Maria and Paavo: Divorce papers allege long-term affair, drug use

July 11, 2011

Paavo Ogren

By KAREN VELIE and KARLEE PRAZAK

The For Sale sign, vacant driveway, and unkempt yard at the Los Osos house of Maria Kelly says a great deal about her current living situation.

The recent divorce filing of Kelly, a Los Osos Community Service District board member who resigned abruptly last month, among other things suggests details of two public officials allegedly failing to comply with residence laws and ethics rules.

Divorce records obtained by CalCoastNews support allegations that an affair between San Luis Obispo County Public Works director Paavo Ogren, a man helping to negotiate a bankruptcy settlement for the county with the Los Osos CSD, and board member Kelly did not start six months ago as the couple insists.

Maria Kelly

Kelly’s husband, Shaun Kelly, said he suspected the affair for two to three years, but was rebuffed until Maria Kelly announced she was leaving him for Ogren in July 2010.

Maria Kelly’s voting record on issues involving the district’s bankruptcy while dating Ogren has members of the district wanting her votes in closed session tallied and reconsidered because of a perceived conflict of interest. For years, Maria Kelly would speak strongly in favor of Ogren’s agenda while bringing home-cooked meals to closed session meetings for her fellow board members’ enjoyment.

The county is providing liquidity for the district’s bankruptcy. It has negotiated the procurement of the solid waste franchise, which amounts to $160,000 a year, from the Los Osos District board. After the district has paid off its debts, the county is slated to continue to receive revenue from the franchise.

While on the board, Maria Kelly advocated for the transfer of fees to the county.

As suspicions grew that she no longer lived in Los Osos, a requirement to serve on the board, Maria Kelly abruptly stepped down from her position as vice president of the CSD on June 17.

State and local laws require elected officials to step down within two weeks of changing their primary residence. Residency is determined by where a person primarily stays.

Maria Kelly’s decision followed a highly-publicized June 14 accident when Ogren’s son drove a car down a 20-foot embankment into the San Luis Creek with three other teens as passengers, including the Kelly’s eldest son.

Shaun Kelly has said he did not want his children in a car driven by Ogren’s son.

Maria Kelly claims she began dating Ogren about six months ago. Her former husband says she filed for divorce in July 2010 because of her relationship with Ogren.

Maria Kelly also contends she never moved out of her Los Osos home—a statement discounted by court documents filed by Shaun Kelly in May 2010.

“Maria moved out of the family residence in January 2010, ” Shaun Kelly says in the documents. “She moved back in March or April 2010. She used the converted garage as her bedroom until August 2010 when I moved out with the children.”

Currently, the custody agreement says that the Kelly children are to spend alternate weeks with each parent.

On Dec. 7, the divorce between Maria and Shaun Kelly was finalized. Shaun Kelly is now asking for full custody of their three boys, ages 16, 15 and 12 because of allegations of drug use by Ogren, Maria Kelly and both of their eldest sons.

Shaun Kelly alleges that Ogren and Maria Kelly are aware of the oldest Ogren sons’s use of methamphetamine, cocaine and ecstasy because of several drug tests, including a school test, of the young teen which resulted in his expulsion from school, according to court records.

Shaun Kelly has alleged that this use is allowed, if not condoned, when the children are staying with their mother and/or at Ogren’s house.

He writes in the documents, “(Maria) and I have different approaches to this serious issue. She has a much more permissive style — telling me that they should not use drugs at school but to confine their use of drugs to the weekends.”

The document goes on to say that one son justified such behavior by saying, “He knows of professional adults who use drugs and are successful.”

Additionally, the documents cite several text messages sent between the eldest Kelly child and a friend that suggest their son has reason to believe both Maria Kelly and Ogren use marijuana [several spelling errors corrected]:

Son: “I am pretty sure Maria smokes weed though.”

Friend: “No fucking way! That’s the greatest thing I have ever heard.”

Son: “That’s why she definitely smokes weed. Why else would she buy king-sized joints for Paavo to smoke by himself? I think not.”

Maria Kelly responded by blocking Shaun Kelly’s access to their children’s text messages, court documents say.

Asked to comment on the possible ethical failures and conflict of interest between Ogren and Kelly, county administrator Jim Grant responded by email: “Department heads, elected officials, commissioners and others are required to attend ethics and conflict of interest training every two years. Mr. Ogren attended this training on April 13, 2011.

