Mr. Danielson was selected for the interim post because he said up front that he had no intention of taking the job on a permanent basis.
Mr. Danielson also assumed responsibility for helping the Council identify and select a suitable candidate for the permanent job.
In the three months since Danielson took office, there has been no apparent effort on his part to begin a recruitment for a new City Manager. Additionally, in a subtle indication of his intentions Mr. Danielson has dropped the preface "interim" from his description of his position with the Town.
Most recently, Mr. Danielson's has refused to honor the request of a former Atherton employee who successfully sued the Town for wrongful termination. This employee has demanded that a thorough investigation into corruption in the Atherton Police Department and the possibility that the Atherton Police Chief has conducted sham investigations as a way of concealing such corruption. (This is tantamount to obstruction of justice).
This raises an obvious question. Has Mr. Danielson changed his mind?
Has Mr. Danielson become more interested in continuing to occupy the corner office in Town hall (and the home on Watkins avenue that goes with the job) than he is in cleaning up the Police Department?
If so, this would not be the first time, an Atherton City Manager has put one's personal interests above the interests of the Town.
One only need to look at the Town's experience with Gruber, Protzman, Robinson and Freedman.
It is time for the City Council to show the City Manager who's boss. It is time for the City Council to send a signal to the Atherotn Police Department that the City Counci, not the Police Chief is in charge.
