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HomeMy WebLinkAbout7/7/2020 Item 08, CooperSave Our Downtown ______________________________________________________________________________ Seeking to protect and promote the historical character, design, livability and economic success of downtown San Luis Obispo. To: San Luis Obispo City Council, Greg Hermann, Deputy City Manager and Teresa Purrington, City Clerk Re: July 7, 2020 Meeting; Consent Agenda Item #8 - As recommended by the Council Subcommittee Liaison Members Christianson and Pease, approve the removal of James Papp from the Cultural Heritage Committee From: Allan Cooper, Secretary Save Our Downtown Date: July 1, 2020 Honorable Mayor and Council Members - It is important to bear in mind that you should not sacrifice transparency and accountability for the sake of expeditious time management. Therefore, I am urging one of you to ask at your July 7, 2020 meeting that Item #8 be removed from the Consent Agenda to allow for a more thorough and fair public hearing. Hopefully when you decide to do this, I am then urging you to please consider allowing Dr. James Papp to continue serving on the Cultural Heritage Committee through to the expiration of his term on April 1, 2023. There are multiple reasons why you should do this. 1.Dr. Papp has served ably on this committee for five years starting on April 13, 2015. 2.By unanimous vote (7-0), Dr. Papp was elected chair of the CHC on April 24, 2017. He served ably as chair for two years through to June 24, 2019. 3.On March 17, 2019, Mr. Papp was reappointed by the Council to the Cultural Heritage Committee for a term expiring on April 1, 2023. 4.Again, by unanimous vote (6-0-1), Dr. Papp was re-elected chair at the April 27, 2020 meeting. 5.Dr. Papp is one of only two historians serving on the CHC and he is the only architectural historian serving on the CHC. 6.Your staff report states that “At various times over the past 18 months, especially over the past several months, the Council Subcommittee Liaisons have met with Mr. Papp regarding concerns about adversarial interactions during Cultural Heritage Committee meetings.” This is simply not true. Mr. Papp has informed me that the only time he has met with staff regarding his conduct at these CHC meetings was back in 2017 when he was first elected chair and again in 2020 when he was unceremoniously asked to resign. 7.The updated 2018 Advisory Body Handbook states that “If differences cannot be resolved, consider consulting with the appropriate individual/s next in line in the “chain of command”: 1) Staff Liaison or Chair, 2) the Department Head, 3) City Manager or Council Liaison.” In this instance, Dr. Papp neither met with his Department Head nor with the City Manager to discuss or resolve these “perceived" concerns. 8.Apparently some concern was expressed by Council members Pease and Christianson relative to the meeting of April 27, 2020 when the CHC was reviewing the delisting of 778, 782, 786 and 799 Higuera Street. Having watched this meeting in its entirety on the Public Access Channel, I can testify to the fact that Dr. Papp was neither angry nor disagreeable when presenting his position on this project or any other project for that matter. He was indeed persistent (if not disagreeable) in presenting his views relative to 778, 782, 786 and 799 Higuera Street because his views resulted from his impressive and thorough research of the history of this structure. He determined that the developer’s consultant, Mr. Pavlik, was wrong on a number of points and this clarification was a necessary part of making the ultimate decision which at the following meeting resulted in allowing 782, 786 and 799 Higuera Street to remain on the contributing list of historical resources. 9.Per the guidelines enumerated in the Advisory Body Handbook, “If friction develops, individuals should make every attempt to clarify differences and make certain that clear communication is taking place.” There is no question that thanks to Dr. Papp, “clear communication” was taking place. Most of this “clear communication” centered on attaining a better understanding of the Secretary of Interior Standards for Rehabilitation. Contrary to Council members Pease and Christianson, this “clear communication” did not take the form of “advocacy” but rather of “adjudication”. 10.Finally, I have heard that certain members of the Council are promoting the idea of reducing the number of members serving on the CHC from 7 to 5. Given the fact that these committee members receive no remuneration for their time and trouble, this cannot be interpreted as a cost saving strategy. However, reducing the number of members will only make it harder to insure that projects affecting the historical fabric of San Luis Obispo will receive the level of review they deserve. Thank you!