“Additionally, department head contracts include a provision that, ‘as a public officer, the employee promises to maintain exemplary behavior, both during and outside working hours, so that neither he/she nor his/her relationship with the County shall become a source of discredit to the County, the County Administrator or the Board of Supervisors.’ ”

Grant recently launched an internal investigation into the conflict of interest allegations against Ogren.

Meanwhile, Ogren’s son is presently facing a felony drunk driving charge because of injuries incurred in the June 14 accident.

In addition, the parents of a 17-year-old girl who was injured in the accident asked San Luis Obispo attorney Jeff Stulberg to file a lawsuit against Ogren. The girl suffered a broken arm and a large gash to her back which required many stitches.

“Under California law parents are not vicariously liable for their children,” Stulberg said. “However, where a parent has good reason to believe that child should not be driving, they have unlimited liability.”


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It would have been a much better story if either one of these people (Maria or Paavo) were attractive. UGH!


Studies have shown that smoking large amounts of dope makes you attractive only to other dope users.


Stupid is as stupid says in both of your cases.


As shallow as the comments are, they match the shallowness of the story. I mean, there was a story when there was a conflict of interest, and it added to the drama that is the Los Osos sewer…


However, now it’s just beauty salon gossip. Something you or I may not like or enjoy, but let’s face it. Many people do. Lots of people like to see others self destruct.


We’re all a bit “stupider” after this, I’m afraid.


I disagree, Roy.


As we’ve seen happen far too often with corrupt governments, if the public doesn’t keep the heat on the issue, the government does nothing meaningful to investigate and address the problem.


There were conflicts of interests. There are still the results of conflicts of interests. So far, I’ve read that the County is investigating Ogren. That’s like OJ Simpson investigating OJ Simpson.


It’s unfortunate that the conflicts of interest this time are tied to two sleeze-bags, but that’s just how it goes.


The preferential treatment of the SLO City firefighter was tied to the firefighter who is has a history of repeated vicious attacks on citizens. So we don’t keep pressure on SLO City to actually do something about Ryan Mason, because he’s a viciously violent man?


@r0y, the first thing that came to mind when I saw this headline was ‘The National Enquirer’. Tabloid news, I agree with you.


Funny, when I saw the headline I saw that there was further documentation that Maria Kelly and Pavvo Ogren had continued to use Kelly’s position at the LOCSD for longer than originally thought, that she had lied about it when she did it, and then lied about it afterwards.


In addition, it appears Ogren-Kelly are involved in drug use, as well.


Finally, the kicker, that Ogren was able to snake the solid-waste franchise fees from LOCSD so the County would provide the “liquidity” for the bankruptcy, BUT they will continue to get the franchise fees after LOCSD’s debt is paid off.


Don’t know if you are aware of this or not, but those solid-waste franchise fees bring in a lot of money, and it accumulates because–if the Board isn’t corrupt as is the LOCSD’s Board–they tend to accumulate.


I know of one CSD (smaller than LOCSD) that, as of last year, had accumulated $700,000 in solid waste franchise fees. In other words, the trash pick-up bills the customers of the CSD paid, and continued to pay long after hundreds of thousands of dollars had accumulated, were just being hoarded.


Yes, there is sleeze there, but then with corruption there is often associated sleeze.


And the sleeze is part of the problem, part of the evidence that neither Ogren or Kelly should be in charge of any kind of government operations.


So, run along if the sleeze is too much for you. But don’t blame Karen or CCN for the sleeze factor in the Ogren-Kelly corruption debacle. Go complain to them. They are the ones who created it. Absent their inability to keep their hands out of each others’ pants, there wouldn’t be that kind of sleeze associated with their corruption.


Sorry Mary, I understand that you are passionate about this LO thing. I don’t see the meetings on the tube I only read about it in the paper and see them harping on at every BOS meeting so I don’t have the inside knowledge nor do I care about it like you do. I have seen a bit of the nonesense though and it’s pretty ridiculous. It’s just a continuing soap opera to me. It just never stops. It’s the same with Oceano. The difference is that I watch those meetings so I see the sideshow, I watch every meeting and they really should have a reality show. I should take the OCSD meeting serious, there are real people involved but life is too short to take it serious as there is no ending to it. They are both (LO and OCSD) screwed up, there is no point in aggravating myself over something that won’t change.


I understand where you are coming from.


Corruption of officials is a biggy for me.


As they used to say on the car ads, “Your mileage may vary.”


