Something momentous happened at Tuesday’s council meeting. It should be immortalized as the enthronement of the fourth Katzenjammer, Brian Sipes. To date, he joins Patti Walker, Gayle Washburn, and Jamey Brooks, charter Katzenjammers all. One man alone remains of the old régime, Steve Conaway. He must be remembered as Horatius at the gate, holding back all those sword-swinging Katzenjammers!

Comparing this council to pre-Katz councils, I can say (with a half-dozen former mayors) to show confidence in Fillmore’s near-term future is, at best, naive.

Serious and unique issues pertaining to our new city manager and the entire staff under her control remain unresolved. Staff morale remains darkly depressed as they await layoffs, firings, and pay cuts. It is widely alleged that the new council has targeted 5 remaining, long term top and/or middle management positions for replacement. Our new city manager appears to be positioning a new employee for assistant manager by recently providing an $8 per-hour raise as others are put on furlough. The need for an assistant city manager, at another substantial salary, is at best controversial, but Ms. Quiring continues her search. Roy Payne needed no such assistance.

The unprecedented open letter of no confidence in Quiring from all city employees is being deliberately ignored.

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I was stunned by the way the Grad Night Live storage issue was handled last night. This non-profit program has continued to save the lives of Fillmore High School graduates for the past 20 years. It’s entirely run by volunteers who seek to raise more than $21,000 each year to provide a cruise night immediately after graduation to avoid drinking and driving which had been killing graduates in alarming numbers before this program began.
All Raelene Cheney (president) wanted was to continue to use the very convenient location in use for several years to store donated materials and donated cars for sale. It was the city that initiated the problem, and doesn’t even own the property in question – not even a valid easement!

One trouble-making resident who has no connection to the property persists in complaining about its alleged unlawful use. She insinuates that a staff member may be racist in failing to immediately redress her complaint.
Our city manager should have treated this issue quickly, by ignoring the complainant and remedying the problem the city created by putting Grad Night Live on the same sort of agreement that the railroad museum has - $1.00 per year. Maybe false accusations of racism should be made actionable. This is an outrage. Grad Night Live should be allowed to stay where they were and the storage containers should be replaced at city expense. And, interloping troublemakers should be ignored for what they are!