There is an orchestrated letter-writing campaign of supporters of the new City Council majority — Andy Fox, Dennis Gillette and Jacqui Irwin. These letters have the same talking points and attack citizens who had the courage to speak out regarding the firing of Phil Gatch. They are trying to do damage control and an end run around the truth.

I checked out http://www.thousand-oaks.org (Gatch-Gate). There are smoking guns pointing straight at Fox. The attachment files on this site clearly show that Fox did much more than discuss the matter.

Fox’s faxes show that he went so far as to alter Gatch’s resignation letter, removing references that might implicate him. It is obvious to me that Fox violated Thousand Oaks municipal code. The new council majority has the right to fire the city manager but not by breaking city laws.

I want some honest answers to valid questions such as:  Why aren’t these alleged illegal actions of Fox being investigated? Why was Fox allowed to vote against investigating his own actions? What is the tab to residents for this fiasco? Is there a game plan that will forever change the unique character of our city?  Why did interim City Manager Scott Mitnick receive a huge raise from $10,000 to $15,000 a month plus bonus and perks?   At the end of the day, will Mitnick be appointed the permanent city manager to facilitate Fox’s future plans?

I challenge Fox, Gillette, Irwin and their tag team to answer these questions. They need to stop attacking concerned citizens and quality-of-life groups such as Save the Conejo and focus on facts.

— John M. Davis, Thousand Oaks