Here you go again. An article about Los Osos and you drag Oceano into it. You obviously have not watched the latest OCSD meeting. Oceano is not “screwed up” and I am sick of you and your snippets about Oceano. You say you don’t live there, I think you wish you did. Oceano is moving forward, sorry the sideshow is over.


Way to go cry-me! It’a good to hear positive about Oceano and the people there.


“Why is Bruce Gibson, a close personal friend of Paavos, claiming that the allegations against Paavo are incorrect?”


———–


Maybe Kelly was plying Gibson, as she was the LOCSD Board of Directors members, with home-baked goods from her hot little oven–or stove top.


QUOTE FROM ARTICLE: “Maria Kelly’s voting record on issues involving the district’s bankruptcy while dating Ogren has members of the district wanting her votes in closed session tallied and reconsidered because of a perceived conflict of interest. For years, Maria Kelly would speak strongly in favor of Ogren’s agenda while bringing home-cooked meals to closed session meetings for her fellow board members’ enjoyment.”


———————–


Are you freaking KIDDING me? She would pimp the votes with the assistance of “home-cooked meals”?


Why not just hand out $20 bills and be done with it?


Just which members of the District want those votes tallied? Why, BIG surprise, it is the same bunch who STILL protest the County’s sewer project and call the County a bunch of crooks!


Ogren’s agenda? Gee, maybe Maria, like the MAJORITY of homeowners in the Prohibition Zone, just wanted the same thing that the VOTERS who put her in office wanted – the sewer we asked for! Could that be possible? In any case, the District only voted on the few District properties it owns, not the sewer itself. Those measly assessments did not make or break the 218.


Home cooked meals at closed session? A casserole to buy votes? Or are you suggesting that Chuck and Steve could be bought, (as we already had Marshall and Joe’s position on the sewer).


Sheesh. No good deed goes unpunished in Los Osos, does it?


Maybe times have changed. Maybe now that 401ks are trashed and property values in Los Osos are down 40% from 2008, people would feel differently about the blank check coerced out of Prohibition Zone residents. I’m glad some people are vocal about the sewer-based social engineering experiment in Los Osos.


Sorry, Mythbuster, the fact that Maria Kelly went to so much trouble to hide her relationship with Ogren and then deny it after she was caught indicates, IMO, she knew she was doing wrong.


I really believe the County investigating its own (Ogren) is a BAD idea. It’s like the Oceano WWT facility board getting an “investigator” who is one of the board members crony going back years to investigate if the board and Wallace were doing wrong.


We need to bring in the State on this to get it sorted out. At this point, secondary to Ogren’s actions which went unchecked by the County, I don’t think the County can be trusted.


Really? So much trouble to hide the relationship? What was she supposed to do, take out a newspaper ad?


Don’t trust the County? Well then, get in line then for your investigation. We are still waiting for the State audit investigating the shenanigans that caused the Los Osos CSD bankruptcy – you know, all those millions that disappeared when Lisa, Julie, John, Chuck and Steve were running things?


It would appear that she interviewed the neighbors and learned that Maria rarely spent the night in her Los Osos home, there is no indication that Karen got that information from Shawn and I doubt that she would use it without quoting him as her source unless s she had investigated further.

Myth, Maria told the Tribune that she had only been dating Ogren for the last six months, essentially calling Karen a liar or a poor investigator. Publicly furnishing denials and untruths to the press is going out of your way to cover something up. There is a vast time difference between 6 months and 2-3 years. In a situation where she and Ogren didn’t disclose their conflict of interest but rather continued to function as public servants, these current self serving untruths tend to indicate a serious lack of integrity.


Sorry, I combined two post there. Start where it says Myth. That’s you Mythbuster.


Maria was staying with a girlfriend here in Los Osos before she moved back to the converted room. This is the true explanation of the car not being in the driveway. If Karen had asked Maria, I’m sure she would have been given the answer. But if you want to make a person look bad and give your “news” website a bunch of hits, you speculate that she was with Paavo in SLO, and not speculate on the boring explanation of staying with a friend in Los Osos.


I know Maria quite well. What she says is the truth – she’s been dating Paavo for 6 months.


Re-read this quote from above, “Kelly’s husband, Shaun Kelly, said he suspected the affair for two to three years, but was rebuffed until Maria Kelly announced she was leaving him for Ogren in July 2010.”


These are the words of an unhappy, angry man lashing out. Did Maria get a chance to refute them? No!


A true reporter would have made sure to have gotten a statement from Maria, or told us that Maria was not going to talk. Court records simply record the “he said – she said” statements. Why do we not see any of Maria’s words in this story, but only Shaun’s? Was she speechless at the hearing?


