Incivility and personal attacks 

Kellie Myrick's opinion piece in the Dec. 14 New Times ("Not a team player") is simply another character assassination containing the same old stories perpetrated by persons who are uncomfortable with the positive, community enhancing ideas brought to the Oceano Community Services District (OCSD) by a new majority of directors.

There's an old saying that "a lie can run a mile before the truth gets its shoes on."

While I am accused of being the entire problem and cause of all things wrong at the OCSD, the unfortunate history of the district has been one of mismanagement and corruption since its founding until general managers like Paavo Ogren and board directors like Matthew Guerro provided new guidelines, policies, and safeguards that put the district on much more secure ground and financial stability. I want to keep it that way.

Here are the brief facts related to the topics presented by Myrick:

1. Oceano is an ideologically divided community when it comes to the best uses of our beach, our airport, vacation rentals, sidewalks and safe streets, and recreational opportunities. We all agree that safe water, emergency medical and fire services, garbage services, and a financially stable CSD are very important. There is a well-organized presence that has no qualms about disrupting meetings, making threats, behaving uncivilly, and seeking to bully others into accepting their point of view. They are all over the county—at city council and SLO County Board of Supervisors meetings, at school board meetings attacking elected officials with escalated incivility

2. I never promoted the idea of Grover Beach annexing Oceano. I did say that, in a situation where Oceano residents want more local control and services that the county is not providing, there may be some advantage to join with Grover Beach. This is not a new idea and has come up many times in the past decades. Three OCSD board directors voted that the idea was bad and should not even be talked about in any form or at any level. That's majority politics.

3. A majority of directors created some new OCSD bylaws because the old ones allowed three directors to dictate agenda content and allowed the general manager to have more authority to determine the agenda items than the elected directors. Now two directors can put an item on the agenda as can the president. That creates more inclusion and fairness and has been frequently used by the two minority directors to promote their ideas. That's fair politics.

4. I do believe in and advocate for a vehicle-free beach in Oceano. I also believe that the airport land should be redeveloped into uses that benefit and enhance the community for all, not just a wealthy class of private pilots. The OCSD has no authority over those issues, and I have never sought to put it on the agenda or raise it for discussion. For some Oceano residents, these beliefs are sufficient for them to personally attack and malign me. That's uncivil politics.

5. The OCSD's legal counsel didn't provide a reason for quitting. The facts are that OCSD staff and attorneys did not share information of internal fraud and embezzlement with the directors for four months, until the last meeting of the old board. And then this information was not shared with the new directors for nine months. The directors are ultimately responsible for the well-being of the district, and the legal counsel works for the directors. This is why I reported the embezzlement to the SLO County District Attorney's Office.

6. I did not violate the Brown Act or inappropriately disclose confidential information. The law is very clear that no provision of the Brown Act relating to closed meetings can be used to cover up illegal, criminal, or unethical behavior nor can a person who exposes such behavior from a closed session be prosecuted because they are doing the right thing. I had the right and obligation to disclose that information.

7. Regarding the general manager, after I was elected director and before I took office, he came to the Nov. 9, 2022, closed session and announced at this meeting—for the very first time and four months after the fraud and embezzlement were discovered—that there had been a "small issue" with some money being taken, it had all been handled, and it was no longer a problem. The directors gave the general manager a positive performance review, gave him his raise and severance package. From the very moment of my election, the general manager saw me as an opponent and treated me and my ideas as such on a continuous basis. I did not create this. I had to deal with it.

8. Incivility, personal attacks, character assassination, lies, exaggerations, and manipulations are common strategies by those who criticize and threaten elected officials. The libelous accusations that I "browbeat and verbally attack women" are ludicrous and you will not find one moment of that on any meeting video. Disagree with a woman? Yes, that can happen—just like with a man. Politics is about resolving differences for the better good, and that happens best in a culture of civility.

9. Finally, when I called 911, it was because I was concerned for my personal safety and that of others. I had been threatened by a member of the public, warned him to back off, he refused, and I called the sheriff for assistance. The sheriff's deputy told me he made a decision not to intervene because he "did not want to risk the appearance of taking sides or a police state." Fortunately, the county Sheriff's Office considered this a very serious problem, launched an internal investigation, and the issue has hopefully been resolved.

The OCSD and community have a great opportunity for a fresh start with a new general manager, a new legal counsel, and new leadership dedicated to civility and problem solving in a collaborative and mutually respectful organizational culture. This won't happen overnight, but I am committed to supporting it in every way I can. Δ

Charles Varni was recently appointed as president of the OCSD board. Respond with a commentary or letter to the editor by emailing it to [email protected].