Forever grateful to Ed Masry

I’ll never forget when I first heard of Ed Masry. It was 1997, in the middle of the “Yes, Recall Elois Zeanah” campaign, the most expensive and nasty election in the history of Thousand Oaks.

Like an angel from the blue, Ed generously donated $50,000 to the shoestring budget of CARE, the all-volunteer, grassroots Committee Against the Recall of Elois.

The half-million-dollar pro-recall campaign attacked Ed in slick mailers, painting him as a cult attorney who defends money launderers and drug dealers. One mailer with shadowy pictures of drug paraphernalia sneeringly asked, “Who is Ed Masry?” They would soon find out.

Ed continued to graciously and gallantly aid activists who, during 1998 and 1999, fought the environmentally disastrous plan that the city and the Conejo Recreation and Parks District had to develop Hill Canyon, next to Wildwood Park, into a golf course. Ed opened his offices for meetings and phone banks and brought considerable pressure to bear on the city council and the CRPD board to drop their plans.

Not every battle was won, however: Borchard Road in Newbury Park was constructed and the Lang Ranch Dam was built, despite Ed’s assistance. But they were, nevertheless, battles worth fighting.

When the movie “Erin Brockovich” came out in 2000, there was no longer any doubt in anyone’s mind that Ed was the people’s hero.

Ed Masry was elected to the city council in November 2000 along with then-Councilmember Linda Parks, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Through the years since, I and people like me have watched Ed battle and have felt grateful to have him on our side. We’ve admired his ability to get to the heart of the matter and call foul when he saw any unfairness.

I personally have never forgotten Ed’s kindness and his generosity. So, from the bottom of my and countless others’ hearts, we thank Ed Masry for his support of the environment and his willingness to serve the public.

We will be forever grateful. Nora Aidukas Thousand Oaks

Aidukas is vice chair of the Ventura County Planning Commission.