FILLMORE City Council
7 of 7 Precincts Reporting
3 New City Council Members Elected
(1) RICK NEAL - 2,063
(2) MANUEL A. MINJARES - 2,037
(3) DOUGLAS TUCKER - 1,507
Defeated Incumbents
Mayor - GAYLE WASHBURN - 1,017
Mayor Pro Tem - JAMEY BROOKS - 922
Defeated Candidates
SANDY PELLA - 977
ALEX MOLLKOY - 549
Total Votes: 9,087

FILLMORE City Clerk
7 of 7 Precincts Reporting
1 New City Clerk Elected
NANCY BLENDERMANN-MEYER - 1,615
Defeated Incumbent
CLAY WESTLING - 1,598
Total Votes: 3,239

FILLMORE City Treasurer
7 of 7 Precincts Reporting
1 New City Treasurer Elected
(1) SHANNON GODFREY - 1,640
Defeated Candidate
GRACE DONAHUE - 1,527
Total Votes: 3,190

Douglas Tucker:
In my opinion the council should deal with disagreements and criticism with professionalism, accountability and integrity. Each city council representative will have their own perspective; this is why it is so important for them to listen to each-other and the community prior to making decisions. I have received a lot of negative comments about how the council treats persons expressing their opinions only to have their comment refuted 1 council member at a time. The Council needs to treat everyone with respect and dignity. They need to ensure that they are fair when the public speaks including with time allotments and how the council responds to speakers.
If two or more council members disagree then agree to disagree and take the conflict to the closed session for resolution or simply vote and move on to the next agenda item. A council should truly have the best interests of the community at heart, they should be fair, have a code of ethics and conduct and they should most importantly put aside their personal differences and truly represent us the Fillmore citizens. If this is accomplished, the new media, citizens and each council member will unit and we can focus on the problems we face today and ensure we have solutions for our future. We may not always agree, but isn’t that one aspect of the U.S.A. that makes us the best nation in the world, our freedoms should be embraced not taken advantage of.
Douglas Tucker
Candidate for Fillmore City Council

Rick Neal:
Getting along with CONTINUED »

SANDRA PELLA:
At this time, the city council has not sent out an RFQ to American Water. The council is acting in a prudent manner by entering into negotiations with American Water in an attempt to reduce maintenance and operational costs for the water treatment plant. Contracts are often negotiable, and considering the financial status of the city, the council is being proactive. The American Water contract was awarded in 2006, two years before the incumbents took office. Although incumbents Gayle Washburn and Jamey Brooks adamantly opposed the water treatment plant contract, they are now bearing the brunt of criticism for decisions made before they were elected, and the impact of those devastating decisions to the community. Four out of the five sitting council members favor negotiating the American Water contract, and if necessary, are open to RFQ’s from other vendors if an agreement can not be made.
The negotiations with American Water should be conducted in a respectful and business-like manner. It is proper business etiquette to allow the company holding a contract to make a proposal. American Water has serviced the city as agreed, and the action to negotiate is not a reflection on the company’s performance. They have also generously contributed chemicals to the community pool, and deserve to be commended for assisting the city with the cost of operating the pool. In its dealings with American Water, the council must be concise in communicating what amount of contract reduction is necessary, and allow sufficient time (perhaps 30 days), for American Water to either approve or disapprove the terms before considering other possible RFQ’s to competitive vendors.

GAYLE WASHBURN:
For clarification, there has CONTINUED »

DOUGLAS TUCKER:
I believe that in addition to cost saving measures we should be looking at revenue generating measures. To increase revenues; we have several projects in town that have already received approvals, such as portions of the Business Park. This project has been waiting for the city to move forward. This one project will bring much needed revenue and jobs to the city. 2) We need to review our contracts with city consultants /contractors. How much is the city paying for these consultants and contractors? On at least two occasions, the city council had been asked to show the benefits of laying off employees and replacing them with consultants and contract employees. To date no answer has been provided. The city council needs to stop making emotional decisions on fiscal issues. Regarding the pool, we must explore all options to reduce cost and increase users. The city should offer a monthly pass, just like gyms, not just pay to swim passes. The reoccurring monthly fees would help the pool budget and allow the users to gain greater access to the pool. We should work with our youth groups more and advertise the Kiddie Play area which is available for party rentals. If we market it properly the use of the pool and hopefully the track, combined with our back country roads we have an excellent Triathlon training facility. The city should accept American Water’s offer to pay for the pool chemicals. We need to look at the possibility of privatizing pool operations and maintenance thereby turning it into a revenue source. The pool is something that we should take pride in, but we need to be practical and ensure that the pool is self-sustaining.

RICK NEAL
One of the first CONTINUED »

Question No. 4: With the two letters of No Confidence submitted by city staff regarding ex-city manager Yvonne Quiring, how do you see morale being restored at city hall and in the council that ignored the letters?

