Ms. Jan Gardner and Mr. Cadwell (letters, Simi Valley Acorn , April 2), please, don’t be perplexed any longer. As much as I respect Carissa Marsh’s reporting, you shouldn’t believe everything you read in the newspaper.

In reviewing my “prepared” speech at Councilmember Sojka’s announcement in running for mayor, I never used the phrase “relic from the past” when referring to the other candidate(s). I not only relied on my notes but took the time to contact others in attendance who verified I did not use “relic” in any of my comments.

To quote Ms. Gardner, “Barbra said, the mayor shouldn’t be a ‘relic’ and should be between the ages of 45 and 54.”

In fact this is what I really said: “Between 2006 and 2008 the population of Simi Valley was approximately 122,000. Today it’s upwards of 125,000; of that, 98,203 residents are between the ages of 45 and 54 with only 24,683 between the ages of 55 and 85. It is my belief that someone in the age bracket of 45 to 54 is more likely to be in touch with our community than someone whose time has come . . . and gone.”

Like I said at the beginning of my prepared speech, I like Bob Huber. Funny, no one had a complaint about that part of my speech.
Barbra Williamson
Simi Valley
Williamson is a member of the Simi Valley City Council.