Before the rest of the meeting's business began for the April 12, 2016 city council meeting, the mayor announced to the public--or someone announced it, because it was barely noticed--that Pat Furey Jr. had resigned from the Traffic Commission.
What took him so long?!
This foot-dragging from the mayor and the city council is inexcusable.
Arthur Plourde was removed from the Library Commission last year because of pursuit of a personal agenda.
He was roasted alive before the public. Granted, the reasons from the city council for his removal were not necessarily unethical, or even mean-spirited.
Still, Plourde's transgression were nothing compared to Furey Jr's numerous failures.
Following Pat Furey Jr's triple fault before the public following his mistake, and the Fair Political Practices Commission slapping a huge fine on the mayor's campaign and against Pat Jr., the commissioner resigned.
This is people power at its best, and it will only grow in the city of Torrance.
This action should not have taken so long.
The FPPC deserves some of the blame.
Why did it take that commission two years to announce to the public that the mayor and his son had failed to comply with campaign laws? Residents in the city up and down knew that Mayor Furey was up to know good.
As for the son, a number of residents had informed me that he was dirty, unethical, not a honest and integrated man in all of his affairs.
Very troubling.
A number of residents spoke out during the first public comment period.
I was not aware until after that part of the meeting that Pat Jr had resigned.
One of the most partisan members of the audience attempted to smear the public's outrage at the corruption and nepotism. A large number of the audience booed his answers.
Other residents of the city demand a motion of censure against the mayor. One lady reminded the audience that an honest ambulance company, Gerber, went bust and closed its doors following the city council's split decision.
What a tragedy.
The four councilmembers who voted to terminate the contract with Gerber needs to reverse course. Mayor Furey's vote is particularly suspect, since he was fined for collusion with the PACs that helped him get elected.
Pat Furey Jr has resigned from the Traffic Commission. He now needs to be removed from the Torrance Unified School District Personnel Commission. Government watchdogs in the city would like to see the entire Torrance Unified Personnel Commission removed entirely.
You write:
ReplyDeleteGerber, went bust and closed its doors following the city council's split decision.
No one ever writes that Gerber had only one client, Torrance. Had they served that client better and not been in violation of the terms of their contract (for months, by the way), with shoddy and old equipment, and if they had completed the paperwork that was required in the RFP (no one mentions that they failed to provide all the documentation called for to even bid), maybe they would still have their one client and still be in business.
A business they most likely would have sold had they won the contract. Then they would have walked away with a big payoff and a smile. Instead they provided inferior service to the citizens of Torrance and paid the price.
I feel not one iota of pity for Gerber. They practiced bad business. They only have themselves to blame.
Interesting how they were inferior as you say and contract renewed every time for close to 20 years!
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