I don’t see the posters here doing any critical thinking, just blindly accepting speculation as fact.


QUOTING LYNETTE: “These are the words of an unhappy, angry man lashing out. Did Maria get a chance to refute them? No!”


—————–


Who said Shaun Kelly was an “unhappy, angry man lashing out”?


The emotional state of a person does not mean they are not speaking the truth. Do you automatically lie when you are emotional?


There is a lot of attempting to cast the husband as being “angry” and “emotional” here. The agenda of those doing it cannot even be imagined.


He’s the one who has been victimized here. Turn your questions about who is telling the truth to Maria Kelly and Pavvo Ogren since THEY are the ones who have been lying for years now.


Um, if I do the math right she left Shawn for Ogren in July 2010. That was a year ago, not 6 months ago. And she had to of been seeing Ogren for a while if she knew she wanted to leave her husband and kids for him! DUH! I know your trying to stick up for your ‘friend’, but its not working, sorry!


QUOTING LYNETTE: “I know Maria quite well. What she says is the truth – she’s been dating Paavo for 6 months.”


———————–


So she’s been “dating” him for 6 months. What was she doing before? Just servicing him?


Give it a rest, Lynnette. Kelly’s sleeze factor is at Mach-1/Vulcan-Level 80 by this point. She has about as much credibility as a cat in heat.


Anybody with any knowledge of how government corruption works, and who is not BENEFITTING from the corruption, would want to, at the very least, have an independent investigator (i.e., not from, by, or associated with the County) review all of her voting decisions since she has been on the board.


A person who is morally and ethically corrupt does not become so overnight. It is a process, and it has probably been present most of her life.


Either you are an honest person or you or not. Once that honesty barrier is breached, for most people, there is no turning back.


And how do you know what was really going on in the closed session? For all we know, Kelly was doing a strip-tease and pole-dancing for the other board members.


And why was that vote held in a closed session, anyway?


The amount of the payoff, or the goods exchanged for the votes, does not impact whether or not vote-buying occurs.


In addition, the perceived worth of the specific votes influenced does not influence whether or not vote-buying occurred.


And to think, Jon Seitz sat in on all of that.


Mary, Jon Seitz is as corrupt as they come, so his his attorney brother, Mike…Both are equally corrupt “good old SLO County boys”…


Mythbuster, get your head out of your A$$, the COUNTY IS CORRUPT & so is the LOCSD, just like MOST of the other “local community services districts” All CSD’s need to be dissolved & go back to having CSA 9 handle the affairs in Los Osos…it will be far cheaper for the residents…Get the crooks out.


RUKidding ME? It’s not the LOCSD Board Members asking for Kelly’s votes to be tallied, it’s the members of the public in Los Osos who are DEMANDING THAT THE VOTES BE TALLIED! As far as Jim Grant doing “an investigation” THAT WILL BE A FUTILE EFFORT! The “investigation” needs to be done by an “outside neutral firm” such as was done in the Gail Wilcox fiasco. The current LOCSD Board is too corrupt to DEMAND AN ACCOUNTING OF ANYTHING…Just look at the actions of Marshall Ochylski (Board President) who unilaterally selected Maria Kelly’s replacement to be Michael Wright…EXTREMELY POOR CHOICE, since everyone knows that Wright was Ochylski’s “campaign manager” when Ochylski tried unsuccessfully to UNSEAT Bruce Gibson…Choosing Wright is like having a FOX GUARD THE HEN HOUSE! Wright has a history of making poor choices or throwing a fit & WALKING AWAY FROM THE JOB with his tail between his legs when things don’t go HIS way… He will do or say anything that Ochylski wants & THAT is NOT a GOOD THING for the community of Los Osos…


zzz…..zzzz….(beginning to wake up)….have we arrived at the Conflict of Interest Issue yet….?


“Suggests, allegedly, allegations, suspected, perceived, suspicions, alleges, alleged, suggest, possible.”


“Great” reporting once again Karen. Say, are you still being sued on that other story?


“Alleged” and similar words were used in the prosecution’s case, based on circumstantial evidence, against Casey Anthony, who many people believed was guilty of murdering her 3-year-old-child.


Are you saying Maria Kelly isn’t to be afforded that same courtesy, even when there is strong REAL evidence that was is alleged is true? Maria Kelly hasn’t even been charged with a crime yet, but she shouldn’t be given the courtesy of calling her actions “alleged”?


