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A.G. manager Adams’ job on line again

November 14, 2014

AG Sign-3by DANIEL BLACKBURN

A special 6 p.m. meeting of the Arroyo Grande City Council Wednesday will feature the possible dismissal, discipline, or release of embattled City Manager Steve Adams, as well as the unveiling of the results of an independent investigation commissioned by the council.

Chuck Hookstra of Ventura’s Sentra Group will make a public presentation of findings of the probe into a July 3 City Hall incident involving Adams and a subordinate employee, Community Development Director Teresa McClish. The pair was found in a darkened office near midnight by police officers responding to an emergency call from McClish’s husband.

The incident fueled community dissension after Mayor Tony Ferrara was accused of attempting to fashion a cover-up of the incident and of being dismissive of city residents and police officers who expressed dissatisfaction with the official disposition of the affair.

That civil unhappiness led to a vote of no-confidence by the Arroyo Grande Police Officers’ Association in both Ferrara and Adams. Then, a swiftly-organized campaign evolved to support a write-in candidate, Jim Hill, to challenge Ferrara, who was planning on running unopposed after a decade and a half as a city leader.

Ferrara now trails in the vote count to Hill; final results will not be known until early next week. Ferrara is the newly-elected president of the League of California Cities, a position he will lose if Hill prevails.


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I just finished reviewing the Sintra Report. One salient point is missing. Within the police memorandum there is the comment from the officers that states when they first approached Adams in the city hall corridor, he was asked if “Trish” McClish was in the building, and Adams stated no.


If the officers had accepted his statement and not gone towards Adams office to check, but instead left the premises, the police and fire departments would have had to mount a search and rescue effort. Who knows to what cost and extent of effort this would have resulted.


I interpret that as Adams not being truthful with our police officers.


There is no excuse, Adams should have been and still should be terminated immediately with cause. Who ever gets a “second chance”?


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Let’s not forget the outrageous, lengthy, yet colorful lie Adams told to the Fibune which has now become the mantra of the Ferrara/Adams supporters. And why no mention of officers’ report of McClish’s lack of upper torso clothing. And why was police chief Annibali the only interviewee sworn — and then only at his own insistence?


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Steve Adams lied to the police.


Steve Adams lied to the Council.


Steve Adams lied to the public.


And Big Tony knew it.


And Tim Carmel gave it his blessing.


The trinity.


Be at the meeting on Wednesday to support the cops,

It is time to say no more dishonesty

Fire Adams now!


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How do we combat this poor excuse for a report based on a poor excuse of an investigation?


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Are you listening Jamie? You’re next!


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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBpYgpF1bqQ


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Susie Sunshine here…..NOT…..It’s Debbie Downer….The “Sentra” Report is in, and seriously lacking…even within the limited scope they were directed to investigate.


Houston, we still have a problem…see everyone on Wednesday !


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Houston, we have a BIGGER problem!

But are we surprised? NO!


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It’s one small step for Jim….one giant step for Arroyo Grande.


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HILL WINS!!! Stay tuned for final results!!!


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Unoffical manual write in tally Arroyo Grande Mayor Jim Hill:


Precint votes 898

Vote by mail votes 2192

Total 3090


Tony Ferrara 2995


Jim Hill beats Tony Ferrara by 95 votes, 26 write in votes for other persons


Waiting for Mr. Ferrara to “Demand” a recount, no chance he will be a gentleman.


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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GwjfUFyY6M


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Stand back a little and look at this whole affair from a wider perspective.


The voters of Arroyo Grande should be given a huge round-of-applause for the election

results (assuming things remain as now – and Ferrara is beaten by Hill). Even the

Tribune should award them a big bouquet (but probably won’t). What they have shown

is that voters can take responsibility for their city and when pi**ed off enough with the

underhanded actions of their city government, actions will be taken.


