Feb
27
Complete Text of Mayor Grose’s “Resignation” Statement
Filed Under Dean Grose, Decency, National Issues
As handed to me by Los Alamitos City Staff today and e-mailed to several media outlets late yesterday (Thursday) afternoon: (Please note: To avoid disruption, grammatical and spelling errors in the original text are not identified with the traditional Latin “sic.”)
A Statement From
Los Alamitos Council Member and Mayor
Dean Grose
February 26, 2009
First, I would like to offer a public apology to Ms. Keyanus Price, a business woman in Los Alamitos.
This past Sunday, Feb. 22nd, I received a shared email which I opened and forwarded on to small group of friends. Since the internet became a mainstay of every household, jokes fly about without thinking of those who might be offended. I didn’t create or originate this e-mail which was sent to me for what I thought to be humor, and regrettably I passed it along.
On Tuesday (Feb. 24) I received an email from John Bryant of the Trend Offset Printing Firm, letting me know that he viewed the email to his employee, Keyanus Price, as “highly inappropriate and that I should publicly apologize to Ms. Price.” I immediately placed a call to Mr. Bryant, offering my sincere apology and how embarrassed I was for my poor judgement in sending out the email. I also called Ms. Price and left a message on her voice mail and apologizes were emailed to both individuals.
This was about 1:45 p.m. I then learned that Ms. Price had called the Orange County Register earlier Tuesday, passing along the email and noted she wanted a public apology. The very unfortunate part was the relationship between Ms. Price and me, as we both serve on the Board of Directors for the Youth Center. Together we have worked to support an organization we are both passionate about. We had exchanged email jokes in the past, and it was never my intention to cause any discomfort or embarrassment for Ms. Price. I am truly sorry.
My actions are a disappointment to my family, friends, citizens and supporters in our community. Those who truly know me are aware of the person I am and the commitment I’ve had for many, many years in this small community. The attention brought to this matter has sadly created an image of me which is most unfortunate. I recognize that I’ve made a mistake and have taken steps to make sure this is never repeated. I have apologized to Ms. Price as well as my colleagues on the City Council and our dedicated city staff.
The Council is dealing with significant and challenging financial issues in Los Alamitos. This incident has impacted my ability to provide leadership and team building efforts. I humbly ask for understanding and I have sought assistance from the Orange County Human Relations Commission to acquire greater sensitivity following this incident. At our Council Meeting on March 2nd, I will step down as Mayor.
A few random thoughts from Dave:
I was a bit surprised to find a bit of a cloud of sadness falling over me as I keyboarded Mayor Grose’s statement.
As I’ve said before, in many ways I’ve found Dean Grose to be my favorite among the new Council majority (also known as the “Gang of Four,” the “Grose Group,” or the “Grose Gang”). I think he’s made a sincere albeit largely ineffective effort to be somewhat inclusive in his leadership. He has volunteered in many worthy local causes over many years, including Rotary, The Youth Center, The Chamber of Commerce, the Traffic Commission, and various activities at The Joint Forces Training Base.
In some ways I even considered him a bit of a friend up until a month or two ago. Yet yesterday I learned of an e-mail from last November in which he publicly ridiculed me.
Sadly, we are all human. We all have our flaws. And eventually, most of them become public knowledge, no matter how hard we try to hide them. Just ask Bill Clinton. Or Barak Obama’s three failed Cabinet nominees. Or former Dodger General Manager Al Campanis (blacks lack the “necessities” to be managers).
Dean Grose has his flaws as well. They have now become a major embarrassment not only to himself but to the City of Los Alamitos, her residents, and her businesses.
It clearly is in the best interest of Dean Grose and of Los Alamitos for him to voluntarily step down not only from the Mayor’s office but also from the City Council.
Such a self-less act would set the stage for Dean Grose to reinvent (rehabiliitate?) himself while out of the limelight. It would also be a first step towards regaining a small measure of respect for our city.
The Mayor has taken half of that step. That simply is not enough. That makes as much sense as the fire department, extinguishing a fire in your kitchen, then leaving with the rest of your house in flames.
Council Member Grose will be just as much of a distraction and embarrassment as Mayor Grose has been. Especially now.
Mayor Grose, please, for the sake of the city you say you love as well as her residents and businesses, resign from the Council as well as the Mayor. Do Saturday. At this point, if you even show up Monday’s Council meeting will be an embarrassing circus. Take a two year “sabbatical” from public life, and with the help of God, your family, your friends, and the community rebuild your life starting from within.
Your greatest years could be ahead of you. But true greatness is born of true humility.
