
Stanton : council's decision legal, attorney says
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The city’s lawyer denied Friday that Stanton officials violated any law by agreeing in a private meeting to let a resident continue parking construction equipment in his yard for another
year. Former councilman Edward L. Allen has alleged that the City Council should have announced its Aug. 13 decision in public. Over Allen’s objections, the decision allowed his next-door
neighbor to violate the city’s zoning laws. But City Atty. Thomas W. Allen--no relation to the former councilman--said Friday that the council’s decision did not need to be announced
publicly. The council had voted 4 to 0 in a scheduled closed session to give the city attorney permission to file the necessary papers in Superior Court to allow Lowell D. (Bud) Heitman
another year to remove the equipment he uses for a backhoe business. An earlier court agreement signed by the city and Heitman set the removal date at May 1, 1991. Because the Heitman issue
could have resulted in further lawsuits filed either by the former councilman or by Heitman, the City Council was legally allowed to discuss the matter in secret, Thomas Allen said. Orange
County Deputy Dist. Atty. Jim Tanizaki said this week that Edward Allen’s allegation was enough to warrant a preliminary investigation when time permits, but he said he has no evidence that
Stanton officials acted improperly. MORE TO READ