Dr. Peter Gardiner: Courage

(Also posted at LA Republican Examiner)

Dr. Peter Gardiner, our friend and mentor on the Rancho Palos Verdes city council since 2001, lost his battle with melanoma on Saturday, July 25. He was 68.

Dr. Gardiner set the bar for conservatives throughout the Palos Verdes Peninsula, the 54th Assembly District and the South Bay of Southern California. Never shying away from expressing what needed to be said on key issues, Dr. Gardiner consistently displayed a level of courage and dedication for his constituents that will never be surpassed. Peter was not afraid to be a lone dissenter on an issue in order to defend what was right. It was an honor for me to learn from him as a trusted friend & advisor of our district central committee. I hope someday to have the opportunity to display similar political courage under fire, and I pray that I will remember Dr. Gardiner’s stead-fastness in the face of opposition and also hold firm on behalf of all those we serve.

In addition to serving Rancho Palos Verdes on the City Council for eight years, Peter served one four-year term as a trustee on the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District Board of Education. Peter was an active member of the East Peninsula Education Council, or EPEC, which worked successfully to prevent further closures and the potential sale of Peninsula public schools. EPEC was able to successfully preserve school sites such as Dapplegray, Miraleste Intermediate, Ridgecrest and Margate — all of which are in use today.

Family spokesperson Gabriella Holt, a member of our committee, released the following statement on behalf of the family:

“The family of Peter C. Gardiner regretfully announces that Peter passed away on the evening of Saturday, July 25, 2009 after a long and courageous battle with melanoma. Peter loved life, his family and his community, and will be sorely missed. Peter joins his wife Tanda Kynette Gardiner, who passed away on December 11, 1994.

The family is both proud of and grateful for Peter's eight years of public service on the Rancho Palos Verdes City Council and four years as trustee on the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District Board of Education. Peter was also a man with a strong faith in God and was an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, where over the years Peter served as Seminary Teacher, High Priest Group Leader, Sunday School President and Ward Missionary for the Crestridge Ward of the Church.

The family would like to take this opportunity to thank the many friends who offered their kindness and support during Peter's difficult battle. Peter is survived by his son, Christopher, daughter, Christine and son in law, Karl Schmitz, his brothers Thomas and Jeffrey, sister Christine Novak; and his grandchildren, Benjamin, Aimee, Sean and Ellerbrook Schmitz.



Funeral services for Peter will be on Saturday, August 1, 2009, details yet to be finalized. In lieu of flowers, Peter had requested that donations be made to the Perpetual Education Fund of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Those interested in making such a donation may make checks payable to: Perpetual Education Fund, 50 East North Temple Street, Salt Lake City, UT 84150.”

As we head into the November elections for the Rancho Palos Verdes City Council, partially to fill his seat, I hope and pray that residents will think about whom among the candidates is best suited to carry the heavy mantle that Dr. Peter Gardiner bore. Dr. Gardiner didn’t just work tirelessly to cultivate the best for his community; he stood in defense against those that did not have the community’s best interests at heart. His successors must have this same conviction. Peter would want nothing less.

Thank you, Peter, for your leadership, your courage, and your example of what a public servant is supposed to be. Rest assured that we will never forget the bar you have set.

When Democrats run the RPV City Council...

Many of you have been reading about the issues within the Rancho Palos Verdes City Council, ranging from the increase in personal crime to the lack of fiscal accountability of its budget process. You've also read about the petty attacks by Council member Tom Long, including those of you among the more than 4,000 residents e-mailed from Long accusing fellow Council member Peter Gardiner of cronyism and acting on personal vendettas. Gardiner has been a voice of accountability, and has been a thorn in Long's side as Long tries to impress enough Democratic leaders for higher office, including a possible judgeship if the Democrats win the governor's race in 2010.

For those who worked with me on the Rancho Palos Verdes City Council elections in 2007, you'll recall former Mayor Tom Long trying to tell us that the Republican Party being involved in a local, non-partisan race, in his words, "violated the state constitution". He was, and still is, a political bully who tries to intimidate anyone who disagrees with his motives and plans. The verbal attacks on Council member Gardiner have been what I would expect from Long, who STILL has not given any accountability to the residents of Rancho Palos Verdes regarding the frivolous IT budget spending or the improper and unethical use of the "PV on the Net" resources that the Daily Breeze confirmed is not permitted for campaign purposes, even if, as Long puts it, it's available to everyone.

But this type of hypocrisy is not something that Council member Long holds an exclusive claim to; this is the same types we hear all of the time from Democratic leaders throughout the state. So it's no wonder that the majority of the Rancho Palos Verdes City Council has issues presenting its residents with honest accountability and fiscal responsibility; the majority of the RPV City Council is Democrat.

Now while I agree that not all Democrats have issues like this, I believe that Council member Tom Long has serious issues with accountability to the residents he has been charged to serve; worse, Long also has issues with humility when confronted with situations that conflict with his motives and plans, and will verbally attack anyone who challenges him.

I look forward to challenging him and anyone who aligns themselves with him. Bullies have always been my primary peeve, and I take a personal stake in finding those that bully others, especially politically, and will always seek opportunities to remove them from office, regardless of their political registration. We have a few in our party, including a couple I've mentioned in earlier posts. Council member Long is an exceptional one, using his knowledge of the law to twist it and take advantage of those that he thinks know less than him.

When the next RPV election approaches in 2009, I plan to be there to help swing the RPV City Council back to the Republican majority, and in the process return fiscal responsibility & resident accountability to my former hometown.