That’s what I think. Your comments are welcome, but please be civil and relatively diplomatic. Thank you.
Comments
7 Responses to “Complete Text of Mayor Grose’s “Resignation” Statement”
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Please,
It took this guy almost a week to come up with this.
Sorry, but all the other people that know you for who you are really are, are not buying it.
Dean,
If you’re on CNN…That means you have to resign from the council not just your position of mayor!
Who voted for this idiot!!!
Dave here. Actally, CNN, I have to admit that I did, but that was two years ago. At least I’m speaking out now the I’ve seen his infamous e-mail and the harm it’s done to our city.
The real question is, who voted for him for Mayor, and the main suspects are Council Member Edgar (who nominated him), Council Member Poe, and Council Member Stephens. And Edgar and Poe certainly aren’t speaking out at all, though they are our elected leaders. They’re both hiding (and, in Poe’s case literally running) from the press.
Mr. Dean Grose,
Mr. Dean Grose! Mr. Dean Grose!
I do not like that Mr. Dean Grose!
I do not like him here or there!
I do not like him anywhere!
I do not like him as the Mayor.
I do not like his puffy hair.
I just do not like that Mr. Dean Grose!
I do not, would not, like him as a friend.
I do not like him on CNN.
I do not want him in my town.
I do not want him to bring Los Al down!
I just do not like that Dean Grose!
Did I, could I, vote for Dean Grose as a joke?
No, I did not! Could not! Not even as a joke!
Did I, could I, as a hoax?
No! Not as a joke, not as a hoax!
I just do not like that Mr. Dean Grose!
I do not want him on my street.
And, for goodness sake, not ever again in a council seat.
I do not like that Mr. Dean Grose!
Not here, not there, not anywhere!
Dave,
Please tell me that You did not look to Dean as a mentor!? I know where you stand now but, please, where I work leadership is paramount. We look to leadership to get the job done. Day one, I saw that this man did not have a command presence to lead anything…let alone our city.
I like the parable of the kitchen fire…dead on. This fire will build and grow bigger than the original. It needs to be completly extinguished now.
Dean’s defense of forwarding a email/picture that was already created seems to be another fib. That picture and caption would have only come from the mayor. Dean needs some serious counciling for this as evidenced by his reactions (excuses).
It was also extremely poor judgement to be confronted on television with the name of your company in the background. I suspect that there may be another vacant office over on Noel. This whole thing is tragic yet predictable. I actually feel sorry for the man.
JH–I’ve got a lot of mixed feelings, including outrage at the “Gang of Four” (especially Mr. Edgar), and sorrow for Mr. Grose and for Los Alamitos.
Dean has given a lot of his time to the city and to a variety of local non-profit organizations, but he doesn’t seem to be a good fit for civic leadership positions. Especially not now.
“Mentor” was a poor choice of words–thanks for the head’s up: I changed it. Dean does have some characteristics I admire, and I do know he’s given generously of his time and money in support of any number of worthy local causes, from Rotary to The Base to The Chamber to The Youth Center. We’re all human; we’ve all got strengths and weaknesses. Some of them are more glaring than others.
At this point it’s in Dean’s and the City’s best interest for him to step out of the limelight and take some time to study, pray, get with some mentors and regroup. Everyone will be best served if he steps down from the Council, and announces it before the meeting.
Dave,
Sorry, I was only ribbing you. I’m trying to find any humor that I can right now.
I agree with you about the others but, I don’t think that doing it with 1 stroke of the brush will work. They may just do it to themselves as we witness to the mayor’s downfall.
I had a Captain (a leader) who always asked (and answered) this question: “How do you eat an elephant?…One bite at a time. He never had any problems putting out fires either.
Aloha,
On Inauguration night, I hosted an Ohana for Obama party at Khoury’s in the Marina and we rocked for Barack with the Elm Street Band.
As I addressed over 110 Repubs, libertariiens and Dems, I asked them to join in a revised rendition of
“We have overcome..We have overcome…We have overcome today.”
Needless to say after I returned from Kauai, Hawaii
(Obama country) I was so saddened to learn of the
small minded, silly cartoon sent out by one of our local
mayors.
As Martin Luther King once said as he looked at the
audience one summer night in a rare instance of
“letting his guard down” …. “Don’t you know how
this makes us feel.”
It is hard to believe that the ex-mayor was so ignorant
and insensitive to pass this silliness along.
Mahalo nui loa for the chance to vent.
Carla Watson, Seal Beach and Kauai
PS I would love to send papayas to decorate the lawn
and to show much aloha and kukua.