Friends,
To say that the last two weeks have been a roller coaster for our family, the non-profit EnrichLA and our campaign would be an understatement!
- First we were accused by Sheila Irani of being somehow complicit in a lawsuit between her and her neighbor.
- Second, two former interns and volunteers on our campaign claimed in an LA TIMES article that they were pressured to work on our campaign + that we were stealing from our little non-profit.
- Finally a group from Windsor Square claimed that the name Thomas became Tomas to appeal to Spanish voters.
All is fair in love and war and thank heavens for love!
- The neighbor has repeatedly denied any coordination with Tomas O’Grady.
- LA TIMES : Ex Interns defend Tomas O’Grady and dispute allegations. Former enrich la interns have come forward to defend Tomas and set the record straight!
- HIs name is Tomas. Tomas is gaelic for Thomas. There is supposed to be an accent over the a.
Re: Number 2. We shared our home so as to help the non-profit grow. Interns and volunteers often stayed for dinner. We opened and continue to open up our home to people who want to do something good for society. To be accused of anything but the best intentions is hurtful. Everyone who has worked with Tomas knows that he is always pushing forward, always trying to get more done before the sun goes down. He has been known to say stuff like “this conversation is rapidly becoming less than productive”. Many people count on that intensity to make things happen. Some of those things really matter. We respect folks who like to do things differently. We will never understand this accusation though. We are glad it is over. A casualty is that EnrichLa has now moved so as to avoid the appearance of impropriety and therefore these wonderful people will no longer enjoy 6pm Rose and Bruschetta at our home.
Justine O’Grady
