Happy New Year! I am optimistic 2011 will be kinder to us all when compared with 2010.With that optimism, let me take a moment to reflect on this blog -- past, present, and future.PAST
I originally started this blog to publicly expose the truth and seek justice. I wanted citizens to know the real truth about the O'Brics -- understand their lies and the damage they inflict on the innocent. I wanted those that ran for office with MOB influence and agendas to be exposed and judged with that understanding. I wanted people to know that there were no operational problems with the City of Woodway, that in fact it has a verifiable history as a very well run and financially responsible municipality. I wanted justice for the wrongful portrayal of Yost Zachary, for the dishonest misinformation that past councils acted contrary to the best interest of citizens.
PRESENT
In some measure, I believe most of these goals have been realized or show progress. Because of that, I took a leave of "blogging absence" to allow time for contemplation. My public service history for the city has been one of positive action and energy, yet the past year felt more like a court trial with me as one of the defendants. With the vindication of Yost and admission by a couple of the new council members they made mistakes in their understanding and representation of the truth, our city government seems headed in the right direction. Regretfully the O'Brics, after costing the citizens $68,000 plus and damaging many innocent reputations, have yet to offer any proof for their wild allegations. In fact they have yet to show up for a court requested deposition to provide such evidence. Additionally, one council member has yet to acknowledge his relationship with the O'Brics. On the positive side, I believe everyone involved with the city-- employees, councilmen, and citizens -- seem encouraged about the future. That leaves me with a fundamental question -what role can I play in the future?
FUTURE
I want to be a positive force for the City of Woodway - a place I love, people I care for. To do that, I need to share one last piece of promised information to complete my writings of 2010. I need to document, for historical sake, the OBs connection to Gil Lillard. That must be exposed for the sake of truth. Once done, anyone who wants to review future council decisions that affect the OBs or their claims, will have complete knowledge of OB influence. A second task will be to ask the seated council for updates on their investigation of Karen O'Bric. Lingering since before Yost's investigation, the city has yet to decisively deal with KOB's investigation. This is something the council must do to prove that they act equitably with every employee and not discriminatory. Finally, I have been asked to serve on a charter review committee for the city. I am pleased to be a part of this group and pledge to work in the best interest of the city and citizens. I hope future blogs can be used to discuss items concerning the charter. I am honored to be asked, and will be honored to serve on this group.
FINAL CHAPTER of OB INFLUENCE
The total of my blogs for 2010 seem like a book without a needed epilogue. I have promised on a couple of occasions to reveal additional information about OB influence on those newly elected to the city council. So with my first blog of 2011, let me complete the writings 0f 2010.
By law, all candidates must file financial reports listing any donors to their campaign. There are established rules with filing deadlines dependent on the exact circumstances. Regardless of interpretation, the very last date to file a pledge report was July 15th. That is the day Gil Lillard filed his report. Upon review of his report, a curious pattern emerged. All listed donor amounts include pennies - no whole dollar amounts. So what? People, with rare exception, do not give donations with pennies involved. People write checks for whole dollar amounts, they give whole dollar cash amounts. More importantly, when you see pennies listed on a donation, it usually reflects a divided donation - in other words, that person donated a larger amount to a group or cause who in turn divides it into smaller amounts spread among different candidates that support their views. I know because I received such a donation from the group "Citizens for Good Woodway Government". Not only that, but according to election laws, groups that give meaningful donation amounts to candidates are suppose to file a contribution report of their own. Good or bad, "Citizens for Good Woodway Government" did not contribute to Gil's campaign by their own public filing. The only other group that financially supported candidates was Michael O'Bric's group " Woodway Citizens Concerned for Good City Government". Unfortunately MOB's group, to my knowledge, has refused to file the required contribution report. Per Michael O'Bric himself, his group was made up of 12 or so unnamed individuals who supported all the challengers. So connecting the dots, I will tell you Gil took support from MOB's group during his campaign for office, denied any affiliation with MOB, then waited until the last minute to file his report. By listing the individual donors verses the group "Woodway Citizens Concerned for Good City Government", Gil hoped to fulfill the legal requirement without acknowledging the OB affiliation.
Okay, there you have the final revelation of the past. Pressing forward, I will focus on the charter review committee and how we can improve things meaningfully.