No, I’m not saying that.


To quote you MaryMalone, “strong REAL evidence.” You have got to be kidding, you are actually believing this stuff! Velie is making a story not out of reporting but out of innuendo. Before throwing around a bunch of suppositions on what happened, she might try fact checking. To drag divorce documents into the mix, using what one child said to another child and casting INNUENDO with it as to drug use is what I refer to and it is SLIMY. Is using an angry husband’s suspicions really helpful as to whether or not any wrong doing occurred? And is that a reliable source?


“(An) unkempt yard at the Los Osos house of Maria Kelly says a great deal about her current living situation.” Really? What would that be? Maria can’t afford a gardener? Shaun doesn’t bother to care for the house they are both selling? Divorce is sad like a messy yard? What?


Why don’t we wait and see what County Counsel comes up with instead of holding a mock trial with thumbs up and thumbs down on a blog. Oh wait, that’s right. The same people who want to see the sewer project fry will be protesting “Fraud!” “Cover-Up!” when nothing is found!


This is something defense attorneys who are stuck using jail-house snitches as witnesses for their clients will say:


“A deal brokered in Hell does not have angels for witnesses.”


Where do you think reporters are going to find this sleezy information about sleezy Kelly and her fellow sleezebag, Ogren? Perhaps as a handout at St. Patty’s Sunday Mass?


Who else, besides her husband, would be the expert on Maria Kelly’s sleeping around with other men?


Do you think the kids are going to hand-write a note that says “Dear world, my mother is smoking grass and so is Ogren”?


Ogren and Kelly decided to go down this sleeze-bag road to Hell when they started their affair and then hid the huge conflict of interests they created AND CONTINUED until Karen called them on it.


I’m just thankful Karen found hip-waders strong enough to allow her to, without sustaining damage to her feet, wade through the sleezy affairs of Ogren and Kelly.


An angry husband does not make a reliable witness. Good for you – clearly you have never been in a divorce court.


According to the article, it would appear that Karen gathered the majority of her information about the Kelly relationship from court documents that were sworn and signed under penalty of perjury by Shawn and Maria when they filed their dissolution of marriage.


It would appear that she interviewed the neighbors and learned that Maria rarely spent the night in her Los Osos home, there is no indication that Karen got that information from Shawn and I doubt that she would use it without quoting him as her source unless s she had investigated further.


Again, Cindy, ITA. Great points.


Once again, you are wrong. is this a habit of yours everywhere, or just on this board?


Whether or not a person is angry does not determine whether or not the truth was told.


Maria Kelly and Pavvo Ogren could be stoned-high mellow and the likelihood of either of them telling the truth is in the negative numbers.


Myth, only YOU are saying Shaun is “an angry ex”! I believe he is being an honest parent who wants the BEST for his children. He’s just stating the facts, Maria has been a manipulating wench from the get go & YOU know it…


How do you know he is angry? And why does that matter? Do you always lie when you are angry?


“Do you think the kids are going to hand-write a note that says “Dear world, my mother is smoking grass and so is Ogren”?


———————————————————


First of all, they didnt hand write a note. If you dont know, text messaging is done on something called a ‘cell phone. And yes I do think one of the kids sent that text. Any kid who does drugs would brag if their parents were doing it as well to make themselves not feel guilty for doing so.


2cents, if you go back to the post to which I responded (Mythbuster, 07/11/2011 at 4:35 pm), and read it, you’ll understand.


Mythbuster was griping about the source for some of the content of the article being divorce filings. My point was that, when there is sleeze afoot and one is investigating it, one doesn’t always get certified information from a lofty source. Ya’ get the information where you can. In this case, one of the bits of information from the divorce papers was the text messaging part.


Got it?


Yes, let’s have the County investigate the County. That’s like having OJ Simpson investigate OJ Simpson.


Having a SSLOCSD board member’s crony investigate the SSLOCSD worked REAL well, didn’t it?


Her car’s gone all the time (neighbor reporting) seen out eating with …., kids texts, party house claim, she’s inexplicably rabid and verbatem where Ogren stood. Ad the small town, “Everybody knows what everybody’s doing” factor and…….GUILTY!

Interested your defense of her though.


Justme, THERE is NO DEFENDING THE INDEFENSIBLE…Remember THAT!


No, she won that one….


