Thanks but no thanks

Sean Kirwan

At the end of Mayor Sherri M. Butterfield’s State of the City Report,

she thanks all those who have helped contribute to her town’s success,

with one notable exception.

“I am grateful to Tom Potocki, to Bill Craycraft and to Susan Withrow

for their advice, their help, their patience and forbearance, their

encouragement and their support,” the speech said.

But what about fellow council member John Paul Ledesma?

“The speech is intended to be a sincere and honest appraisal,”

Butterfield said when asked about the omission. “I am thanking those who

I think have contributed to making the city better and to all of the good

things in the State of the City. I think all of the accomplishments are

incredible, and I’m thanking my colleagues and staff for all of the

effort that they have put forward to make all of these things possible,”

Relations between Ledesma and the rest of the council have been

strained since a lawsuit was filed against Butterfield, Potocki,

Craycraft and Withrow accusing them of violating California’s

open-meeting law during a closed-session meeting April 19.

Ledesma’s affidavit said he was berated during the closed session by

the other members about two proposals that were not placed on the City

Council’s agenda. That action is the focus of the pending suit.

Ledesma said it is no shock that he was not thanked by Butterfield for

his contributions to the city.

“This doesn’t surprise me,” Ledesma said. “I definitely think it’s a

little lack of professionalism.”