Dear Council, As a Menlo Park resident, I am writing to express my concern regarding the potential hiring of Mercury Public Affairs, and its consultant, Bryan Lanza. Admittedly, I don't know Mr. Lanza and I don't know his qualifications. However, Mr. Lanza worked on behalf of Citizens United. In my book, that is a red flag. The Citizens United decision, partially backed by billionaire Robert Mercer, has opened the floodgates to the potential corrupting influence of special interest money. CU didn't create the problem of special interest influence, but it has greatly fanned the flames. It may be unfair, but anyone that decided to work on behalf of the CU team, in my book is tainted, either through attitude or deed, in a way that I do not want when it comes to consulting to the city of Menlo Park's governance. Thank you for your time in considering my view. I will be paying close attention to the vote. Michael Perez, Menlo Park resident and business owner Received on Fri Nov 03 2017 - 17:13:57 PDT
