Special Council Meeting - Service Delivery Alternatives

One advantage of outsourcing Police is that it might avoid a federal investigation of Atherton for civil rights abuses.

Euphemism: an inoffensive or indirect expression that is substituted for one that is considered offensive or too harsh
Wonder why the Town Council just can't say "police service outsourcing"? Maybe afraid to call it like it is.
Anyway by getting rid of the police department we can get rid of the parcel tax as it will no longer be needed.

The Brown Act provides: "At least 72 hours prior to a regular meeting, the body must post an agenda containing a brief general description of each item to be discussed or transacted at the meeting, including items to be discussed in closed session. (§ 54954.2(a).) The Act makes it clear that discussion items must be placed on the agenda, as well as items which may be the subject of action by the body.
The purpose of the brief general description is to inform interested members of the public about the subject matter under consideration so that they can determine whetherto monitor or participate in the meeting of the body."

Once again the Town has violated the Brown Act by failing to provide sufficient details on this agenda topic such that "interested members of the public about the subject matter under consideration so that they can determine whetherto monitor or participate in the meeting of the body."

Sad.

Peter: The reason Nadine/Elizabeth (et all) scheduled this meeting without any regard for the rules of procedure was desperation. It was an emergency meeting. Certain interests had to act with extreme haste to take advantage of, not only your being abroad but most especially, finance committee member Bill Widmere's absence. This issue needed to look like it ha already been addressed and tabled to avoid it coming up a few weeks from now, or anytime after Widmere is sworn into office as a council member. They had to act fast and actually managed to convince the council that all the pay hikes had to be settled and in place before they could discuss the outsourcing option. Apparently this trick worked. I understand that ex Police Chief Glen Neilson helped to orchestrate this fait accomplai by sending out a mass e-mail to his resident devotees and urging them to show up in force. Glen attended the meeting himself and got Merve Morris worked up into full lather.
It would be nice to imagine that Glen feels guilty about the very precarious state he has left both his department and the town in, and was simply attempting to rectify the situation--but I don't. Please remember than he sheduled his sudden retirement to coincide perfectly with the first Buckheit Hearing.
Personally, I still hope that the police department can find a way heal itself from most of Glen's influence and impact on the department and then find a way to survive. But I fear not. He hasn't left at all.

[Portion removed; personal attacks violate terms of use.] This meeting was held by Mayor Kathy [Portion removed] to fulfill her lifelong dream of dismantling the Atherton Police Department.

Aided and abetted by Jon Buckheit, McKeithen will stop at nothing to turn what everyone in Atherton except for her, Buckheit, Melinda Tevis, Peter Carpenter love and hold dear to their hearts: the independent Atherton Police Department that has served us so well.

Mayor, you should be listening to your residents who want the Police Department to stay where it is. We cannot just look at short-term costs.

You should have also listened to your Planning Commission instead of relenting to Colleen Anderson. What a nuisance she has been, demanding her way at every meeting and helping to destroy what has made this Town great.

You've lost all your credibility. It's time to step down.

Conspiracy--I can't get through to McKiethen or Carpenter but I spoken to Melinda and she says she has NEVER been in favor of outsourcing the Police Dept. Her exact words were "that she is actually nostalgic for the exact feelings of blind devotion expressed above in this thread, but still hopes to see them realistically restored before the department is completely undone by the prevailing culture of denial." She sounded genuinely sad and like she envied those fellow residents who have had the luxury to be able to maintain such unquestioned trust. She got me thinking, and even to feel a little guilty when she pointed out that it has actually been unfair and selfish of all of us, to expect that unchecked power could remain uncorrupted forever. Maybe the Police really do deserve more expectation from all of us in order to sustain themselves.

The sad irony in this is that Melinda Tevis, an opponent to police outsourcing was on the Atherton Police Department's "do not respond" list. Who put her there? Glenn Nielsen.

Also strange but true is Atherton's last finance director, worked very hard to get the Atherton Police Department all the money it needed to buy the best equipment and to pay top salaries. The PD returned the favor by running him out of town and having its buddies at the DA investigate him for nine months on bogus charges of fraud.

It is also sad that the former Chief of Police, Glenn Nielsen didn't lift a finger when the elderly woman he befriended was the victim of elder abuse. One would have thought when he was visiting her and feeding her cats, he would have noticed that she needed to be rescued. He did not. He went so far as to quash a criminal investigation by the DA.

With friends like the Atherton PD, who needs enemies?

It is a sad irony that those whom Atherton thinks provide protection are the single greatest threat to their security.

Just ask Jon Buckheit and his "stooges".

Atherton LLp(d) - states that he/she can't get through to me.

My position is is simple:
What Atherton citizens want is high quality police services, which is very different than wanting to own and operate a police department. We also want reliable electricity but we don't own and operate an electric utility -as does Palo Alto.

Peter-Didn't realize you were back--just wanted to encourage you and others to state their own position before "Conspiracy Therorist" puts words in so many other people mouths with out even checking.

The Atherton POA are part of Teamsters. The same teamsters that turned disappeared Jimmy Hoffa when he agreed to cooperate with the feds some 40 years ago.

The was of organized crime die hard.