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Thursday, May 7, 2009

Levine lawsuit settled, Calamaras moves back to Venice

...the return of Dimmy the Greek...
posted by John Patten

Go back a few years when Venice Taxpayers League prez Herb Levine's lawsuit against the city was in full bloom. Named co-defendants in the false arrest lawsuit were former police chief Joe Slapp and then-mayor Dean Calamaras.

In what was believed to be an attempt to conceal and/or relocate assets, Calamaras resigned his position as mayor and moved to Georgia. Calamaras' stated reason was to be close to his daughter and grandkids.

The smoke has cleared on Levine's lawsuit, although neither Levine or the city is saying what the settlement terms are (I have a public records request pending, but city attorney Bob Anderson stated that the terms of the settlement are confidential (wtf-- ???)). With the lawsuit out of the way, Calamaras is reportedly in the process of moving back into Venice city limits, which would make him eligible for a run in 2010 against Mayor Ed Martin.