(above) Gary Creagle. Linda Crockett wrote a letter to the editor this week regarding comments made by Gary Creagle at the July 10, 2012 council meeting. Click on the Letters section to read it.

That old French proverb (The more things change the more they stay the same) comes to mind when I recall yesterday’s trip to the Fillmore City Clerk’s office.

In very election year for as long as I can remember the city and county published a notice to the electorate that it is time for candidates to “pull their papers.” That is, for anyone wishing to run for public office the necessary instructions and disclosure papers must be obtained from the city clerk, completed, and properly filed. Otherwise you are not qualified to run for elected office. This is one of the most important mandated duties of the city clerk.

At the present time, Fillmore’s City Clerk is Clay Westling, although most of his duties have been delegated to the new Interim Deputy City Clerk/Administrative Secretary, Laura Seo. In the past one person sufficed to handle the duties of city clerk. For several years the job was efficiently handled by Steve McClary – an early escapee from the Katzenjammer régime. Steve was a gifted, multitasking city employee among whose many tasks was the timely production of intelligible minutes of council meetings.

Today, official minutes of council meetings seem to be a thing of the past – the distant past. Our present city clerk has been unable to produce them on time – 5 months late, (current?).

Mr. Westling is also apparently incapable of understanding the importance of providing adequate public notice to potential candidates for his office of City Clerk, which is now open, as are the council seats of Jamey Brooks, Gayle Washburn, and Steve Conaway. The City Treasurer’s position is also open. So, this is an extremely important election; people need to learn about the three available council seats, office of the Treasurer, and the office of City Clerk. You can be sure that Clay Westling knows that his office is up for election; he wasted no time in filing papers to keep his job.

I wonder if Clay was trying to keep secret the fact that his job was now on the line this November. It appears that way, since he deliberately “posted notice” to his potential challengers in only one place – a corner of a table on the upper floor of city hall next to his office. He didn’t post the notice on the designated city “Information Center” kiosk at City Park, nor on the windows of city hall, nor in the adjudicated newspaper of record for the city, the Fillmore Gazette. The clerk’s office claims it appeared in the Ventura Star, but I couldn’t find it, and the Star is not the newspaper of record for Fillmore.

What’s important to know here is that candidates for these important offices have only until August 10 to file the necessary papers. Time is of the essence. They must also obtain up to 30 signatures of registered voters of the city to qualify to be on the ballot. A reasonable person might think it necessary for the clerk to provide the widest possible public notice to the residents of Fillmore. In other words adequate notice.

Well, after an email to Westling and a later rather energetic conversation with his defensive Interim Deputy City Clerk/Administrative Assistant, Laura S. Seo, the Gazette finally (next day, two hours before press time) received the notice which appears in today’s paper. It must have frightened Clay to think someone might win his job.

The conversation with Ms. Seo was interesting. She has truly adapted to the Katzenjammer ethos. She told me that she could have posted the notice on the wall inside Clay’s office and complied with the law. “Show me the code section” she asked when I questioned the propriety of such minimal public notice. Then she observed that the Star was also adjudicated for the city’s legal notices. I explained this issue had been thoroughly explained to the council (in Clay’s presence) and that the city’s attorney explained that the Gazette alone could be the official paper of record.

“Well” Ms. Seo opined, twiddling her fingers as if playing an accordion, “the city attorney really doesn’t know what he’s talking about”.

Really?, I replied. Are you aware of the memo my attorney delivered to the city?

“Oh, a memo isn’t important. Show me the code.” and informed me of her experience in the position of clerk.
Do you know what a legal memorandum is? I asked. I told her it included points and authorities on the issue of adjudication. She remained unimpressed.

This is another example of just how densely stubborn the Katzenjammer group remains when it comes to accepting facts. This is truly self-inflicted invincible ignorance.

Anyway, the conversation remained unsatisfactory, but Ms. Seo provided me with her card as I walked away. Back at the office I examined the card closely; there was a label attached to the top third of the card. Pealing it away I discovered the name of “Angela Mumme, Administrative Assistant/Deputy City Clerk”.

Remember when business was conducted at city hall with courteous, professional competence?

But I digress. Our winning City Attorney, Ted Schneider, is about to be replaced. This was the work of Gayle Washburn, who refuses to explain just why. Most believe that this was caused, once again, by City Manager Quiring, who can’t get along with anyone and has wiped-out every competent employee and organization in city government. She’s gone for the week.

More on our self-inflicted city legal problems next week; also on the Boy Scouts of America reaffirming its policy of excluding gays”. And no, it isn’t about picking on gays; it’s all about traditional Christian moral teaching.

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Remember, if you want to run for the city council, or City Treasurer, or CITY CLERK, you have to “pull papers” soon. Just give Clay Westling a call – he’s our city clerk; like the government itself, he’s there to help you.