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Ferrara to oversee manager consultant pick

October 26, 2014
Jim Guthrie

Jim Guthrie

By DANIEL BLACKBURN

Two of the most ardent supporters of disgraced Arroyo Grande City Manager Steve Adams will pick a consultant to find Adams’ replacement at an estimated cost of $26,000 if the city council approves a staff proposal on Tuesday.

Mayor Tony Ferrara and Mayor pro Tem Jim Guthrie “will interview and recommend” a consultant to seek a new manager from a statewide pool.

Adams has been on the employment hot seat ever since he was discovered by police in his darkened City Hall office near midnight July 3 with a subordinate employee, Community Development Director Teresa McClish.

He has since issued several public statements in which he denied that anything improper was occurring when police, responding to a call for assistance from McClish’s husband, found the couple in what officers later described as “an uncomfortable situation.” Adams said the pair was “drinking tea” in an effort to sober up after attending the opening of a nearby restaurant.

Adams, who has held his post for 14 years, has said he will depart the city when his replacement is chosen, a process that could take up to nine months and one in which he likely will participate. City employee sources have suggested to CalCoastNews that an effort is being made to allow Adams to maximize retirement benefits.

Despite Ferrara’s determined efforts to protect Adams’ job, the council — grudgingly and after weeks of intensifying pressure from a growing number of city residents — decided to call for an independent investigation into the incident and its aftermath.

Ferrara is the newly-elected president of the statewide League of California Cities.

The ongoing brouhaha has given birth to a write-in challenge by Jim Hill, who has been mounting an swiftly-moving campaign in the village of 18,000.


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I demand that the city of AG spend $26K on the following:


1. A lie detector test of the Mayor.

2. An IQ test of Kristen Fellows Barneich

3. An EKG of Joe Costello, to ensure there is a heartbeat.

4. A flip of the coin, to see which side Tim Brown will call

5. And………………drumroll………………..a residency check to see if the Guthries can serve on both the AG and PB city councils.


WTF?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tqxzWdKKu8


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There is ABSOLUTELY NO WAY that this Council is going to approve this on the 28th.

The MAYOR cannot lose his puppet and the PRINCESS cannot lose her tree hugging MANAGER

How can they progress when the CC has not officially accepted ADAMS RESIGNATION?


That’s right! They have NO plans to CHANGE.

Good citizens of A.G. Wake up, TIME is on the crooked MAYOR’s side.

He CALLS all the SHOTS!


Better start your RECALL now, or find a way to make the allegations of theft, intimidation,threats to citizens be used to arrest the MAYOR.


He is desperate and we all know DESPERATE people do DESPERATE ACTS.


” Go to jail, go directly to jail. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200″


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It does seem a bit odd that the council would approve a search before they’ve even accepted Adam’s resignation.

If Ferraro wins, Adams will not resign,

this is all part of the ongoing dog and pony show to make folks believe they are taking this seriously, which they are not.

My guess this is nothing more than a way for the Fellows group to have something to talk about on Tues. “See how much this small group is costing our city??”

Oh, if they only knew the city has spent far more on worthless things, like the Verdin contract.

Replacing Adams is $$ well spent, but only if Ferrara has no hand in the picking.


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Why do these chumps in local governments keep hiring “consultants” to do their jobs? Morro Bay just blew a boatload of money on some bogus consultant they hired. Now AG is doing the same thing. It happens all the time? What do we elect these morons for in the first place? We should just hire these almighty “consultants” in the first place to run the governments.


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I worked at $3B a year company. If you mentioned the word “consultant” to the CEO/founder, you got fired on the spot. Quickly, you learned to leverage internal resources to do the “job”.


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It’s pretty simple. First most are unqualified for the job, Second they do not want to take the responsibility of making a decision. And third, they are all over worked and too busy to do their job.


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It costs $26,000 to hire a public servant? What planet are we living on that it takes tens of thousands to hire someone for an over-paid, under-worked, cushy city job in this P.O.S. job climate?


I’d hate to see what it would cost if things were better and jobs were all over in the private sector.


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the $26K does not include the headhunter fee. Lol. That is another 30% of salary or $60K, since commensurate salaries have gone up. See how it works?


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And the fodder just keeps piling up—I cannot wait for the council meeting on Tuesday—I am sure that it will continue to be very enlightening…


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Better get there early, there possibly will be fewer chairs, and likely many will already be filled somehow by people who were able to get in before the doors were opened and no standing room, plus the fire chief will be controlling access


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seen that movie before, huh?


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Gonna bring my beach chair and brew. See what the MAYOR says about that!


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Isn’t this exactly what Paso did when Chitty Chitty Bang Bang left?

What the heck is this insatiable need to reinforce failure at the public’s expense?

Like I have said before, those who fail to learn from history, are doomed to repeat it.

Unbelievable!


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“. . . insatiable need to reinforce failure at the public’s expense . . . ”


What a great description of the current Arroyo Grande City Council.


Here is the latest forecast when it comes to AG:


1) Did the Mayor touch it? Tainted.


2) Did the City Manager touch it? Tainted


3) Did the City Attorney touch it? Tainted


4) Did the City Council touch it? Tainted


5) Did the City of Arroyo Grande touch it? Tainted.


That is a humongous hole to dig out of if we keep the electorate and key staff positions the same.


Taint it time for change? ;)


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When will they ever learn????? The AG council and Ferrara just keep piling up the poor decisions!


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I keep,trying to figure out what has been accomplished correctly since July 3rd.


NOPE kept City Hall out of work tryst a secret too long

NOPE embarrassed the entire City Council

NOPE held meetings on Wednesdays and Saturdays

NOPE continue to call the POLICE liars.

NOPE removed access to meeting by limiting seats

NOPE told press the City Manager resigned, when he placed a fictitious novelette in Trib

NOPE told citizens they could contribute in discussion regarding SCOPE of the investigation.

NOPE continue to say it is a small fringe group opposed to MAYOR (100s of signs in town)

NOPE call SLO County radio personality names in e mail to citizens

NOPE tried to place restraining order on 84 year old critic!

NOPE Mayor announced at Chamber luncheon we should all look up CCN for latest news.


NOPE I cannot think of one thing they have done right for nearly 4 months.

Aren’t you ashamed of yourselves yet?


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Still looking for something the City Council has done right.


If they do not go forward with the search, it might be time to replace them all.


This circus cannot be made up. Someone call Hollywood now.


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Absurd! Adams should be let go immediately! This $26,000 is simply more collateral damage in addition to the nine month equivalent of $117,000 (before benefits).


July 3rd’s “wine and dine”/ “tea for two” is going to cost the city a quarter of a million before it’s all over.


Cut your losses Arroyo Grande!


Vote for/Write-In Jim Hill!


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who cares Julie. It’s other people’s money!


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I know that’s sarcasm Tory. It’s YOUR money!


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It’s everyone’s money, and it’s time we get people into the Council and Manager positions, who treat it as such.


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I agree, it is absurd, and it makes me wonder what hold Adams has over Ferrara that Ferrara would go to such lengths to shield Adams.


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not only what Adams holds over Tony from a historical perspective, but more importantly what Adams will go along with on a prospective basis.


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You know….this is the Gift that Keeps on giving.

What next a “I am not a Crook” talk at the next board meeting?

Tony has got to go now, in fact, he is gone but doesn’t even know it yet, which is worse.

Once you lose your respect…it’s all over.


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