Questions an investigation should answer
Great care must be taken as a long-sought investigation into the misdeeds occurring during the recent failed Town Center redevelopment process finally gets underway.
The independent inquiry should not disrupt current Old Town planning, which will be based on the well-researched guiding principles and recommendations developed by the 24-member Town Center Blue Ribbon Committee during 18 months of public meetings.
And the investigation should be wrapped up well before the next City Council begins a search for a permanent city manager in 2009, so highly skilled candidates aren’t dissuaded from applying for what is a desirable and nicely compensated position.
Despite a 5-0 council vote to direct city staff to develop a “request for a proposal” for the inquiry two weeks ago, there’s sure to be plenty of discussion from council members and the public Tuesday night, when the report is scheduled for presentation.
Questions regarding who will conduct the investigation, how the inquiry will be handled, what the process will cost and how long the procedure will take all require solid answers.
At minimum, a local investigation should provide accurate responses to questions raised by Councilman John Anderson, who suggested a probe at the April 15 council meeting.
First, were city staff members involved in an aggressive, behind-the-scenes campaign to prevent residents from signing petitions seeking a public vote on Town Center zoning?
Second, did city staff suggest Old Town Yorba Linda Partners developers fund a petition suppression campaign in return for an extension of an exclusive negotiating agreement?
And third, did four council member signatures on a developer-funded letter not discussed beforehand at a public council meeting constitute a violation of state open-meeting laws?
According to evidence provided by former OTYLP principal Greg Brown in the form of notes he took during closed-door council committee meetings and e-mails among council members, developers, consultants and lawyers, the answer to all three queries is likely “yes.”
But, of course, current and past city leaders who deny Brown’s allegations deserve a hearing, and an independent investigation is the best method to arrive at the truth, if the inquiry doesn’t turn into a witch-hunt and disrupt now-transparent Old Town planning.
A FINAL NOTE
An appointment to replace fourth-term trustee Craig Olson on the Placentia-Yorba Linda school board will have an impact Nov. 4, when the seats now held by Olson, fifth-term trustee Judy Miller and second-term trustee Carol Downey are scheduled for the ballot.
The appointee—probably named June 25, when Olson’s resignation is official—would be designated an “appointed incumbent” on the ballot if he or she seeks an elective term.
Olson, Miller and Downey were appointed to terms in 2000 and 2004 because nobody ran against them. Olson, a Placentia dentist, and his wife, Lynette, will supervise an employment resource center in Mexico on a 23-month Mormon Church mission.
The independent inquiry should not disrupt current Old Town planning, which will be based on the well-researched guiding principles and recommendations developed by the 24-member Town Center Blue Ribbon Committee during 18 months of public meetings.
And the investigation should be wrapped up well before the next City Council begins a search for a permanent city manager in 2009, so highly skilled candidates aren’t dissuaded from applying for what is a desirable and nicely compensated position.
Despite a 5-0 council vote to direct city staff to develop a “request for a proposal” for the inquiry two weeks ago, there’s sure to be plenty of discussion from council members and the public Tuesday night, when the report is scheduled for presentation.
Questions regarding who will conduct the investigation, how the inquiry will be handled, what the process will cost and how long the procedure will take all require solid answers.
At minimum, a local investigation should provide accurate responses to questions raised by Councilman John Anderson, who suggested a probe at the April 15 council meeting.
First, were city staff members involved in an aggressive, behind-the-scenes campaign to prevent residents from signing petitions seeking a public vote on Town Center zoning?
Second, did city staff suggest Old Town Yorba Linda Partners developers fund a petition suppression campaign in return for an extension of an exclusive negotiating agreement?
And third, did four council member signatures on a developer-funded letter not discussed beforehand at a public council meeting constitute a violation of state open-meeting laws?
According to evidence provided by former OTYLP principal Greg Brown in the form of notes he took during closed-door council committee meetings and e-mails among council members, developers, consultants and lawyers, the answer to all three queries is likely “yes.”
But, of course, current and past city leaders who deny Brown’s allegations deserve a hearing, and an independent investigation is the best method to arrive at the truth, if the inquiry doesn’t turn into a witch-hunt and disrupt now-transparent Old Town planning.
A FINAL NOTE
An appointment to replace fourth-term trustee Craig Olson on the Placentia-Yorba Linda school board will have an impact Nov. 4, when the seats now held by Olson, fifth-term trustee Judy Miller and second-term trustee Carol Downey are scheduled for the ballot.
The appointee—probably named June 25, when Olson’s resignation is official—would be designated an “appointed incumbent” on the ballot if he or she seeks an elective term.
Olson, Miller and Downey were appointed to terms in 2000 and 2004 because nobody ran against them. Olson, a Placentia dentist, and his wife, Lynette, will supervise an employment resource center in Mexico on a 23-month Mormon Church mission.
posted by Jim Drummond at 12:00 PM
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