In yet another closed session meeting, the Morro Bay City Council majority on Nov. 12 followed through with initiating a separation agreement for City Manager Andrea Lueker , a 27-year-long employee of the city. Council members George Leage and Nancy Johnson opposed the termination. In the same session, the council voted unanimously to formally approve the termination of City Attorney Rob Schultz, nearing the end of a contentious process that’s drawn the ire of a very vocal segment of the community. “You guys are all drunk with power. This is going to leave a lasting black cloud on this city,” resident Kathy Wells told the council majority in public comment. “You are just awful—just plain frickin’ awful.” Other residents contended that it was time for a “new direction” for the city administration. Both Lueker and Schultz made just more than $150,000 in annual salary, and their nine-month severance packages will amount to about $114,000 each. Lueker will continue to manage the city while her departure is negotiated.
This article appears in Nov 14-21, 2013.