STATEMENT

It is with regret that I announce my plans to step down as City Manager

with the City of Arroyo Grande. After much deliberation, I have determined that
the current events have created too much distraction for me to lead the future of
our organization as effectively as I would like. o be involved in something
divisive to the community would be the ultimate contradiction of everything I have
tried to stand for in bringing the community together during these past !" years.
As a result, my family and I have decided to pursue new opportunities elsewhere.
I cannot begin to e#press how much I appreciate the support I have received
from so many kind people in our community.
My resignation will become effective once my replacement has been hired
and starts work. herefore, I intend to remain in my position throughout the
recruitment process in order to ensure a smooth transition and enable me to
complete a number of important efforts under way. I will continue to cooperate
fully with the investigation. My primary motivation is to serve the best interests of
this community that I cherish so much.
I want to emphasize to the community how fortunate they are to have such
an amazing mayor and city council. I have had the distinct honor to work with
each of them on a day to day basis for many years. I never cease to be amazed
at their level of dedication to the entire community. he effort they take to
respond to the concerns of every individual that contacts them is e#traordinary.
hey took the $uly %
rd
incident very seriously, responded &uickly, and
handled it in the best way possible based on the information they had.
'verything was handled consistent with how similar incidents are dealt with
involving other staff. An initial review is first completed to identify if any policies
are violated and to determine whether a formal investigation is warranted. here
seems to be some confusion from people unfamiliar with government procedures
who are comparing the situation to an incident involving a potential criminal
action or when a formal personnel complaint is filed, neither of which apply in this
case.
here was no so called (cover up.) I actually called a meeting of my
e#ecutive team the first work day following the incident to inform them of what
had happened. *ersonnel matters are not publicized, which is not the same as a
cover+up.
It is reprehensible that negative criticism has been made toward the City
Attorney,s -ffice. heir level of e#pertise, hard work and dedication to effectively
protecting the City,s and community,s interests day in and day out is something
unparalleled to anything I have witnessed anywhere in my career. hey handled
this incident in that same consistent and professional manner.
I have also witnessed the City Clerk and her staff work tirelessly and with
the utmost professionalism to respond to a barrage of public records re&uests,
only to have wild unfounded insinuations made about altering records and tapes.
-ur citizens would agree what a travesty this is if they had the opportunity as I do
to witness the seriousness in which they take their integrity as it relates to their
professional responsibilities. he so called (missing ./ minutes) of tape resulted
because the representative of the website that re&uested the tape submitted a
flash drive that was too small to hold the entire file. -nce they submitted a new
flash drive, they received the remainder of the tape. 0owever, these
background facts were never reported.
he impact on Ms. McClish, reputation is an even greater travesty. 1he
has consistently treated everyone she comes in contact with in a kind,
professional, and responsive manner. 1he has served this community with great
distinction and does not deserve the meanness that has been directed toward
her.
I have consistently e#pressed my deepest respect for the important work
our officers do in protecting our community. I also fully support the officers that
responded to the $uly %
rd
incident and early on issued a public apology to them
for the uncomfortable position my actions put them in, as well as to the rest of the
organization and community. I have never accused any of them of lying and it
has never been my belief that they said anything with the intent of harming me.
I have tried to focus on my 2ob, stay out of the press, and let the
investigation process take its course. 0owever, given the amount of accusations
that have been made publicly, I believe I must now speak out to provide
clarification regarding some of the statements.
3irst, I never lied about Ms. McClish being in the building. 4hen I asked
why the officers were there, I was twice told they were looking for someone with
the name of an employee that until recently worked in City 0all. 4hen one of the
officers used Ms. McClish, correct name, I responded that she was there. 5ater
reports on a website that they were using her nickname are false, although I
acknowledge that they may have thought that was the case.
1econd, the building was reported as being dark, which is an accurate
statement given that most the lights were off. 0owever, it is also important to
clarify for the public that there are lights at each end of the building that
automatically remain on at all times. herefore, there would be no reason to turn
on additional lights in other portions of the building.
hird, due to the e#tent of the activity by the officers in the building, our
belief was that they could be responding to a serious threat. herefore, Ms.
McClish was standing out of view in response to her fear for her safety.
5astly, I continue to confirm my earlier statements that nobody was at any
time unclothed or partially clothed.
4ith regard to the actions of the Arroyo Grande *olice -fficers,
Association, I continue to provide them the benefit of the doubt that their
motivations are sincere. 0owever, given that they are still not satisfied now that
the City Council complied with their re&uest for an outside investigation, I believe
it is important that the public be provided pertinent background information
regarding the City,s labor relations.
I will be the first to recognize that I have failed to maintain a positive
relationship with the *-A. I acknowledge that there were things I could have
done and6or communicated better to improve this relationship. 0owever, it is
important to also acknowledge that we have been through the worst economic
period since the Great 7epression. 4e are proud of the fact that during this
period, we actually increased reserves, maintained important capital pro2ects to
improve our streets and other infrastructure, and maintained key service levels
despite skyrocketing pension costs and plummeting revenues. his could not
have been accomplished without some tough decisions and tough labor
negotiations.
7uring this time, the *-A hired an attorney to represent them who was a
partner with a law firm that posted on their website a (playbook) for negotiations.
Among other &uestionable tactics, it advocated (public ridicule) of blunders by the
City Manager, Mayor and City Council. It also recommended to (focus on a city
manager, councilperson, mayor or police chief and keep the pressure up until
that person assures you his loyalty and then move on to the ne#t victim.) hey
have since gone out of business amongst a variety of their own legal problems,
but the *-A has continued the services from the same attorney, now with a new
firm.
I am confident that our e#traordinary and dedicated staff will carry on to do
more great things for this wonderful community that I love so much. I believe my
greatest legacy is the effective team we have assembled over the years and am
e#tremely proud of all that they have accomplished. he state of the City,s
infrastructure, finances and economic vitality are at their highest level ever due to
their hard work, the Council,s leadership, and the community,s support and
involvement. My wish is that my departure will remove this distraction and allow
them to return their full focus to these important efforts. I cherish all my time
serving the City of Arroyo Grande, I bear no ill will to anyone who has opposed
me in this matter, and I hope everyone can now seek a new level of cooperation
in addressing some ma2or challenges ahead for our community. Meanwhile, I
look forward to spending more time with my incredible family who has been so
supportive to me throughout this ordeal and my life.