As someone familiar with the details behind the details, and very familiar with how and why information flows in Los Osos, I can tell you that the tragedy and affect of a non-amicable divorce far exceeds any relevance to Los Osos politics. The kids have to deal with combating parents, and those issues predate Los Osos. It is a shame that the details are out as they have no relevance to larger Los Osos issues. It is also inevitable.

It is published because it is both salacious and because it has been fed to CalCoast in a context of a belief that pushing the information will lead to a level of revelation that will alter the course of the Sewer train.

I was fairly surprised that there was as much response as there was earlier. With the emergence of the Injury Lawsuit anyone involved will be smart to clam up. (This means you, Shaun. Just because they give you a sympathetic ear does not mean they won’t exploit you and yours to your detriment). Naturally this silence will feed claims of a Cover-up.

The tragedy of Los Osos in the past 6 years has been the self indulgence of some of it’s activists, who fell in love with the high drama. I’ve watched pertinent and relevant public comment become swamped. The high level of availability of both technical and “historical” interpretations allowed individuals to become instant experts without subjecting them to the need of interpretation, self examination and validation of their own sources. Many Los Osos activists stand solidly in the spot where a real activist would stand. Some have a genuine influence on events, some only look like they do and some have a mixed affect.

CalCoast is an outsider, not a source here. I don’t fault them for running with what they were spoon fed, but they are functioning as a caricature of themselves. It’s a Los Osos thang, much more convoluted than “Chinatown”. Hopefully they can step up their alternate press game, as they do have a role to play in the county. But leave the byzantine politics of Los Osos to the Ososians.


Huh? no CCN exposure because they don’t live here? Silence is golden? Wait for we Osans to work it out internally? Clam up, Shawn, it’s only your kids, your home, wife and mother of your kids and future involved here?

Alon, I re-read and re-read your stuff through the yrs. and because I know your a very sharp guy I look for substance but like most brainiacs your views are so abstract in nature they become rather meaningless.

I like ya, Bro, keep it coming but get more focus, you’re like the Timothy Leary of Los Osos. Sure, I think acid in the drinking water is what’s required here but let’s pretend it isn’t.


I find CCNs involvement to be derivative in this case. The Maria Paavo rumor is old in Los Osos. More like Life imitating the Art of a Lie. Relationships do develop over time, and the Rumors come thick and fast. If you repeatedly pull a set of hooks through a crowded barrel, you will snag one once in a while. But is it sport? Does it help the future of the other fish?


I am grateful to all who bring or brought food to share at the meetings. That would include myself. I don’t recollect moderating my criticism or altering suggestions regarding items under CSD purview, as a result of Maria’s leaving a large cake, in the back of the room, it was available to all.

I have many friends on both sides of the issues (Just two sides ? not that simple). I could easily present a complete self consistent world view of either extreme. I see where you are going with your analogy (backhanded compliment )


This is Alice looking through the looking Glass territory, CCN have demonstrated to me that they are outsiders looking in, but haven’t passed through the surface reflection. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQIzm3ypzBQ. Repeating derivative info. No penetration. Front loading the questions. Even interviewing Maria on the radio failed to clarify that her kids were always in the SLO school system. Now, due to that and the injury lawsuit, there will be no more responses.


But I am no longer a politician (was I ever), targeting the largest audience. I’m sharing what I gleaned from taking many equal bites from the opposite sides of the Los Osos Septic mushroom. There is nothing left but some spores. Those who want to know will know. Let others fill the internet with their shiny bits and bytes.


My, for someone who goes to great lengths to make the most absurd excuses for the two sleeze-bags, Pavo and Kelly, and goes to equal lengths to attack the messenger (CCN) who brings us the information about the sleeze-bags, thou doth protest too much.


There are a lot of tragedies associated with the LO sewer project. That doesn’t mean each and every one of them is important.


The most important of all, IMO, are the ones where there appears to be vote rigging by offering goods or services to the LOCSD Board of Directors by one of the Directors, who happens to be living/sleeping with, and smoking grass with, Pavvo Ogren!


Ogren is, from what I can see, the highest-place official in the County government who has had direct dealings with and about the LO sewer. He is the one who can profit from it–along with this co-conspirator, Maria Kelly, the LOCSD Director who plied the other Directors with her wares from her hot little oven….or stove-top.


That’s the highest-level County administrator who has the ultimate responsibility for the corruption, graft and crimes committed by those involved in the LO sewer project.


Instead of doing what was right and stopping the corruption, he grabs Kelly by the hand and jumps right in with both feet.


Do not dismiss the importance of the Ogren-kelly conflict of interest.


