Front Page  »  

County to investigate Ogren and Kelly

June 23, 2011

Maria Kelly

The San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors is asking staff to investigate allegations of a conflict of interest between county Public Works director Paavo Ogren and Maria Kelly, who stepped down last week from the Los Osos Community Services District. [Tribune]

The move follows an exclusive investigation by CalCoastNews, suggesting that Ogren and Kelly did not publicly disclose a personal relationship between the two. Sources have indicated that Kelly lives most of the time at Ogren’s San Luis Obispo home instead of at the house she owns in Los Osos.

If correct, Kelly is in violation of a California code which requires board members to actually live in Los Osos.

Critics claim that the relationship has been going on for several years and that Kelly abused her position by not revealing that she was dating Ogren while the county was moving ahead with the controversial sewer system.

Paavo Ogren

Ogren said he will be meeting with county administrator Jim Grant next Monday to discuss the issue.

Kelly admitted the relationship to a reporter, but insisted that the couple had been dating for only six months and that they have never discussed the sewer issue.


Loading...
Subjects:         
Related:


52 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

“Why does the county hire people like Gail Wilcox, David Edge and Paavo Ogren, people who cross the line while being paid large salaries?” That’s a good question, but more importantly (in my opinion,) why were they fired (Wilcox and Edge?) The guy Wilcox had an affair with, was not fired, and in fact, promoted. So what specific rules, laws, or regulations did Wilcox and Edge violate? Where these written policies ever stated? If so, where can I find them? This would help me better understand the entire issue, which I could then use as a guide in my own work environment. Your last statements are ones I agree with, but how do we enforce these “policy statements” when the agency has none of its own? If they do have such policy statements, where would I go to obtain them?


1

With this latest scandal involving yet another Community Services District, perhaps NOW is the time for SLO County to eliminate them. The communities that have CSD’s generally do NOT have the infrastructure to keep them in business…we can’t afford them, the sooner they’re gone, the better off we’ll all be. We were MUCH better off in Los Osos when we had CSA 9 & it was much more efficient.


1

The LOCSD kept the sewer out of central Los Osos where the county wanted it. No CSD at that time and we’d smelling it right now.


0

Hello! the County wanted the sewer out of town to begin with, it was the Solutions Group headed by Pandora Nash-Karner that lied their way into forming the CSD in the first place and MOVING IT TO THE CENTER OF TOWN

If there had never been a CSD, the sewer would be operating right now at almost the same place it will be at a fraction of what it will cost.


1

I think you have previously suggested that the County eliminate CSDs. Why? Are you referring to CSDs in general, or CSDs which are also “special districts”? Is there a difference between CSDs and “special districts”? I disagree with your opinion, but it is an opinion worth hearing more about.


0

Who cares what their faces look like, the actual public records will set the tone for any actions the county will take. Paavo Ogren was hired to do a specific job and so was Ms. Kelly and if they crossed the line it will come out. Too much money involved and if those who have the time and want to do the work, there are many county staff indiscretions and missdeeds to look into …


1

As a person who has hired people who have later disappointed me; people of superb professional backgrounds; I will say this. It is simply just too difficult to vet ethics and morals. In the people you mention, all worked in government for decades before the sun melted their wings.


The better questions are how their behavior went unnoticed. What was the system that prevented someone from speaking out and notifying appointing authorities that they had a problem? How did they feel so insulated from scrutiny that they did mindless things that they had to have known would sink their ship if ever manifested?


But folks, understand this. A very bright congressman Anthony Weiner just resigned from congress after it was proven that he was a sexter. His district didn’t care. They would have elected him again. But the pressure of his party caused him to resign. Weiner was insulated by what he thought to be a Kevlar vest of voters. His district was the most liberal of the East Coast, and he was a Jew in a Jewish district. He could say or do anything within the very broad markers of his district. Didn’t work out so well for him did it?


I wonder what Mr. Ogen’s culture is. Not his personal one; his professional one that sucking-air-taxpayers are paying for.


1

So for those persons disagreeing with me, care to comment?


0

south speak’s big Wisdom.


1

I would say Mr. Ogren’s “culture” is one of avarice, greed, and immorality.


I believe you are correct in pointing out that this Ogren-Kelly fraud and conspiracy to commit fraud did not happen in a vacuum.


There’s an old saying that goes “The fish rots from the head first.”


Look to the administrators, members of the board of supervisors, and others who sat mutely while this fraud was carried out. I believe they would be considered co-conspirators.


1

Evidently the Los Osos sewer delay and evade and kick the can down the road for your grandkids to deal with crowd may be stinking with rotting decay but they’re not quite yet dead.


1

Well, now someone IS suggesting stopping the project – not because of this scandal, but because it is outrageously over-priced and stupidly designed. Gravity sewer lines, laid in beach sand, in an earthquake zone. Oh yes, that’s just brilliant.


1

You must be outa the sewer zone. In other words you got no dog in the fight, so why so nasty. Just being yourself?


0

Oh, I think SewerHeightsRez has a dog in the fight…we just don’t know what it is, yet.


Does it sound like a personal thing to you? It does to me.


0

Is Viagra a depressant….?


0
1 2