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Steve Adams threatens to sue Arroyo Grande

January 18, 2015
City Manager Steve Adams and Teresa McClish

City Manager Steve Adams and Teresa McClish

BY KAREN VELIE

Former Arroyo Grande City Manager Steve Adams filed a claim against the city last week threatening a lawsuit if the council does not extend his paid administrative leave for six months. The city will meet in closed session on Jan. 22 at 7 p.m. to discuss the threat of litigation.

Following a Sept. 17 Arroyo Grande Police Officers’ Association vote of no confidence, on Oct. 1 Adams announced his resignation.

“My resignation will become effective once my replacement has been hired and starts work,” Adams says in his letter. “My primary motivation is to serve the best interests of the community I cherish so much.”

Last week, the city hired interim City Manager Robert McFall. Though the city accepted Adams resignation in September, he was able draw full pay until last week when McFall was hired.

Nevertheless, Adams is claiming that his resignation was to take place after a permanent and not an interim city manager was hired. He is demanding six months paid administrative leave along with retirement benefits.

Adams is currently 54-years-old and will turn 55 in late 2015. If the council agrees to extend his paid administrative leave and he utilizes his accrued vacation and sick leave, he could greatly increase his monthly retirement package from the city.

In his resignation letter, Adams also praised former Mayor Tony Ferrara and City Attorney Tim Carmel and chastised those who said there was a cover-up.

On Nov. 19, after reviewing the investigation into the alleged sex scandal., the Arroyo Grande City Council voted unanimously to place Adams on paid administrative leave where he remained until last week.

During the November meeting, Councilman Tim Brown admitted that Carmel had informed him of a previous inappropriate incident involving Adams and Community Development Director Teresa McClish, a subordinate employee. Brown’s statement came on the heels of repeated claims by city officials that there was no evidence that Adams and McClish were involved in a romantic relationship, nor was there any proof of a cover-up by Ferrara and the council.

Nevertheless, because the previous council voted to give Adams a verbal reprimand as punishment his late night rendezvous with McClish’s July City Hall, the newly seated council cannot terminate him for cause related to that event.

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We turn on the tube and what do we see

Little Stevie Adams cryin’ “Don’t blame me”

He points his crooked his little fingers at everybody else

Spend all \his time feelin’ sorry for himself

Victim of this, victim of that

Your momma’s too thin; your daddy’s too fat


Get over it

Get over it

All this whinin’ and cryin’ and pitchin’ a fit

Get over it, get over it


You say you haven’t been the same since we caught you in the act

But you might feel better if we gave you some cash

You don’t want to work, you want to live like a king

But the big, bad world doesn’t owe you a thing


Get over it

Get over it

If you don’t want to play, then you might as well split

Get over it, Get over it


It’s like going to confession every time we hear you speak

You’re makin’ the most of your losin’ streak

Some call it sick, but we call it weak


You drag it around like a ball and chain

You wallow in the guilt; you wallow in the pain

You wave it like a flag, you wear it like a crown

Got your mind in the gutter, bringin’ everybody down

Complain about the present and blame it on the past

We’d like to find your inner child and kick its little ass


Get over it

Get over it

All this bitchin’ and moanin’ and pitchin’ a fit

Get over it, get over it


Get over it

Get over it

It’s gotta stop sometime, so why don’t you quit

Get over it, get over it


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Supporters of Adams were able to jam the council chambers on a couple of occasions, their claims of “he’s a nice guy” as proof that Steve was not having a longtime inappropriate affair with his subordinate, Mrs Mc.Clish.


Is it possible that those who supported him, will again come to the council chambers on Thursday to once again, tell us what a really swell guy Steve Adams is? Are we still supposed to believe he only wants the best for AG?


Any truth to the rumor that Steve turns 55 in April, and in order to retire with maximum benefits, he must be on the city payroll until then?


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its a formula. the whole world is full of money chasing government employees now. counting the days til they get 90% pensions. while the rest of us pay for it.


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Waiting for Doug Perrin to come say Adams deserves to be in the same PERS club!


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From what I can find, his birthday is in December. I sure hope it’s not April. Anyone know for sure?


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well that proves it. he is a man of great character and integrity, chasing taxpayer funds all his life, and apparently that wasnt enough.


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Cant wait to see how the toothless Bob Cuddy, the Fibune and the Snooze Times will try to spin this one … assuming it is true (and I suspect it is)


Hey pelican … you love lyrics right? try a poke at “Wasted on the Way” – Crosby Stills Nash


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Jim, you are much smarter than this….don’t let him intimidate you or the city. He was caught with his pants down. And like a lot of (previous) public officials he’s not willing to man-up and take responsibility for his own poor judgement.

He…and he alone is responsible for betraying the citizens of Arroyo Grande.

Remain steadfast, as we support you 100%.


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You are correct.

Adams had that claim scripted by an attorney just waiting for McFall to be appointed.

His wife knew they were leaving – SO GO!


The Council must decry the words of Adams and Ferrara and set the record straight .

