Times: Hercules mayor abruptly resigns, citing family reasons
— by Jeffrey Wisniewski — 12 January 2011 — 10 comments below »
Tom Lochner reports…
Balico’s resignation did not spare him the indignity, moments later, of being served with a notice of intention to recall by resident Dan Romero on behalf of the group Hercules Recall. The notice, which Romero also served on Councilman Don Kuehne and Councilwoman Joanne Ward, accuses the trio of failed leadership resulting in “an unprecedented financial crisis,” and of “a long trail of misdeeds” including their role in awarding several million dollars of no-bid contracts to a company owned by Oliva’s family. It also accuses the three of supporting “questionable ‘sweetheart’ development deals” that have depleted the city’s redevelopment funds.
As Romero read Kuehne his notice, Kuehne tore up his copy and tossed it into the air; seconds later, Balico told Romero his three minutes at the podium were up. Later in the meeting, Kuehne said he had drafted a response earlier, but he did not read it, citing the lateness of the hour. On Saturday, he had told Bay Area News Group in an e-mail, “The grounds for recall are vague and inaccurate. There are no specific charges of illegal activity, conflict of interest or misappropriation of city funds. I have carefully avoided even the appearance of impropriety in my dealings with the City, relationships with fellow Council members, and my work as an engineer in the private sector. I believe there is no valid reason for including me in this recall drive.”
Apparently Kuehne doesn’t understand that doing a bad job is grounds for recall (not just illegal activity or appearances of impropriety). The report included a photo:
Photo: Dean Coppola / CC Times
Well done Mr. Kuehne. Nice to see you have an opinion.
Kuehne’s ‘move’ at the meeting sealed it for me……he needs to be recalled. This kind of behavior is not what I want representing me at City Hall. I really do believe that both Kuehne and Ward have totally forgotten their role in Hercules politics……to be the voice of the people of the community that they serve. They are NOT the voice of the community, and they both need to be replaced. Let us not forget that we also need to replace City Attorney ASAP. Tomorrow is not soon enough !
Don Kuehne shows his contempt for the people of Hercules and for the democratic process. That act alone is enough for me to want to recall him.
It is about time Balico saw the light and quit …….. Good Bye …….. and thanks for not approving a hot dog vendor at Home Depot
Family reasons?? He has included all his kids the best way he can to benefit from all his business dealings in this city and he’s claiming this as the reason for stepping down? Glad you stepped down but you are not off the hook yet brother.
Looking at the photo of Kuehne ripping up the recall notice and looking at his horrendous combover (seriously Don – that hairstyle is so 70′s) just makes me ill. He needs to be OUT. I hope the recall is not stopped just because Balico finally resigned. I always chuckle when a politician steps down for “family reasons”. What a joke. Both Kuehne and Ward need to go.
Volunteers are needed! Can you be a block captain? We need 2800 signatures for each person by Feb 15th. Petitions can be downloaded from the website. There will be a meeting Jan 22 at City Hall from 11 to 1 where you can sign, turn in, or obtain petitions. Please join us!
@ Susan Keefe- How about a drive thru petition signing event in the Home Depot parking lot (since it usually has lots of empty space) on a Saturday. Publicize it in advance, and I think it would be quick fast and painless to drive thru and sign while sitting in your car. I would be willing to help out for a few hours doing something like that etc
I will be signing the petition to recall Mr. Kuehne and Mrs. Ward. I want those people out of my city now!!!!!!! Hell I could have done a better job then those losers did!!!!
There should be a website dedicated to recalling these people with more information about why they should be recalled to get the citizens of Hercules interested!!
# STisaG
http://www.herculesrecall.com/