There is an old midwestern saying, “The fish rots from the head first,” and it is certainly true when it comes to the LO sewer project.


“Appears to be vote rigging?” And to just which votes do you refer? Please be specific.


To what profit do you refer? Are you saying they own stock in the company that is building the collection system?!


1. Maria Kelly plied the other LOCSD members of the Board with her “home-baked meals,” and who knows what else, in closed session votes on Ogren’s vision for the LO sewer.


2. For sure she was working on his behalf by pimping her VP position to parade herself before the County BOS, praising Ogren’s vision for the sewer. She also facilitated his “vision” before the LOCSD members of the Board, as described above. This was the largest project Ogren had ever handled, and he has a LOT at stake in getting it to go through.


Care for more examples?


How about one ACTUAL example? Do you have any idea how silly you sound?


Do you have any idea about how corrupt you sound?


PERLMAN: “CalCoast is an outsider, not a source here.”


————————–


Who said CCN was? Another red herring.


News publishers usually are not smack-dab in the middle of a story. If they are, then they would not be writing the story, another, less involved reporter would.


Do you think Tribune is a “source”? Wait–as little as they publish about the corruption going on under their noses, they may very well be “insiders,” and not in the good sense, not at all.


Nine out of ten married couples agree a move to the beach and a county paycheck, when mixed with alcohol can cause divorce…..I’m going back to sleep….wake me up when we get there….


This is a sad story and I have to wonder why some of it was published. I know one of the adults only slightly and professionally. It still makes me very uncomfortable to see such nasty details that affect the innocent as well as the guilty. I have to admit this story has taught me humility (once again in my life!). I thoroughly enjoyed the scandal in Oceano even as I learned to respect the people who live there. Funny how salacious gossip is only funny when it’s not about someone I know and like. Let’s all try not contribute to more hurt for the family members not involved.


Please excuse the spelling mistakes and missing word in my earlier musing. I guess this story affects me more than I though. I’m new to this. I promise to be more precise.


Actually, in consideration of what I’ve heard from a parent of one of the boy’s school friends, I’d say that the investigator probably used some restraint and consideration in printing this article. Believe it or not, if what I’m hearing from a reliable parent is true, it gets much better or worse, depending on how you feel about all this.


I imagine that CCN opted to elucidate on the history of her living arrangements and provide a time line after Maria discredited CCN’s fact finding and while attempting some self serving damage control, Maria Kelly inaccurately stated that she and Paavo had only recently become romantically involved 6 months ago. Kelly’s attempt to veil the facts or accept responsibility for the three years of deceit that she and Ogren perpetrated upon the public is rather transparent and I find that it speaks volumes as to her character.


I did wonder why the drugs were disclosed but then I considered that since the school, police, parents, neighbors, friends and even friends of parents know, not to mention that a public felony DUI is involved , it isn’t really a secret? Without providing these facts, there is no foundation to substantiate the litigation that is now being pursued against Paavo for his negligence and careless supervision of his troubled children.


These two “servants” have created quite a scandal with their closed door political pow-wow’s and $2,000,000 CSD project. They pursued the public arena along with their political agenda’s and the spot light is now, all theirs.


That would be $200,000,000 CSD project. I only wish it was 6 zero’s/


I sure hope I never see you on a jury in this County.


One can assume that there is the strong possibility that knowledge, and approval, of this corrupt relationship between Kelly and Ogren was approved at the highest levels of County government.


The fact that the County stands to continue to profit from the solid-waste franchise even after LO sewer debts are paid off can mean a lot of money gained for the County and a lot of money lost for LOCSD.


I’m dreaming…..I’m dreaming I’m an auditor….zzzz….in my dream I turn into one of those women who answer the phone at the Fair Political Practices Commission and pretend they are proficient in the Conflict of Interest sections of the Fair Political Practices Act…..I dream I have been given the task of applying the Fair Political Practices Act to the fact circumstances of these two public employees….then I turn into the heads of the County Personnel Dept. and the Civil Service Commission ….I’m looking for something written….policy statements are leaping over the fence like sheep….instead of the moon I see a county government manual stating the purpose of the manual to set out regulations and code sections related to NEPOTISM,….no,no,noooo…ZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzz……………


Nah, I’m gonna contribute. I watched Kelly scam my town for yrs. She’s sociopathic. You pay to play my dear. What? cut her loose like the Wall Streeters & bankers? Ogren and her can smoke reefer legally, not an issue. Slam 5000 people with a 200 million dollar sewer instead of a 100 million dollar system so you and yer boyfriend can retire early isn’t inexcusable?