SANDRA PELLA:
Question 4 states, “the council ignored the letters;” a statement not based upon fact. The council did respond to the 2 letters of No Confidence drafted by Roger Campbell, an individual who was not employed on city staff, and had no authority to interfere with employee relations. The council addressed allegations from city staff in 2 city council meetings, and spent city funds to conduct 2 investigations. It was found that Yvonne Quiring had acted in a professional and appropriate manner in her dealings with staff.
This incident became a morale issue at city hall because standard policy was not followed; a procedure that is the norm in most organizations. Grievance issues follow a process of levels. The first step is to bring the grievance to the supervisor, and if there is no resolution to the matter, then the grievance is taken to a higher level. In the case of the city staff’s grievances against Ms. Quiring, this standard procedure was not followed. There might have been a resolution on the first level had this process been utilized.
Morale in any organization is restored when employees understand the organization’s vision, goals and policies, and their role in meeting the organization’s objectives. It is management’s responsibility to state the vision, direct the goals and to provide tools necessary for employees to succeed. Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary defines one aspect of morale as, “the sense of common purpose with respect to a group.” Morale is maintained when employees understand policy with regard to grievances and follow the policy guidelines. Communication is always a major key to resolving issues. Problems in the workplace can usually be worked out with cooperation and communication.

MANUEL MINJARES:
There were many CONTINUED »

Question No. 3: What actions taken by the current council in the last two years do you agree with most and why? What actions do you disagree with most and why?

SANDRA PELLA:
Actions taken by the current city council in the past two years that I agree with most include:
1. I strongly support the current council’s decision to pursue negotiations with American Water in order to reduce operating and maintenance cost of the water treatment plant. Costs imposed by the operation of the water treatment plant, coupled with the impact of the recession, have adversely impacted Fillmore businesses, schools and households.
2. I agree with the current city council’s commitment to be openly transparent in all decision making policy.
3. I agree with the current council’s efforts to provide a streamlined budget that is user friendly, and for conducting budget workshops that encouraged more participation from the public.
4. I strongly commend the current city council for managing to balance the budget despite criticism for taking necessary actions in order to keep the City of Fillmore solvent.
5. I agree with the current city council’s endeavor to target every possible revenue source, and with supporting the Fillmore Chamber of Commerce as well as other local agencies, to promote filming and tourism. Just since July, filming in Fillmore has generated income in excess of last year’s entire revenues.
The action taken by the current city council in the past two years that I most disagree with most involves a recent decision not to censure Council Member Steve Conaway for violating the Brown Act. As an elected official of the City, every council member is held to a high standard of ethics. The other council members voted to admonish Council Member Conaway for his conduct, thereby being prudent in not expending City monies to pursue further action.

DOUGLAS TUCKER:
As stated at CONTINUED »

Question No. 2: What is your vision for Fillmore if elected/reelected? What do you perceive as the five most important priorities for the city?

SANDRA PELLA:
My vision for Fillmore is to see our City thrive; not merely survive. I envision a restoration to the vibrant, quaint and small town appeal that is characteristic of Fillmore. The recession has adversely affected Fillmore like so many other cities throughout the United States. Our business and residential growth as a City is stagnant, and our household and business budgets are stretched to the limit. As we continue to confront challenges within Fillmore with respect to the economy, and in rebuilding the community’s confidence in our ability to turn things around, we need to address priorities that can affect a positive change:
We need to stimulate business by re-zoning the downtown in order to allow for diversity in types of businesses, and at the same time complete the business park.
We need more avenues for enhancing communication among the business community, Fillmore residents and the City.
We need to raise City income, control costs and balance the City budget; while maintaining responsibility for City resources.
We need to ensure the safety and welfare of the public through maintaining sufficient law enforcement, fire protection and emergency services.
We need to work together toward accomplishing common goals; avoiding divisive political and/or self-interests.
The City Council is only an instrument through which these priorities can be realized. City Council members serve only to meet community needs as determined by the public. You, as Fillmore residents and businesses, are the driving force behind our City’s return to success and prosperity. We can accomplish these goals with effective leadership and a cooperative community spirit.

GAYLE WASHBURN:
My vision is CONTINUED »

FILLMORE RESIDENTS DISSATISFIELD WITH CITY COUNCIL
September 11, 2012 – Today Magellan Strategies, a national public opinion research firm, released results of a survey of 240 likely general election voters in the City of Fillmore, California. The survey tested a variety of community-based questions, including what voters consider to be priorities the Fillmore City Council should be addressing. The survey was commissioned by Communities Building Together, Inc.

ABOUT MAGELLAN STRATEGIES
Magellan Strategies offers a wide array of political data products and services to political candidates and organizations. Services include live, automated and online survey research, modeling, microtargeting and predictive analytics, enhanced voter registration databases, voter data analysis, demographic analysis, mapping, and redistricting data and technology consulting. Visit www.MagellanStrategies.com for more information about the firm. Mayor Gayle Washburn was one of those surveyed (see VC Star “Fillmore split over campaign poll run by former councilman’s group”, 09/20/12).

QUESTIONS:
T1. Are you registered to vote as a Republican, a Democrat or an independent voter?
Democrat ...................................................................................... 49%
Republican.................................................................................... 33%
Independent ................................................................................ 18%
T2. How likely are you to vote in the upcoming election this November for Fillmore
City Council?
Extremely likely ......................................................................... 52%
Very likely ..................................................................................... 34%
Somewhat likely......................................................................... 14%
T3. Generally speaking, do you CONTINUED »