Chase Canyon residents to defend against the planned closure of their branch library as reason for issuing the letter.

Mayor John Drayman had declined to hear more public comment on the matter after holding official public hearing on the budget the week prior, a move city attorney’s determined was allowed under state law.