Local attorney Gary Wesley takes aim at Voice, council members Local attorney Gary Wesley takes aim at Voice, council members (October 05, 2001)

By Bill D'Agostino

Mountain View resident and attorney Gary Wesley distributed fliers to residents last week renewing his claims that city council members behaved inappropriately in a sale of city property last year, and criticizing Mountain View Voice publisher Kate Wakerly's management of the paper.

Wesley claimed that the Voice is being used by its publisher, Kate Wakerley, "to advance her strange political agenda." Wakerley, and city council members also attacked by Wesley, disputed his claims as dishonest and detrimental to healthy civic dialogue.

Wesley did not return calls requesting interviews, but wrote in the letter: "I would like to hear from residents interested in supplementing the Voice with community newsletters."

Among other allegations, Wesley claimed that Wakerly represses stories and letters in the Voice that don't advance her own causes or candidates. "Residents who disagree with Wakerly are rendered VOICE-less," Wesley wrote, adding that "Wakerley censors subjects-even letters to editor-she wishes to hide."

The Voice "has a policy of printing all letters that are not libelous or repetitions of letters already printed," said Wakerly.

Wesley also wrote that Wakerley is using the Voice "to get public funds to purchase a building for a new day workers center in Mountain View."

Last week, the Voice, the San Jose Mercury News and the Palo Alto Daily News reported that the Los Altos-based St. Joseph The Worker Center, which gives support to low income workers in the area, announced it is facing the loss of its lease, and doesn't have enough money to purchase a new center.

Wakerly, who was on the board of directors of the St. Joseph The Worker Center prior to becoming Voice publisher last year, responded by noting that the news in the Voice has always encouraged opinions from both sides of every issue to be heard, including issues surrounding the day workers center

In arguing against the center, Wesley wrote that, in his opinion, "illegal immigrants do not deserve to go to the front of the line just because they entered in violation of our laws."

"Cities all over California are operating day workers centers," Wakerly said.

"Moreover," Wesley wrote, "as we crack down on who receives visas, we will have to seal our borders. Otherwise, terrorists (not already here) will simply enter through Canada and Mexico."

"I won't dignify that with a response," Wakerley said.

Wesley, who has sued the city numerous times, also wrote that the Voice, under Wakerly's direction, failed to properly report on the selling of a piece of city property near Calderon Avenue.

Wesley claimed that four council members, including Vice Mayor Sally Lieber and Council Member Mike Kasperzak, engaged in favoritism by voting "to authorize city staff to sell a 13,093 square foot residential lot to their friends based on a phony $195,000 'appraisal.'"

Lieber and Kasperzak both said that Wesley's allegations about the Calderon property were false and misleading,. Lieber said that the council never authorized the selling of the property for the appraisal amount.

According to Lieber, the council only voted to direct staff to help the neighbors negotiate a price to possibly purchase the land.

The council, Lieber said, was simply extending the same courtesy to residential owners that they do to businesses who are near a property.

Kasperzak said he found it ironic that Wesley wonders why there aren't better people running for city council when he spends so much time insulting and disparaging members of the council.

Kasperzak also lamented Wesley's wasting of city staff time and energy in pursuing his lawsuits and the frequent document requests he makes.

"He cost the city tax payers a lot of money," Kasperzak said.

Kasperzak encouraged people in the city to call him if they had any further questions about Wesley's allegations.

Lieber described the letter as one of Wesley's "daily attacks" that fail to have a "kernel of truth" within them.

"It's pretty sad," Lieber said, "that as other folks are trying to cope with our national tragedy and put things back in order and help each other, the best that Gary can do is lash out in a vicious manner."