They must pass a unanimous resolution stating your support of the AG Police ( who are the same people as in the AGPOA)

And they must decry the words of these two idiots who discredited the entire CITY.


Fire Carmel, celebrate the Police, and stop paying your Mae ass ex City Manager who QUIT.


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Lame ass City Manager


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Remember that “playbook” the POA was supposedly using according to Steve and Tony?


This scenario smells like it came out of the Forcibly Resigned a Few Months Too Soon, City Manager playbook for sure!


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I wonder if this situation is going to be like the situation at SLOSSCD where the citizens, having finally figured out the racket, are left with the options of paying big bucks to just settle and get it over with or to fight and pay even bigger bucks in legal costs.


Much as I would like to see the (ir)responsible parties take their lumps financially, at what point does the legal cost of administering those lumps outweigh the satisfaction of giving them?


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Sad to say, it appears as though Mr. Carmel has quite possibly guaranteed we are already past that point.


No doubt it would be much less costly to settle than the cost of Steve’s pension for the next 30 years or so if he maxes out his retirement.


Cheapest option may be to settle with Adams, if Carmel has screwed the City with his botched handling of the resignation.


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i like it when someone understands ROI. even though i am sure you explained it as simply as ROI can possibly be explained, it went right over KFB’s head.


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Let Carmels own Errors and Omissions insurance cover this one!


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Wouldn’t that be nice?


If the council chooses not to tell Adams to POUND SAND,

they should tell Carmel to PAY UP!


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You walked into the council chambers

Like you were walking onto a yacht

Your hat strategically tipped below one eye

Your scarf, it was apricot

You had one eye in the mirror as

You watched yourself go by

And Teresa dreamed that she’d be your partner

She’d be your partner, and


You’re so vain

You probably think this song is about you

You’re so vain,

I’ll bet you think this song is about you

Don’t you?

Don’t you?


Well,Tony hired you several years ago

When you was still quite naive

When you said that Teresa and you made such a pretty pair

And that you would never leave

But you gave away the things you loved

And one of them was your wife

You had some dreams, they were clouds in Corona

Clouds in your Corona, and


You’re so vain

You probably think this song is about you

You’re so vain, you’re so vain

I’ll bet you think this song is about you

Don’t you?

Don’t you?


Well I hear you went up to City Hall

And , you naturally, lied

Then you claimed you were framed

Well, you’re where you should be all the time

And when you’re not, you’re with Teresa

Or the wife of a close friend,

Wife of a close friend, and


You’re so vain

You probably think this song is about you

You’re so vain, you’re so vain

I’ll bet you think this song is about you

Don’t you?


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Woah Pelican

Do not hold back.


That Rooster Creek side trip was a pretty telling story: huh?


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FIRE HIS ASS FOR CAUSE!!


Oh but he loves the City so much…


Be done with this, AG CITY COUNCIL


Are you saying Adams never wrote a real professional resignation letter for the City?

If his half page PR piece was his intended resignation letter, then FERRARA and CARMEL really were doing him a favor.


Carmel was responsible for procuring a resignation letter that would hold up.


CARMEL must go

Fire him when you fire Adams finally.


This was the biggest cluster f……, I have ever seen.


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The Council should terminate Mr. Adams for his actions: selectively isolating a group of employees, conduct unbecoming a city manager, and lying to the police.


Steve Adams is not a good guy

He is self serving liar.

People who are unfaithful to their marriages are liars.

Steve spent way more time with Mrs. McClish than his own wife.


The City Council must eliminate their relationship with him now

Do not continue to pay him anything

Fire him! Now!


KB and Guthrie shame on you for being sucked into a ruse by the holy Trinity ( Adams, Ferrara and Carmel)

Make this end.


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wow Steve, you stated how much you loved this city, your wife stands up and says how she will miss her house ect… And now you want to sue and for more money


You did not expect Tony to lose the race and now you are scrambling to keep you retirement in check. Gee the day after the event, you received a 10.5% raise, but that was not good enough eh?


And you tried to throw our men and woman in blue under the bus, and it did not work. There is room under the bus for you, and we will fight to put you there.


How long has Tim Carmel been corrupt? It seems as though he is helping you, and maybe it is time for him to leave also. I am sorry that time was long ago, but it is pressing now. And how much more of the council is still corrupt, KB has made it clear how she aligns herself with.


Did you not get the memo, the big yellow memo that said WRITE IN JIM HILL? Or the memo in November that the people of AG sent out saying WE WANT CHANGE and they voted for it and they won.


You are a piece of work Mr Adams, a piece of work, and not a good one at that. You want to fight dirty, let’s fight dirty, No holds bar.


See you at the council meeting you POS.


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Carmel has been a self severing corrupt lieing piece of dirt for years.


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i bet he is even getting a kickback from Adam’s ambulance chasing lawyer


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When you are part of the action, you no longer can advise others.


The whole retirement scheme for Adams was blown when poor Tony lost.

Boo hoo!


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