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Morro Bay council puts city attorney on administrative leave

November 1, 2013
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Jamie Irons

The Morro Bay City Council placed City Attorney Rob Schultz on administrative leave during a special closed session meeting Thursday. [Tribune]

The council has been discussing firing Schultz since September, and the city’s special counsel Steven Simas is negotiating a termination settlement with him.

Schultz’s contract calls for nine months of severance pay, which totals more than $100,000. However, the previous Morro Bay council improperly amended his contract during a November 2012 close session meeting. The council raised Schultz’s severance package from six months to nine months without finalizing the measure in open session.

But, Schultz contends that the previous council also improperly lowered his severance package from its original total of nine months during a 2011 closed session meeting.

In a September email exchange with a Tribune reporter, Schultz said that he notified the current council about the mistake in the handling of his severance pay, but the council chose not to correct the error.

Mayor Jamie Irons, who took office shortly after the improper raising of Schultz’s severance pay, has led the push to fire Schultz. Irons has not publicly stated his reason for attempting to fire Irons, and the mayor is currently facing a recall effort.

Thursday’s meeting marked the sixth special council meeting in October. The council has not scheduled any more meetings to discuss Scultz’s contract.

In September, the council also considered firing City Manager Andrea Lueker. But, the council has not since called any meetings to discuss her contract.

 


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At the last meeting, the Mayor and the council discussing how much it;s going to cost the city to fire Schultz…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0aPKvNI9ek‎


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Well, since no one will tell me how many signatures we got so far, or where I can go to sign the petition, can someone at least tell me what news source has the best coverage of the Morro Bay firing/recall? Tribune, New Times, Bay News, Cal Coast News, or Razor Online. They are also doing some groundbreaking work over there at the fogcutter. What do you think? What’s your top 3?


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I am certain that with the number of people circulating petitions that no accurate account is available at any one time. The people that you regularly list as folks that you distrust have petitions available. I signed one with one of those folks. I read the articles at all of the above noted sources but don’t rely on them to form my opinion. Go to the City Council meetings, analyze the cost of the Water Treatment Plant (not hard to figure out that the burden of a $100-$150 million plant will be much more on citizens than $38 million) and go talk to some of the people involved. This is a small community and there is no need to rely on 3rd party opinions to form our opinion. As the Trib, and New Times are fairly liberal, Fogcutter is very focused on 1 side and the Bay News seems to have limited coverage coming out weekly I think they all lack. The Razor rarely seems to have current information to me.


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If the City Manager and/or City Attorney did something wrong – legitimately, then why won’t heir Iron’s share that with the tax payers? Or did they just refuse to cow-down to his new found authority. Welcome to the Fiefdumb of Morro-Irons!


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I am against the firing but you can’t make Human Resource matters public information.


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Something must be in the water along the coast, or maybe it is the sewer. We have the Los Osos water and sewer issues, the Morro Bay political regiments, the immoral Cayucos orange grove rancher/supervisor, the Arroyo Grande Hash House Harrier member “appointed” first to Arroyo Grande City Council then County Supervisor by Democratic lead advocates (and to think she is a high school teacher), and last but certainly not least Grover Beach’s Adam Hill who needs no words. Is it the sand, the sewer, the water, or, or, or, sorry, the wizard is not home today!


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We’ll put our goofballs up against those goofballs any day. The got NOTHIN’!


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We drink it straight from the sea. Is that bad?


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I haven’t heard anything lately about how the recall is going. Any updates on how many signatures we’ve got so far? And by what date we need our 1,700? I also see over on fogcutternews that we are now trying to recall the editor of the Tribune.


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The 1,700 need to be done by Jan. 15. The awkward part is that if it does come a recall election has to be done within 85 days, which is NOT the June primary resulting in like 55,000 more in expenses. I wonder if they can restart the recall closer to the June primary or agree to have it on the June.


I know someone who writes for the tribune and told me that they are having a hard time staying afloat because everyone reads news online now.


Pretty much a few people who pay for the majority of ads get there opinion in the newspaper. Sad but that’s how it is.

Some pretty bad reporting by them of this entire scenario.


