Don't Call Jerry Carlson at Home

Here is the link to the public roster on the Atherton web site that lists Jerry Carlson's home and cell numbers as his (only) contact numbers:

Web Link

The letter is reprehensible. The fact that it's being sent at Atherton taxpayer expense is even more so. Note how it is not sent by Furth, but by an attorney who works in an office close to where Mr. Johns lives, as if to say they can easily go to court in that area to stop him. There is no allegation in the letter that Mr. Johns said anything rude, threatening, or inappropriate. Jerry, be a man. If you don't want someone calling you, call them back and say it yourself. You're not the King of England or the President of the United States.

If elected officials, and I served as an elected Director of the Menlo Park Fire Protection District for 8 years, are not willing to be accessible to the citizens whom they serve then they should simply and promptly resign.

If the caller were a resident and constituent, I could not agree with Jon or Peter more. Instead, the caller was an ex-employee with an axe to grind. Big difference.

I did not see any restrictions on who may call members of the City Council.

Furthermore the issue Johns raises doesn\'t look like he\'s grinding an axe. This looks more like a matter of legitimate public concern.

Why is Carlson avoiding contact with Mr. Johns?

Mr. Johns works in the Town of Atherton. I know this because I hired him. Mr. Carson decides issues (such as the subject of Mr. Johns' call, High Speed Rail) that affect people outside of Atherton in any event. The letter to Mr. Johns is conspicuos in its absence of any allegation that there was anything about Mr. Johns' call that was harassing. It did not require a response from an attorney in any event whatsoever. Mr. Carlson could have simply e-mailed Mr. Johns, if not called him back, and let him know that since he does not live in the Town of Atherton, he doesn't wish to take phone calls at home from him but will review written correspondence. There was absolutely no justification for having a lawyer write a cease and desist letter.

THE QUESTION SHOULD BE THIS:
Why hasn't Jerry Carlson had the decency to call the entire John's family at home to apologize to each of them for the enormous impact of his poor judgement on all of their lives?
They are the ones who were harassed into moving away, forced to sell their home, into taking the kids out of their school and away from their friends, and have had their prospects for employment and livelihood so adversely affected for several years now.
Mr Carlson should explain to the whole family exactly why he made the mistake of participating in the TRUMPED up ouster of Mr. Johns--the only Atherton finance director -EVER- to give this town consecutive clean Independent audits, Balanced budgets, and Millions of dollars in reserves. What the heck were you thinking Jerry? We all want to know. This was the man that you yourself awarded the highest acclaim possible as president of the ACIL for precisely these achievements!
Was it really simply because self interested parties with rather obvious motive waved some manufactured internet spam in your face and attributed it somehow to Mr. Johns? Did it not even occur to you that this was simply to divert attention from themselves? Did you not yourself, and for many years, suggest that an audit of the police department was long overdue once the Bld. Dept. audit was complete???
Perhaps if you were to spend less time at meetings and were able to spend more time at home watching television dramas, you would be better able to distinguish between a loyal and productive employee and an obvious set up.
There will be no correction in deficit spending until the deficit in leadership is addressed.
The 700,000 dollars of taxpayers money that you allowed to be wasted on trying to ruin Mr Johns, because of people who you allowed to manipulate your judgement, is an account that will settled by the voters.
Mr. Carlson--After you have called the Johns family to apologize, you might consider a call to every member of this community to explain; the wasted money, the insult to employee morale, and exactly who it is that you plan to allow yourself to be so easily manipulated by.