Three members admonish others for public spat
Apparently weary of dealing with two bickering members,
Hollister Councilwoman Pauline Valdivia opened Monday’s meeting by
threatening to de-throne the mayor and vice-mayor.
Three members admonish others for public spat
Apparently weary of dealing with two bickering members, Hollister Councilwoman Pauline Valdivia opened Monday’s meeting by threatening to de-throne the mayor and vice-mayor.
After a long scolding, the council heard an update on staff’s plans to work through its water and sewer mess.
City Engineer Clint Quilter outlined the city’s compliance with the Regional Water Quality Control Board’s cease and desist order. The city has also taken over wastewater treatment operations from Bracewell Engineering, which had been under contract since the late 1980s.
And Quilter gave the council a breakdown of the RWQCB’s $1.2 million fine, including nearly $600,000 for an emergency storage basin, a hydro-geologic study, and expansion of water conservation efforts.
The city will not have to pay the other $600,000 as long as a series of deadlines are met in compliance with the cease and desist order. While those deadlines will be a challenge, Quilter said he was confident they could be met, including adding a new wastewater skimmer, reducing the number of water solids and a long-term water management plan.
The council listened quietly and asked questions in a polite manner – a sharp contrast to the last time they met in public.
During the council’s meeting two weeks ago, Mayor Tony LoBue called Councilman Brian Conroy a drunk in reference to an earlier DUI arrest, after Conroy called him “Mr. President.” The tit-for-tat spat played itself out through the entire meeting and culminated with a verbal spanking by other council members.
Valdivia spoke in a commanding tone Monday when she said, “I am not going to sit here and baby sit. I have already raised my children and I’m done.”
A crowd of about 75 people applauded and whistled at the end of Valdivia’s speech. LoBue was not there, reportedly because it was his late mother’s birthday.
“At the last meeting, there was some behavior that probably was totally uncalled for,” she said. “It was embarrassing and it was out of hand. I hope that you, Mr. LoBue, are listening because you need to, as mayor, be professional in what you do. Control your emotions.”
LoBue did not return several phone calls for comment. But Valdivia apologized to the community for the two council member’s behavior, and said the council faced serious issues and could not go it alone without the community’s support.
If the infighting continues, then Valdivia promised to put the matter up for a vote on whether to remove LoBue from the mayor’s seat and Conroy from the vice-mayor’s seat. The councilmen can lose their honorary posts, though they cannot be forced off the dais.
“Excuse me Mr. Vice Mayor,” Councilman Tony Bruscia said in a polite, almost inaudible tone. “If I may, I would just like to make sure that it’s clear that I concur with Ms. Valdivia.”
Councilwoman Peggy Corrales said she also agreed with Valdivia’s speech. As LoBue was not present, Conroy ran the meeting, and he smiled and nodded his head lightly toward the other council members as they made their statements.
“I agree with what all of them said,” Conroy said after the meeting. “I will be executing my duties in a more professional manner.”