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Actually, the law states that within 14 days of receiving the certificate of sufficiency, the governing body must issue and order stating that an election will be held to determine whether or not the officer named in the petition shall be recalled.


Then: ” The election shall be held not less than 88 nor more than 125 days after the issuance of the order, and if a regular or special election is to be held throughout the electoral jurisdiction of the officer sought to be recalled within such time period, the recall election shall be held on the same day and consolidated with the regular or special election”.


In other words, it will happen during the scheduled primary election. Don’t let the misinformation of pro Jamie Irons people fool you. Support the Recall. Sign the petition if you care about your city.


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Maybe I’ve been converted.


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aint nobody believe you, Cles. Poor, poor Cles.


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Follow the TROUBLE…..it always leads to Betty Winholtz……


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Recall is going great. Iron’s will soon be history. Better luck next time.


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Drats!


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Take it easy, slophocles. You’ll have your chance to recall a mayor too – as soon as Irons is replaced.


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I know. But I don’t want to wait that long. I wonder if it’s possible to recall a mayor BEFORE he/she actually becomes elected.


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You could look into it. Who would you recall?


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That’s the problem. I have some names in mind but I don’t want to waste the money on a recall for someone who doesn’t get elected or even run. The point is, just get them recalled BEFORE they can screw up the city. Know what I mean/


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I hear ya, sloph – i don’t agree with you but i feel your pain. Whatever you do, just be careful of the Browns Act.


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Whaaat???


This is Walter and Jane doing Abbott and Costello?


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The previous City Attorney was taking all of us tax City Tax Payers down a slippery slope that would have turned into quick sand by IGNORING the BROWN ACT for self serving purposes!!! That’s how the City of Bell got into long term trouble. How can you ignore this contempt of basic public protection law???


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That is so ridiculous. Mr. Schultz’s pay was DECREASED against the Brown Act during the recession just like it was increased by the last council.


He didn’t complain about the decrease when the Brown Act was violated.


Schultz has also said that he informed both councils of the mistake.

(I have not seen proof of this yet.)


It’s general practice for this to happen. And this wasn’t an increase in pay like the City of Bell, this was an increase in severance pay if he was fired without cause. If he wanted to be fired without cause they could have just waited until his next review, which he does bi-yearly I believe. Or if he actually was incompetent or made an error they could have fired him with cause. The whole Brown Act scene is just pushed by the Stop the Recall folks trying to bring up something against Schultz.


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In less that a year Jamie Irons, along with his two yes people, have cost the citizens of Morro Bay a minimum of $50 million to an upper range of $120 million extra for the sewer project. They are in the process of getting rid of the most professional and experienced people in the City. This will cost hundreds of thousands of extra dollars. We are a city of 10,000 people just trying to get on with our lives and they’ve added tens of thousands of dollars to each and everyone of us that we will have to pay for their sad lack of concern for the individuals who have to pay for their mistakes. Everyone needs to sign the petition for recall. Let the people decide.


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YES..let the people decide! Some folks with money ….the HIDDEN AGENDA folks have sponsored a city wide… very expensive mailer… received today encouraging folks not to sign the recall. This Jamie Irons and his two sidekicks sadly are sending our beloved town into a dangerous ruinous path. We must ALL encourage signing the recall petition!


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Where do i go to sign it? i can’t find it nowhere.


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Lets get the facts laid out on paper.

1. The Mayor wants to fire Rob Schultz

2. The Mayor wants to fire the City Manager

3 The Mayor has the majority of the Council needed for votes

4.The Mayor won his election with a “landslide vote” so he now also has a MANDATE

from the voters of Morro Bay

5. He wants to fire them as at-will employees to save the employees from any

embarrassment or undue stress.

6 If necessary, he does think he has reasons (cause) to fire them-he always alludes to

the real reasons coming out at some stage.

7. He HAS NOT encountered one single Legal or Procedural Roadblock in this quest for

the termination(s).


So with all of this in his favor,how has he done? HE HAS BUNGLED IT IN SPADES.


Imagine how he will do when faced with a project like the sewer.


RECALL RECALL RECALL


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It’s time to put the Mayor on administrative leave…permanently

RECALL THE MAYOR.


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