Editorial: Councilman who ripped (Marin) grand jury was dead wrong

Marin Independent Journal Editorial
Posted: 08/23/2011 02:00:00 AM PDT

MICHAEL Lappert has earned a reputation for speaking his mind during his two terms on the Corte Madera Town Council.

He did that last week when he ripped into the Marin County civil grand jury, essentially questioning what right "housewives and hardware store owners" serving on the grand jury have to criticize the way Corte Madera conducts its business.

Lappert could use a civics lesson. And he owes the members of the grand jury, a panel of volunteer government watchdogs appointed by the Marin Courts, an apology. And more respect.

The 2010-11 grand jury examined Corte Madera's finances and expressed alarm that the town has maintained a slim reserve, far below the 10 percent to 15 percent most towns seek to have.

The grand jury's report was particularly critical of the town's purchase of the Park Madera shopping center for $10 million — a price that exceeded the town's appraisal. The property has been a drain on the city's budget for years. This is not a revelation.

Lappert has maintained the purchase made sense because the land could someday be part of expanding the town park. He may be right — some day.

The grand jury also questioned the wisdom of the town, once flush with tax revenue thanks to its two regional shopping centers and car dealerships, failing to maintain prudent reserves.

Lappert dismissed the grand jury's findings as a "hit piece," rather than showing respect for the effort of 19 independent residents who studied the facts and did the math, coming up with a sum different than did Lappert and other council members.

Lappert is part of an unfortunate Marin trend. In recent years local leaders too often have attacked the grand jury's motives and even its right to exist rather than doing the right thing, which is to thoughtfully respond to the grand jury's honest criticisms and questions. After all, a civil grand jury is appointed each year by a judge to keep an eye on local government for the rest of us.

Here's what Lappert said:

"One day they're mowing their lawn and they go to work at PG&E and the next day they're on the grand jury?" he asked, attempting to dismiss their work.

Grand jurors could easily say this of Lappert: "One day he's running an ice cream store and the next day he's on the Town Council."

They won't. They have more respect for community service than that.

The grand jury is supposed to reflect a broad range of perspectives, professions, areas of expertise and political priorities.

Grand jurors don't expect everyone to agree with their findings or recommendations, but they look into local issues and problems brought to their attention and, collectively, give their opinion and advice in the form of reports.

Lappert is outspoken, interesting and, often, entertaining. Sometimes, he's even right. But in ridiculing the grand jury, he was disrespectful of citizens serving their community — the same thing he does as a Town Council member.

He was wrong.

Perhaps some day he will step forward and join other citizens on a civil grand jury and find out just how wrong.

http://www.marinij.com/opinion/ci_18735101