After conducting a lengthy
investigation, the 2014-15 Fresno County grand jury issued a 12-page report
today detailing “political turmoil” that has rocked Sanger’s local government
and, according to the grand jury, “threatens” the city’s economic recovery.
The grand jury investigation was
prompted by citizen complaints of alleged Ralph M. Brown Act violations,
reports of conflicts of interest on the City Council and “incivility” among
council members, alleged campaign law violations and widespread accusations
from community members that the new council majority that was elected in
November 2014 did not have Sanger’s best interests at heart.
This is not the first time a
grand jury has looked into alleged improprieties in the county’s fourth-most
populous city. The 2008-09 and 2010-11 county grand juries also investigated
accusations of political misconduct and conflicts of interest involving Sanger’s
leaders.
The most recent grand jury report
focuses, in part, on a special City Council meeting held on December 12, 2014
during which members discussed, in public, whether or not to fire then City
Manager Brian Haddix. Speculation in the media following the meeting suggested
that council members, prior to the meeting, had violated the Brown Act by
allegedly having private conversations regarding Haddix’s future with the city.
More than 200 city residents
turned out for the Dec. 12 meeting, which was scheduled with just 24 hours
notice. So many people showed up to voice their support for Haddix that the
meeting had to be moved from council chambers to the fire station.
The council ultimately voted 4-0
to retain Haddix but the city manager quit a few months later, citing his
inability to work with the majority of the new council.
Haddix is now city manager in
Chowchilla.
Following his departure, Dayle
Keller was named Sanger’s interim city manager. Keller is a veteran city
administrator who has served as interim city manager in several Southern
California cities.
In early June, Mayor Joshua
Mitchell, who was first elected in 2010 and re-elected in 2014, also quit,
saying that he could no longer work with the new council. Mitchell also
complained he and his family members had been harassed and forced to flee the
city.
In recent years, Mitchell had
also been the target of several formal investigations into alleged conflicts of
interest regarding his role as mayor and private business deals.
In the course of its
investigation, the 2014-15 Grand Jury heard accusations against elected
officials, “some from years past and already investigated, and some new
allegations of wrongdoing,” the report stated. “The Grand Jury was not
presented sufficient evidence to support the many allegations, some of which
have been or are being investigated by law enforcement and other agencies.”
“However,” the report added,
“suspicion and mutual dislike among elected officials and their supporters fuel
an atmosphere leading citizens to mistrust government as an institution,
creating an atmosphere unwelcoming to the economic drivers Sanger needs to
continue its recovery.”
Stating “political divisions are
deep and deeply personal” in Sanger, the grand jury report also touched on
ongoing issues related to alleged inappropriate expenditures of Measure S sales
tax revenues, stalled downtown redevelopment efforts and continuing
difficulties on the part of council members in adjusting to a “by district”
rather than “at large” system of representation.
But grand jurors concluded that
they did not receive “conclusive evidence to support allegations about
improprieties” which, they stated in their report, “have taken on a life of
their own and added to mistrust and hostility between and among City Council
members and City Hall leadership.”
“To secure the city’s future,”
the report said, “citizens must put aside what divides the community and
develop the kind of broad-based collaboration that will ensure all Sanger
residents share more than just a ZIP code.”
After issuing 15 formal findings,
including “the resignation of the city manager is a serious indication of the
disconnection between the elected City Council majority and city government
leaders,” the grand jury report included a series of 17 recommendations
encouraging greater civility among elected and appointed officials and broader
citizen participation in Sanger’s local government.
“The City Council, mayor and city
manager should make citizen involvement in Sanger governance a top priority, exploring
innovative ways to engage all residents and help cultivate a sense of civic
responsibility to face challenges together,” the report stated.
“A City
Council recall election should be avoided because such elections are costly,
deepen divisions rather than repair them, may discourage citizen participation
in government and take time. A more professional, civil tone set by council
members, perhaps reinforced through positive media coverage, would help
citizens understand there are more productive ways to resolve differences for
the common good.”
July 21, 2015
Fresno
Business Journal
By
George Lurie
No comments:
Post a Comment