Reaction to charges Tuesday that former Councilman John Drayman embezzled hundreds of thousands of dollars from the popular Montrose Harvest Market ranged from shock to disappointment.
Perhaps the most pointed reaction to the charges contained in the indictment — unsealed Tuesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court — were from those active in North Glendale and La Crescenta, which have long been bastions of political support for Drayman.
“It just really feels like a punch in the stomach,” said Steve Pierce, a community “ambassador” for the Montrose Shopping Park Assn., which operates the Harvest Market.
While he was once a Drayman supporter, the former councilman’s fall from grace had let him and others down.
“He was such a hero up here,” Pierce said. “There’s a lot that he did and now everyone thinks of him as a crook.”
Ken Grayson, president of the Montrose Shopping Park Assn., said he was glad the charges were aired after almost a year of board members biting their tongues about the investigation. Allegations from the board sparked the Glendale police investigation.