Longtime SLO County resident April Dury is gunning for a spot on the Oceano Community Services District (OCSD) board of directors this November, but a decades-old felony embezzlement conviction is clouding her calls for improved transparency, accountability, and fiscal responsibility.
In October 1999, Dury pleaded guilty to a felony embezzlement charge while working as a bookkeeper for an animal hospital in Reno, Nevada. In the plea memorandum, which was provided to New Times by the Second Judicial District Court of Washoe County, Dury admitted to using a nearly $7,000 check from the animal hospital for reasons other than its intended purpose. When Dury was initially arrested and booked into Washoe County jail in May 1999, the Reno Gazette-Journal reported that she was suspected of taking more than $20,000 from the animal hospital that employed her for 18 months.
Dury said she served about a year and a half in prison before she was released on a five-year parole, and, according to court documents, she was ordered to pay more than $37,000 in restitution. The experience, she said, helped shape the better person she is today.
“I’ve never denied it,” Dury told New Times. “I’ve been completely open and honest about it. It’s my past. I made a horrible, horrible decision that I’ve paid the price for.”
Although Dury wouldn’t say exactly what went into her decision to steal from the animal hospital—she said she didn’t want to attempt to “justify” the crime—that time in her life was a rough patch. Roughly 30 years old at the time, Dury said she was living far from home and had recently gone through a difficult breakup.
“I was literally at my end financially, emotionally, everything,” Dury said between tears. “I lived in a different state with no one around for support.”
Still, she said, “there’s no good reason” for what she did.
After she was released from Florence McClure Women’s Correctional Center in Nevada, Dury said she finished out her parole in SLO County. Although a parole officer told her that she could work in the finance industry again, Dury said she didn’t think she’d ever get hired with a felony on her record.
Then a friend told her about an opening as a bookkeeper; she applied and was offered the job immediately following her interview. She told the company about her record and, to her surprise, they gave her a chance. She’s been working in bookkeeping ever since, and has used her knowledge to point out other questionable financial activity locally.
Dury said she had a hand in the discovery that former OCSD General Manger Tom Gealsen had wrongfully taken more than $30,000 from the district, which he was ordered to give back in 2013, and brought to light similarly shady financing in Los Osos.
“At what point is it my responsibility to go, ‘OK, how can I use this for good now? How can I advocate for people who don’t understand what I do for a living, who don’t see where stuff could be hiding or missing?'” Dury said. “And that’s my skill now that I’ve honed over time and I use it for that.”
Dury has been actively involved in local government for nearly a decade, and in this year’s election, she’s running against incumbents Linda Austin, Shirley Gibson, and Cynthia Replogle, and newcomers Barney Foster and Reo Cordes. Dury said she’s served on various advisory committees for the OCSD and sanitation district, she regularly attends OCSD and local City Council meetings, and she’s long been frustrated by the lack of transparency among local public officials. The average citizen can’t really figure out how local jurisdictions are spending tax- and rate-payer dollars, which is why Dury said financial specialists like herself have had to get involved in the past. Dury said that needs to change.
Voters, she said, should be more focused on the real issues at hand and how she’s advocated for the SLO County community in the decades since 1999, rather than one mistake she made at one of the worst times in her life.
“This is my hometown, and I love it to death,” Dury said. “The difference is, I don’t have any buildings named after me and I didn’t inherit $5 million worth of beachfront property. So I’m just a little nobody. But I think that my work so far, even just on an advocate level, and the fact that I can talk issues about the OCSD and the purview of the OCSD eloquently and with back knowledge intimidates the opposition because they can’t do that. So what else is left? Throw up a 21-year-old story that has no bearing on today, for the sole purpose of shaming me and or trying to take money from me by me losing clients.”
“If I focus on what I did 21 years ago,” she continued, “when do I have the permission to continue my life and focus on things that really matter?” Δ
This article appears in The Awareness Issue.
I’m all for giving people a second chance. But, if you read similar accounts of insider embezzlement cases, the perp frequently did it before.
She served her time for her crime 2 decades ago and now spoke openly to The New Times about this. How exactly is that clouding her calls for transparency and accountability? It seems as if Ms. Bubnash wrote this article with the expectation of the candidate declining to comment or being unable to before deadline, especially given she gave her less than a day’s notice about it. Junk News
Once again, Kasey Bubnash decided to WAG THE TAIL FOR LIBERALS. I emailed evidence of April Dury’s criminal background and her CURRENT CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR to all the local media outlets, the Sheriff’s Office, The County Board of Supervisors. Nobody in SLO County is ever thoroughly vetted. SLO NEW TIMES decided AFTER I make a public video questioning Ms. April Dury aka:”Abril Para Oceano” about her past criminal history, and emailed this evidence of her current criminal behavior which includes stalking and hate crimes of public officials, minorities, veterans, and disabled ratepayers. The New Times SLO chose to spin the story in favor of a liberal candidate with a history of CURRENT violent and aggressive behavior which is widely known throughout the community of Oceano. Right now there are multiple attorneys from three separate injured parties reviewing a federal complaint for hate crimes against “Abril Para Oceano” and gal pals Cynthia Replogle and Julie Tacker. Too much lipstick…Bubnash. – The Rhodesian.
