Peeling back the curtain on nefarious activities and actions by Mayor Lisa Gillmor and her hired comrades has revealed crazy, compliant, perhaps even criminal cronyism.
Former City Attorney Brian Doyle, who was hired by Gillmor to provide legal counsel, proved to be both incompetent and a partisan, and one not well disguised. His advice was often slanted to support only the mayor, not the City nor Santa Clara residents.
His legal counsel was often tainted by his personal opinions, politically prejudiced and often pathetically wrong. In his mind, regardless of expense, any advice was the right decision if it promoted Gillmor’s game plan.
Doyle’s dumb, dubious and delayed decisions, endorsed by Mayor Gillmor, drained residents of more than $6 million. These costs were in addition to his sizable salary.
Doyle is now suing Santa Clara for wrongful termination. (You must be kidding) Santa Clara’s courageous Council should be applauded.
Former City Manager Deanna Santana was recognized as one of the two highest-paid city managers in the state of California. Oh, that’s right, she too was hired by Mayor Lisa Gillmor and paid for with Santa Clara residents’ tax money.
Santana was an insensitive sham who recruited former cronies she could count on to bend the rules, even to the point of making wrong, right. Now that she is gone, coming to light are details about some of her crooked recruits. Authorities have already taken two into custody.
Santa Clara had become the “River City” of California with a lot more at stake than just pool. The City had become a cesspool of costly and compliant cronies. Reprobates replaced Santa Clara’s experienced personnel. Gillmor, Santana and Doyle recruited compatible, complicit companions at any cost, using Santa Clara city cash of course.
Thanks go to Santa Clara’s new era Council majority for crafting the charge for change. Noteworthy is Council Member Anthony Becker, leading the fired-up Council majority in righting the wrongs, restoring leadership and integrity to our public business, and ripping the camouflage off these clandestine cronies.
The Gillmor guillotine that garroted good and great long-time City staff has itself been guillotined. Residents and employees of Santa Clara are now cheering the Council, chanting encouragement to continue the cleaning up, cleaning out and reclaiming of City Hall.
Santa Clara staff and residents deserve dedicated and determined directors of distinction to replace and rebuild the ego-driven decisions of Mayor Gillmor and her former “yes ma’am” minions.
Let’s hope Gillmor runs again for Mayor in November. Residents can finally vote her out. After a total of 26 years of being on, off and on Council again and again, it really is time for Gillmor to be gone.
