COUNCIL MEMBER DROPS SUIT OVER MAILER.

Byline: Lisa Mascaro Daily News Staff Writer

A City Council candidate who said he was attacked during the November election in a flier denouncing his slow-growth team has dropped his lawsuit against the local businesswoman who anonymously financed the piece.

Councilman Dan Del Campo said he wanted to put the issue behind him now that he has been elected to the council and spare fellow Councilman Andy Fox, who had been previously supported by the businesswoman, from being drawn into the case.

``If I move forward on this, I feel I'm not placing residents first,'' said Del Campo. ``I want to relieve my fellow Councilman Fox from having to give a deposition in the matter.''

Fox, an incumbent who was also elected in November, could not be reached for comment. A previously scheduled deposition earlier this month had been canceled before the dropping of the claim, and it was unclear if he had faced a new date.

Del Campo said that he still believes the city should investigate businesswoman Jill Lederer, who owns a string of pizza delivery shops, for her campaign activities.

During the November election, a two-sided flier distributed to Thousand Oaks homes was critical of Del Campo and his Clean Sweep Team of slow-growth activists.

Westlake Village attorney Edward Masry representing Del Campo used legal wrangling to have the owner of the flier distribution company disclose its client.

Del Campo then charged in a claim that Lederer had violated the city's campaign finance laws by failing to disclose that she was behind the fliers and spent $1,803. The businesswoman then filed a full disclosure form with the City Clerk's Office.

Lederer had been a key financial backer of the unsuccessful recall attempt against slow-growth Councilwoman Elois Zeanah, who was retiring from her seat and who had promoted the Clean Sweep slate.