The OCSD has had convited felons on the board before — a single board member can not steal if good accounting controls are in place. Oh, but they can have conflicts of interest that benefit their properties. Linda Austin, the Board President, is currently under investigation by the Fair Political Practices Commission for conflicts of interest related to her votes at both OCSD and the Sanitation District that may have a material effect on at least one of her 25+ properties within the district. OCSD has hired convited felons to work in the office — actually handling the cash. They’ve had board members use the district as their personal piggy bank, with the GM covering their debt borrowed from the petty cash box. It was only recently they got a safe in the office. More than one OCSD board member is known to have used the district as a banking institution, cashing checks through the district office, rather than using a legitimate bank. At one time there were CD’s opened with district funds, but the statements were sent to a PO Box belonging to an employee using their maiden name. This district used to have cellphones and health insurance benefits for the directors, in direct conflict with state laws associated with board member compensation. There have been OCSD board members entanged in a prostitution rings, massage parlor shenangians, drunk driving, stealing water and filing lawsuits against the district, and winning gobs of money. But the real theft has been out in the open, hiring GM’s at exorbinent salereis, triggering the need for rate increases on the backs of the ratepayers. I know for a fact, that April Dury is opposed to the rate increase currently facing Oceano/Halcyon residents because it’s correcting the deficit spending for the Five Cities Fire Authority the voters of the district recently turned down.
Julie Tacker has made numerous frivolous complaints against me to the FPPC. The agency has to investigate complaints sent in. She is using FPPC for political reasons and her recent complaint she referred to me as Oceano Princess Silver Spoon. That should explain her ridiculous immature unprofessional reasons for her complaints. This article is not about me but Dury and Tacker insist on taking jabs at me in every venue. My record and standing in this community speaks for itself.
The OCSD has not entered into deficit spending. We did not borrow money and do not have to pay money back. We simply did what any fiscally responsible agency would do to protect the health and safety of it’s residents. We have reserves, money saved for rainy day you might say. We elected to keep the strategic plan in place for 2 years to ensure our residents have quality, rapid response for fire and medical emergencies. The vote was just a few short of 67.7% . In 2 years the community can vote again. The board voted 4-1 to protect our community, replogle voted no.
I am available if anyone has questions or needs more information. Facebook or Oceano residents can find me at my office. I’m available anytime.
Linda, Linda, Linda, the OCSD ABSOLUTELY is DEFICIT SPENDING. Drawing down the Facilities Fund to pay for fire when water and sewer funds were borrowed against to build the Sheriff’s station and still have not been paid back — is deficit spending!
You “elected to keep the (FCFA) strategic plan in place” in spite of a democratic vote that DID NOT give you the authority to spend down the facilities fund at $90K annually, until and if, you pass the next ballot measure. the people voted, you chose to ignore it and keep you communit at risk for “brown outs” at the station.
If my FPPC complaints were without merit, the FPPC would have tossed out over a year ago. Instead you keep voting on things that have a material effect on your personal properties. One can hardly turn around in that town without bumping into one of your properties.
Julie Tacker engaged in various conflicts of interest when she was on the Los Osos CSD.
Julie Tacker’s leadership on the LOCSD led to millions of dollars in bankruptcy, charting a course for Los Osos to ultimately forfeit control of the wastewater project.
Julie Tacker cost cities and towns over $70,000 in excessive and frivolous public records requests.
Julie Tacker was involved in a financial fraud scandal with Jeff Edwards (SOURCE: https://www.newtimesslo.com/sanluisobispo/…)
Julie Tacker was silent when her husband engaged in inappropriate behavior with an underaged girl (SOURCE: https://www.newtimesslo.com/sanluisobispo/…)
Julie Tacker threatened my family for writing about all these things and made false criminal complaints to law enforcement (SOURCE: https://medium.com/@aaronochs/julie-tacker…).
Julie Tacker should sit this one out.
Bubnash once again baits her inexperienced and self-deluded Millenial hook with a chummy and deceptive liberal spin wrapped in bacon. April Dury’s recent violent behavior, hate crimes, public stalking and bizarre threatening behavior towards local merchants, law enforcement, public officials and minority ratepayers is inexcusable. Bubnash just paved the way for a known convicted criminal and violent stalker to use fear to promote her twisted agenda. Aaron Ochs is correct.
Juley Tacker… I’m curious as to why you feel the need to poke your nose in Oceano politics. Your from Los Osos. I’ve had a conversation with you in the past, you’re still a loser. Go play in your own backyard, don’t be stinking up our town.
I live in Oceano, and I met April Dury when I started sporadically attending OCSD meetings. I only ever attended an OCSD meeting when there was something specific going on that drew my interest, but April Dury has been there, at every meeting I’ve ever attended. She’s informed about the issues and she brings an intelligent, questioning eye to the goings on of the OCSD. She cares enough to have attended meetings for years, even when she wasn’t running for office, and that’s saying something. I think she will make a great addition to the OCSD board. I have already voted for her. I wholeheartedly endorse her, if anyone else from Oceano is still trying to decide who to vote for I hope you’ll give her a chance.