Three members of the Cypress City Council gathered in the executive board room at the City Hall on Thursday for a special meeting ostensibly empaneled to discuss the status of City Manager Peter Grant.
Just outside of Grant’s office at 2 p.m. on a workday, a standing room only throng of citizens gathered within the executive conference room along with Mayor David Burke, Mayor Pro-tem Leo Medrano, and Council member Kyle Chang and city attorney Fred Galante for the special session called within the two-day notice requirement.
The meeting agenda said the closed session was called for a “Public Employee Performance Evaluation pursuant to Government Code Section 54957 Title: City Manager.”
Council members Bonnie Peat and Scott Minikus did not attend.
“I think a lot of people have expressed complete uncertainty about why this meeting was called,” said Burke, who hinted there could be confidential information that could not yet be disclosed to the public, yet required “closed session” discussion.
“As you know, we’re very constrained in the extent to which we can discuss closed session matters,” said Burke.
“I can tell you there is a very good reason I called this meeting, and I’m hoping that maybe in the future I can figure out, within the legal constraints, a way to convey what that is,” the mayor said to a hushed room.
“I will say that we all certainly believe in being open with you about the reasons we’re doing what we do,” said Burke.
While the public was locked out of the actual closed session discussion, the assembled public included many of Grant’s supporters, including three former Mayors, on hand to make sure the three Council members understood how they felt about the city manager.
While there was no overt implication of Grant in the Mayor’s remarks, the testimony from a room full of supporters made it clear that the residents believe there could be trouble amiss at city hall and they wanted no part of it.
Neither Grant nor has the city yet made any statements about the assertion by former Director of Public Works Doug Dancs that Grant should be fired for cause, citing his witnessing of unspecified “unlawful acts of misconduct” by the City Manager.
The city has instead paid Dancs his remaining salary for 2024, plus a settlement of $183,000. Dancs is now retired and has made no public statement since suggesting in open session that Grant be fired
Nevertheless, at least one of Grant’s supporters made it clear to the three Council members gathered for the special session Thursday that they see Dancs as little more than a disgruntled employee who is no longer employed by the city and the affair now over.
Before the closed session began, the public was given a chance to speak during the open communications section of the meeting.
“What happened last year between the Director of Public Works and the City Manager, I consider that a closed matter,” said Brooke Nafarrete.
She suggested the $183,000 settlement, paid with taxpayer funds, was just a pittance of 1.23 percent of his salary if considered as a “severance” payment, given his many years of service to the city.
“In the private sector, we consider that ($183,000) nuisance money,” she said.
Nafarrete said she trusts the prior council, saying, “had it (Grant’s offense) been super serious, I know they would have done the right thing.”
Many of Grant’s allies simply pointed to accomplishments by the city manager as evidence of his efficiency.
“I just don’t get it,” said former Mayor Paulo Morales. “Show me the evidence,” he said, “show me where the problem is.”
He said under Grant’s tenure, the city’s budget has expanded by 20 percent, and the city’s financial reserve is now $215 million.
“It is the city manager who oversees the directors that he hires,” said Morales, noting that even during the COVID-19 pandemic, Cypress, under Grant’s leadership, managed to deliver services to residents.
Former Council member Frances Marque asked if the meeting was being recorded. “This meeting should be recorded,” she said. City officials said there is no recording facility in the executive conference room.
Since all the items dealt with closed session items, they were not recorded, they said.
“When I couldn’t make special meetings, and the Council knew it that I couldn’t make the meeting and moved on with the meeting anyway,” she said.
In a Facebook message posted by Peat that was addressed to Burke, Medrano and Council member Kyle Chang, she said, among things, the date for the Grant evaluation had already been set.
“At our July 14 meeting, the council agreed to discuss this agenda topic at a closed door session on August 25,” said Peat in the post. Peat also informed the public she and Minikus could not attend the special meeting because of “prior commitments.”
Interestingly, the date mentioned in Peat’s Facebook post had not been publicly revealed, suggested resident Marilyn Reames.
She recalled the city attorney’s report out of a closed session on July 14 that included no such information that was in the Facebook post issued by Peat the night before last Thursday’s meeting.
Reames recalled a closed session item on July 14, saying “there were two items, one being litigation and the other was listed as “employee performance evaluation…city manager. I went back and printed everything and listened to the city attorney’s report at the meeting but could not find any mention of the Aug. 25 date,” she said.
“That was it, all there was,” she said, “so I got to wondering why it’s getting disseminated in a public Facebook post,” she wondered.
“I don’t understand it,” said Reames, “in my little world, this shouldn’t even have been put out there, we shouldn’t even have known about this if this was discussed at a closed session.”
“I guess I don’t get it, but it is concerning to me,” she said.
Kelly Kay said, “I’m a young mother and I could be anywhere in the country or the state to live, but I choose Cypress because it’s such a wonderful place to live. “
“I don’t understand these serious attacks against him (Grant),” she said, “it seems to be so manufactured. I’m concerned because I don’t know what kind of individual could possibly replace Peter Grant,” she said.
“I think he is doing an amazing job,” she said.
In addition to Morales, three other former mayors showed up in the executive conference room to defend Grant, including Anne Hertz Mallari, Rob Johnson and Mariellen Yarc.
“Tonight’s item is listed as a performance evaluation of the city manager,” she said, “but it is no secret that this could be a vote to terminate his employee,” she said.
“That possibility, especially at a special meeting with only three members present, deserves serious scrutiny,” said Mallari. “This process puts the city at risk legally, financially and reputationally,” the former Mayor said.
“He’s not a perfect guy but one thing he is smart,” said Yarc, “and he is successful with his projects and with what he does.”
Yarc stopped short of questioning the three council members, but said “I am questioning some motives, but mostly because you are new and that this meeting was supposed to happen after the summer break, when everyone will be here.”
Yarc said the meeting was called with only a two-day notice, and after serving eight years on the Council, “I can’t think of ever having a two-day notice, and we had some big things going on.”
“We’re going to fire or give him money or whatever knowing that two of the council members who are not usually on their side are not available, I think that is wrong,” she said.
“I urge you guys to reconsider,” said Johnson, noting that the council earlier had given Grant a golden parachute if terminated, including at least one full year’s salary.If Grant is fired, “that’s $400,000 you’re going to have to pay him, plus who knows if anything on top of that,” he said.
He too expressed concern at the two-day notice of the meeting, saying with his experience as Mayor, Chairman of the Cypress Festival Committee, AYSO, Chamber of Commerce and other organizations, “I’ve never had a meeting where we’ve had a two-day notice, especially without my full board present.”
Several other citizens like Vanessa Burtle expressed support of Grant, saying in multiple ways that the city was doing fine under Grant, so why change?
“It’s not broken,” said Burtle, “and I just want to make sure to remind you that there’s nothing wrong with our city.”
Though she did not name a Council member, Burtle said “I told him when he was running that all I ask it to keep the interests of Cypress first so I really hope this has nothing to do with any personal agenda.”
Matt Burton, Director of Finance and 24-year management executive, said he had sent an email earlier in the day to the City Council on behalf of the employees explaining why “we fully support Peter Grant.”
He asked the Council to revisit recent surveys and other criteria “before making any decisions on this matter.”
“We hear you, we appreciate you, and I hope we can find a way to provide more clarity in the future,” said Mayor Burke.
With that said, residents were asked to leave so that the Council could hold its executive session, after which the city attorney the Council had taken no action and the discussion would resume on August 25 in closed session.