COVID Comments Make Hadley 'No' As Mayor Per Manhattan Beach Man
MANHATTAN BEACH, CA — Editor's Note: Jake Scheinberg, a Manhattan Beach resident all of his 25 years, has submitted the following Letter to the Editor.
"As some of you may know, our city council will be deciding on whether or not they will give Mayor Pro Tem Suzanne Hadley the role of mayor on this upcoming December 1 meeting. The role of mayor is largely symbolic and is on a rotating basis, so I understand why some people don’t think this is that big of a deal. However, the mayor of Manhattan Beach is still seen as the leader of the city by members of our community and of other communities, and it requires strong leadership from whoever is holding the position. Suzanne Hadley does not fit the requirements, and to allow her to be mayor would push our city into the wrong direction.
Obviously, COVID-19 is the most important issue on everyone’s mind in these times. It has caused so much pain for people in different ways. People have lost loved ones, lost jobs, lost the ability to attend school, etc. I understand the frustrations in our community of the people who cannot live their lives because of the restrictions. I’ve seen my own career path derailed by this virus, and who knows when I will be able to get back on track. However, I also have the responsibility of taking care of my family. If COVID were to make its way into my household, it could have disastrous consequences.
That is why it truly hurt me when she made her comments on MSNBC that completely downplayed the severity of the virus. I couldn’t believe I was hearing such ignorant things coming out of the mouth of someone who is supposed to be a leader in these troubling times. They were so embarrassing that even the other city council members had to distance themselves from her remarks. Although she has backed down from these specific remarks, she has still failed to demonstrate enough empathy for all those affected by COVID and only focuses her energy on taking down Sacramento politicians.
In addition to her COVID remarks, she has also made it clear that she is quite out of touch with many of the racial issues that are apparent in Manhattan Beach. The police and Bruce’s Beach have been hot topics over the past six months, and unfortunately she has failed to bring forth any meaningful dialogue in regards to those. She has failed to recognize any issues with race that may be present within our police department, despite evidence that shows a significantly higher rate of minority arrests in our city. She has made claims that Black Lives Matter as an organization is explicitly Marxist, anti-Semitic, and anti-nuclear family. She has shown little empathy for anyone fighting for justice for Bruce’s Beach. She will set our city back rather than move us forward in these ever-changing times.
In general, I care deeply about how Manhattan Beach presents itself on the national stage. Our wonderful city should be a role model for other communities. However, the publicity about MB has been largely negative. Our city has been trashed for our shameful history with Bruce’s Beach, the maskless graduation walk that happened on our Strand, and our poor leadership, especially out of Suzanne Hadley. I don’t want to see our town under such scrutiny again, but I fear that it would happen far more often under a Mayor Hadley. Although she prides herself on her Midwestern values, it is clear that her values do not align with those of the city. All I hope for is that the rest of our council comes to their senses and prevents our town from entering an embarrassing new chapter. Please vote no on Hadley's mayorship and allow our wonderful community to build towards a better future.
Jake Scheinberg
Manhattan Beach
This article originally appeared on the Manhattan Beach Patch
