Grand Jury Report

It is usually called an October surprise. That’s when one candidate or another comes up with something out of left field to use against his/her opponent just prior to an election.

In Marina we have something very different in that the Superior Court of California, Monterey County 2012 Monterey County Civil Grand Jury issued an interim report on Friday. I do not think anyone can underscore enough the fact that they released this report when they did. The Grand Jury report is normally issued in January but because its findings are directly related to the governance of our City they must have felt it very important to release this report prior to the election.

The report outlines the improper interference in negotiations of business development opportunities by at least one Council member, at least two cases of Brown Act violations in relation to the Equestrian Center Ad Hoc Committee, the improper use of an Ad Hoc Committee, not using staff properly (even avoiding their input), putting at risk the government grant of land and facilities, asking that the Council use professional staff for their expertise, and pleading for the City Attorney to take a more pre-emptive role in helping the City conduct its meetings.

These findings should never be taken lightly as some, including the Mayor, already has. In fact, the Grand Jury Report states that “The Marina City Council should develop and enact an ethical code of conduct for all City of Marina officials”. I have to ask: what does that say for the way our current Council majority has been conducting business?

The reason I state the current Council Majority is that both Council members Ford and Amadeo have repeatedly tried to bring up potential violations of policy and conduct over the past two years. The specific cases that are identified in this report trace back to interference by the Mayor and the conduct of Councilman O’Connell and candidate Morton on the Equestrian Center Ad Hoc Committee. We will get more information and background when the final report is released.

This is a very important issue that needs to be properly aired prior to the election itself. Unfortunately there are no City Council meetings between now and the election and very few outlets to disseminate this information to the general public. The Monterey Herald gave it a couple of paragraphs so far but both KSBW and KION TV are currently or will be running the story soon.

It should go without saying that whenever the Superior Court Grand Jury issues a report on Marina, it should be of utmost importance to our elected officials and the residents of Marina. In this case, especially since the election is just days away.

More later.

http://www.monterey.courts.ca.gov/GrandJury/Reports.aspx

(Reference 2012 Civil Grand Jury, Interim Final Report #2)