Suspending Rules and Ethics at City Hall
September 1, 2010 2 Comments
City of Sunnyside Photo
Monday, August 30, 2010, the Sunnyside City Council convened a Special Meeting, to discuss changing insurance carriers for the city. The motion to change insurance was brought up at the last regular meeting of the Council, but failed to get the required votes.
Council Member Don Vlieger pointed out that it was a violation of the City Council Rules of Procedure to bring the matter back up for discussion, but the majority of Council voted to suspend their own rules to proceed with the action anyway. In the process, they also suspended all morals and ethics for their body as well.
City staff railroaded the council into taking this action, so they could attempt to bury what is sure to be embarrassing findings of an investigation into the work environment at City Hall. Interim City Manager Jim Bridges successfully got the council to make this change of insurance carriers at the last minute, before the permanent City Manager comes on board on September 13.
Jim Bridges’ ongoing abusive actions towards city employees have been documented on this blog. Former Human Resource Director Terri Rhode was fired because she knows the true cause of problems with the work environment at City Hall. On April 20, 2010, the City of Sunnyside lost at a hearing held for Ms. Rhode. The matter was heard by Judge Morgan at the Office of Administrative Hearings in Seattle. Ms. Rhode, Interim City Manager Jim Bridges, and Mr. Jackson an attorney for the city, were all present by telephone conference for the hearing. At this hearing, Mr. Bridges’ lack of character was put into the public record.
Jim Bridges admitted that his affair with a former city employee cost the city’s insurance carrier $150,000. Listen to Mr. Bridges admit this in his own words:
The Sunnyside City Council was blindsided with the staff request to change insurance carriers at the last minute, prior to the September 1 deadline for contract renewal. After two hours of contentious debate, the majority of council voted to support Mr. Bridges in his personal quest to make everyone with integrity pay for his personal transgressions. Remember, the insurance company knows the inside scoop about what is going on at City Hall. By getting them out of the way, certain Council Members and city staff are hoping the new City Manager will be kept in the dark about the real cause of problems with the work environment at City Hall.
Both the audio of the administrative hearing for Ms. Rhode, and the findings of fact by the judge are available as public documents, and have been obtained by this blog. While Mr. Bridges’ indiscretions are publicly known in the Lower Valley, his cohorts in creating a negative work environment are still causing problems. The new City Manager would be wise to consult with the outgoing insurance company, and personally receive a briefing on the work environment at City Hall, before he starts work at the office. If not, he may find himself fired by the City Council in short order, like his predecessors Mr. Swansen, and Mr. Stockwell. Certain city staff have shown they will undermine the City Manager, fellow employees, and even city contractors in a pattern of abusive and hostile actions.
The new City Manager, Mr. Gervasi, will need to get up to speed quickly, and deal with the source of the problems immediately, in order to be successful in our city. It is critical that integrity be restored in city business as soon as possible.
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HOw can any councilman care about ethics if they don’t hAVE any themselves. This even proves thaT THE bible is a crutch for certain ones of them. Not at all a book of ethics or wisdom ! Just what I have always said.
This was one of the most hostile acts I have ever seen against the bible in this town. When you vote to throw out ethics, you are voting to throw out everything contained in the good book, the bible. The HOLY BIBLE; the book of wisdom and of ETHICS ! Now if Gehlen, Paulakus, Hancock and Restucci just use the good bible as a crutch; then it is understandable. And being I know several of them must not use it at all by justifying what happened at city hall. But now we realize that these four plus Garcia justify everything that happened at city hall. It is one thing to sin. But to do things like throwing out ethics purposely as a cover up goes way beyond sinning. It is voting in the favor of Satan over Jesus Christ.
Then we will have the arguement that hey you must forgive and forget. Well to use this argument is like doing that same sin over and over and not account for that sin. If one does not WANT to quit sinning, then it is a lost cause to think they care about eternal life. It is frustrating to see Paulakis, Gehlen, Garcia, Hancock and Restucci constantly push THEIR thoughts and ways to bring down Sunnyside, instead of raising it up. It is frustrating to see these so-called representatives of the taxpayer going against anything that is right. Here we live on earth for a very short period of time,maybe an average of 80 years. And these people use no ethics within the city and would much rather use a know it all attitude of humanity than doing it the way the good book ask humanity to do. And the saddest part is that people like this who cannot handle authority are hurting their chances for an immortal eternal life. A life that NEVER ENDS! Just because they cannot handle the position voted them by the taxpayer!
But it is their choice. But next year it will be the taxpayers choice. But, how much further closer to HELL can these councilmen take this city? Are they having a race with Obama or what.
Okay lets use the argument of seperation of church and state which I am sure these so-called scholarly wizards will use. Well if you are a REAL CHRISTIAN; you will know this is an imposssible task. You cannot take Heavenly Father out of your life at anytime in this mortal life IF you truely believe ! Yeah the bible can be a real CRUTCH for many to use. It seems there are five on the council using for just this or consider it garbage. ETHICS, maybe too big of a word for Paulakis, Hancock, Restucci, Garcia and Gehlen to understand ??
I would look forward to replies to this post. This city is in a serious position. We are seeing a war between Satan and Heavenly Father in our very town. At the time this council is making a mockery of anything Jesus Christ stands for ! Satan has infiltrated these previously five I mentioned ! Argue all you want on my points and you will FAIL !