The core problem in society thruout history has been sociopaths with power and this situation was the bonding of two examples working together to compound their misdeeds. Crashing cars, illegal drugs, rotten kids are byproducts and show the magnitude of the situation that will grow worse after the sewer bills start coming.

Why was it published? Because it damn well should be. Notice Sandy Duerr (The Trib’s senior censor) agrees with you that it shouldn’t because she was behind their push for the big sewer from the beginning.

I moved here from the big city because I wanted to be in a more personal, self regulated township where shenanigans are unacceptable because everyone knows everyone and only goodness blossoms. What was I thinkin’?


I would never question your right and duty to demand ethical and honest behavior from the public and governement officials. My thoughts were more about divorce agreement claims and family members not involved.


I understand, Hot. Let’s discount Shawn’s emotional claims somewhat and dread the fact these kids are flailing in a toxic situation they can’t be expected to handle. But do they need to see these parents scutinized to get them anchored eventually? I don’t think there’s an alternative.


I’m sorry to say you may be right. Sometimes we all need a slap upside the head just to get our attention.


As I said in a prior post, defense attorneys who end up having to use jail-house snitches as defense witnesses for their clients have a saying:


“Deals brokered in Hell seldom have Angels as witnesses.”


If you are upset about the details included in a public document, having to do with Maria Kelly’s low-life actions with Ogren, and Kelly, Ogren and Kelly’s kid using drugs, then go talk to them about it. Don’t wank at the messenger.


None of this would be embarassing Kelly now if she hadn’t done it in the first place.


Grandma, instead of posting about it here, perhaps you should be talking to Maria Kelly and Pavvo Ogren?


They are the source of the family’s problems.


What upsets me most about this is that Paavo and Maria apparently got together either during the Wilcox/Edge mess or right after it. Either way — didn’t these folks learn from the mistakes of others? Did they think they weren’t going to be discovered? So here we go again.


I also would like to know what Paavo’s buddy Bruce Gibson has to say about all this. Will the supes investigate? Will Gibson recuse himself?


Very sad. Very disturbing.


Like so many “irregular” activities that happen in this county – the power structure is all in bed together. Until the county DA is representing the people rather than the status quo, change will be extremely difficult. In these type of situations the power of the subpeona is vital.


uncomfortabletruth, I’m sure YOU are well aware of the FACT that there is CORRUPTION in the SLO DA’s office…You may not be AWARE of the FACT that they JUST hired an attorney & HIS WIFE for the DEPARTMENT…HOW DO YOU SPELL CONFLICT OF INTEREST or CORRUPTION?


KellyG, the timing is a little too coincidental. It’s like the LOCSD simply MUST HAVE a designated floozy serving in some capacity at all times.


wow… can we say ‘dysfunctional?’


Mr. Stulberg is a excellent attorney and will represent his client very well.


OMG, Is Ogren’s oldest son the same teenage son that was in the DUI accident and equally the same son that was expelled from school for using methamphetamine, cocaine and ecstasy ? Those are very dangerous drugs and the first two are highly addictive, especially the meth. I have a had time believing a kid his age is using meth. I know this is going to sound terrible but I think that the car accident might be just what he needed. The courts are going to get a hold of him and they won’t go easy on him. They will put him on probation for a few years and they will probably drug test him. He also will have his driving privileges suspended for a long time and probably alcohol and drug classes etc will be mandated. It will all work out and this wake call has probably saved his life and maybe some other young lives too.


WOW, Paavo and Maria really screwed up. What a mess. I suspect that there will be more litigation apart from the law suit Paavo is going to get slapped with for allowing his son to drive when it was common knowledge that the teenager was abusing drugs and alcohol. That kid should have had his license taken away by his dad before it ever went this far, but then, the adults went too far in their personal lives too. What the ????


CINDY SAYETH: “he courts are going to get a hold of him and they won’t go easy on him.”


—————


Cindy, ITA with your post, except for the part quoted above.


If the way Ryan Manson was handled by the SLO City PD was handled is an example of how local authorities handle anyone with a smidgen of connections, the PD will carry the kid around on a sedan chair, and hand feed him grapes and nectar. The PD will hen apologize to the kid, his mother and Ogren for inconveniencing them for bringing in their drug-addicted out-of-control son, and promptly go arrest Shaun Kelly for–well, because Ogren and Maria Kelly told them to.


If that means getting them off then that’s a secondary crime.