HomeMy WebLinkAbout7/7/2020 Item 08, McCarthy
From:William McCarthy <
To:E-mail Council Website
Subject:Public Comment for Item #8 - City Council Meeting - July 7, 2020
Madame Mayor, Distinguished Council Members, and Community Members:
I am writing to you today to express my opinion regarding Dr. James Papp’s resignation recommendation by this body. Please place
this email in public comment regarding this action. I would ask that it be read during the meeting if time allows and, if time does not
allow, that it be placed in the minutes of the July 7, 2020 meeting.
I have reviewed the documentation presented in the council’s packet and have asked Dr. Papp for a written account of his position on
this matter. Dr. Papp emailed me his account and I have reviewed it as well.
I know Dr. Papp both personally and professionally and have worked with him in various capacities at several local institutions.
I also know that he can, at times, be hard to work with.
Hard, but not impossible. And most of the time I haven’t even found him even disagreeable, to be honest.
Dr. Papp is an incredibly knowledgeable resource and our community is better because he has been willing to use his knowledge,
resources and time serving on our local committees. Replacing the knowledge lost if he was forced to resign would be virtually
impossible.
Dr. Papp is passionate about this community, his work, and protecting our historical treasures. Sometimes his passion can be
interpreted as combative and I understand that. But his heart is absolutely in the right place. I believe we are fortunate to have him in
our community and taking hard lines on protecting these treasures.
I would ask that Dr. Papp not be asked to resign from this position. We need him in this role. As a community, we are stronger with him
advocating for our history and the preservation of this history.
It appears this conflict is more about communication styles between parties. Instead of asking him to resign, perhaps the Council would
consider a more measured approach that would include some monitored communications between the parties in an effort to get past
these immediate issues.
It would be a real tragedy to force Dr. Papp to resign without exhausting additional efforts to bring the parties together.
Thank you for your consideration in this matter and my best to each of you.
William McCarthy
San Luis Obispo
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