Yes, I will not vote for a Shannon Shaw appointment to the City Council representing District 4. This coming Thursday evening I will support the American Tradition of a write-in candidate ballot entry on the Oakley City Council election. A quirk in the new legislation from Sacramento (one of so many these days) allows a City Council to bypass an election and appoint a person to the council if no other person is filing for the position during a City Wide election. The new law would allow the Oakley City Council to appoint Ms. Shaw directly to the dais, bypassing the electorate in District 4 of the City.
As we all know, the American Culture allows a person to become a write-in candidate if they disagree with Ms. Shaw’s appointment to the council dais. The American Way is that Ms. Shaw’s name would appear on the ballot along with a write-in candidate space. A similar situation recently arose during Assemblymember Lori Wilson’s election to the State Assembly. Ms. Wilson’s name appeared on the ballot, and a challenger from Brentwood did mount a write-in campaign against her, although unsuccessfully.
Ms. Shaw’s recent membership in the Rotary Club of Oakley is a significant concern. Currently, Joshua McMurray, City Manager, is a member of the Rotary Club of Oakley, as is Councilmember Aaron Meadows. Hugh Henderson, an election candidate for the City Council in District 2, is a member of the Rotary Club of Oakley. If Ms. Shaw is appointed to the council and Mr. Henderson wins his election bid, three Oakley City Council members and the Oakley City Manager would sit in during the Club meetings where discussions of City business takes place. Combining the four in the Rotary Club of Oakley violates the Brown Act of California in my opinion. In addition, the circumstances are in place for an Oakley cabal to form. I have attached a copy of an article about the difficulties Anaheim experienced with a cabal.
My experience with the Rotary Club of Oakley was not pleasant. Bryan Montgomery, the then City Manager of Oakley, and David Wahl, a resident of Brentwood, formed the Club, and I became a member. When I announced I was running for election to the City Council, I received information concerning Mr. Montgomery’s behavior as City Manager, especially concerning an infamous relationship with his Assistant to the City Manager, Nancy Marquez. I published the report. David Wahl, along with Vera Martinez, a Brentwood resident and president of the Club at the time, demanded I retract the information, saying it was not true of Mr. Montgomery. The two threatened me with Club sanctions if I did not remove the information. I did not squish to their oppressive and authoritarian demands, and the two removed me, along with the support of Club members, from membership in the Club. Now it is readily apparent that Bryan Mongomery’s conduct as City Manager left something to be desired, and, yes, a relationship with Ms. Marquez true.
During this time, Mr. Montgomery hired Dean Capeletti as Chief of Police. Mr. Capeletti became a member of the Rotary Club of Oakley. Within two weeks of Mr. Capeletti’s arrival in Oakley, Mr. Capeletti established he was a philanderer. He did so by forming a sexual liaison with one of his subordinates. Fortunately, Mr. McMurray dealt with Mr. Capellti’s conduct, and Mr. Capeletti is no longer a community member. There is no doubt in my mind that Mr. Wahl, and other Rotary Club members of Oakley, will attempt to intimidate Mr. McMurray, along with Shaw, Meadows, or Henderson, if they do not follow “the will of Rotary.”
I firmly believe the members of District 4 should be allowed to choose their council member come November 8, 2022. That District 4 residents have an opportunity to consider the above and see if they agree with Ms. Shaw being on the council dais. I will vote to keep Ms. Shaw’s name on the ballot. It is the American Way.
Now would be time to contact other City Council members to voice your opinions on the appointment of Ms. Shaw to the dais.
https://fullerforoakley.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/cabal-in-Anaheim-3.pdf
Allegations paint picture of influential cabal in Anaheim politics – Orange County Register (ocregister.com)
George Fuller, MPA, MA
City Councilmember, City of Oakley, CA
