HomeMy WebLinkAbout7/7/2020 Item 08, Taylor
Clerk, Intern
From:Patti Taylor <
To:E-mail Council Website
Subject:Council agenda item #8
Dear Mayor Harmon and City Council members,
I am in support of City Council’s Subcommittee Liaison Members recommendation proposal to approve the removal of
James Papp from the Cultural Heritage Committee (CHC).
City Council members, you are to be commended for the courage and forthright concern that it took to consider the
removal of James Papp from the CHC.
Years ago (2012-2015), I was on the SLO County History Center (HC) Board of Directors when James Papp arrived in town
and he was introduced as a friend of the then History Center Director. In the beginning I was led to believe he was an
“art collector” from NYC and a past professor of English literature. While living SLO he has been a self employed tour
guide for a year or two, then called himself a co-curator and today he is referenced as an “architectural
historian”. Never did know a lot about his past or what he did for a living prior to coming to SLO.
During this same time, I was also a member of the CHC. Bob Pavlik served as Chair. It was a treasured experience and
honor to have worked for 3 years with everyone on the CHC.
During those years I became uncomfortable and concerned with some of the behavioral actions of James Papp and the
then HC Director. After due consideration, I resigned from the HC (along with others).
A few weeks later, when I learned that James Papp was going to be joining the CHC, I also resigned from the CHC.
Those were difficult roads to travel, but today after reading how others describe their experiences with the current CHC
chair, it clearly was the right road to undertake.
There is reasonable cause when a CHC chair is described as: “arrogant, pompous, pontificates, extends beyond the CHC’s
purview, obstructive, authoritarian, dictator, bullies and adversarial.” Those descriptive words were extracted from
various support letters favoring removal of James Papp from the CHC.
On the positive side, those descriptive words can be realized as indicators that the removal recommendation before you
tonight is not about “disagreeing with others” or about losing the “freedom to express oneself”, it is primarily about the
CHC chair’s improper personal behavioral conduct towards others. The goal should be to foster good will, not tear it
apart and allow discord to prevail.
Many community members support you in approving the removal recommendation before you tonight. It too has been
a difficult road for you to travel in support of maintaining the integrity component of the CHC and our SLO community.
Thank you for your consideration,
Patti Taylor
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