Now the hoped for result of the Arroyo Grande vote will be that voters in other cities

in SLO county will realize that their city officials have misled (trying to be a little nice)

them on many occasions and issues and will soon take similar actions to loudly say –

enough is enough. Paso Robles, Atascadero, and San Luis Obispo come to mind as

excellent examples of city governments that need cleaning for reasons that would take

way too long to enumerate.


Actually, just maybe some signs of this are happening. The mayor of Paso, running for

city council, may have lost his job (hopefully). Another council member decided not to

even run. Maybe, just maybe, voters don’t like the shenanigans with Lisa, bike paths,

sewer plants, water treatment, costly 21st street improvements , etc., etc.


May all be a small glimmer in a huge blackness – but maybe changes are coming.


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Sure, it was all just a big mistake…right!

He gave her a 15 min window before he got the ball rolling by calling the police dept.

Who calls the police when someone is 15 min past their expected arrival time?

He set her up BIG time.


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Posted to wrong spot—this is a response to post that claims Mr McClish claims the whole incident was just a big mistake.


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According to the League of CA Cities, Tony should have been up in Sacramento on November 13 & 14 for his quarterly Board of Directors meeting.


Wonder if he made that, or if a kidney stone kept him away . . .


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You mean to attend his “last” quarterly Board of Directors meeting…….


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It also says that the national league of cities is meeting Nov 19-22 in Texas. Lucky Tony has another excuse to miss this meeting. I guess it will be Guthrie at the helm.


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Tony is out, Githrie is the man of the night.


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I am very interested to see how our current council reacts to the investigator’s report on Wed.

Will they continue to claim that their verbal reprimand of Adams is sufficient punishment?

Will there be enough votes (3) to terminate him with cause if the investigator does find Adams violated city policy?

If Ferrara does not attend the meeting, will Kristen Barneich be able to act independently, or has she already been given her marching orders from Ferrara?

With Costello on the way out, will he be able to change course and act independently, or has he already been given the same marching orders from Ferrara?

Guthrie and Brown are anyone’s guess…


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I think ALL the city council members have been given their marching orders from Ferrara.


Whether they follow those orders or not is another issue.


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CORRECTION: “Whether they follow those orders is another issue.”


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At this point we can be assured Costello, Guthrie, and Barneich will do what Ferrara tells them to do. Guthrie and Barneich have always and will continue to do as Ferrara directs and Costello’s attitude will likely be something along the lines of “screw those pesky voters since they didn’t vote me back in”, so Brown is the only wild card but only slightly wild. He might realize he will have to work in the future with the new board so he might tread lightly until the new board takes over.


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If they continue to do Ferrara’s bidding now, then they are not very bright politicians.


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Yeah and tell us something else we don’t know.


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LOL….I was just playing “Professor of the Bleeding Obvious,” I guess.


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It is going to be interesting. This is their (City Council) opportunity to save themselves, if they know what’s good for them. They can blame their POOR DECISION MAKING regarding the July 3rd Tea Party/Slumber Party on BAD LEGAL ADVICE from City Attorney Tim Carmel. Tim Carmel has done more to look out for the concerns of Steve Adams’ welfare, then he has the City he is paid to represent ! This was all evidenced by the Conflict of Interest/Cover it up Investigation that came out of his office. None of that investigation was memorialized. No official report or investigation, just high pressure tactics to make the police officers keep the incident quiet…

Now that Tony Ferrara is OUT, they can throw him under the bus, because I think those investigation results are going to give them their out, and they can PROVE IT with a vote to TERMINATE Adams ! Any other vote is unacceptable at this point, and I think over 3000 Voters would agree!


We said it from the beginning, this is just the TIP OF THE ICE BERG ! We aren’t going anywhere until our house is clean and in order ! With this campaign to elect/write in Jim Hill for Mayor, people have come to realize they have the power, they just have to use it. The one good thing that has come from this Crazy ? People are getting to know each other, and we are building back the hometown community we once enjoyed before many transplants came and tried to change how things are done. Transplants need to adapt to Arroyo Grande, not Arroyo Grande to a few independent Egotists trying to make themselves an empire.


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