JJ Gasparotti is misguided; his conclusions are based on false premises. After reading Billy Fried’s imaginative but fact-free columns, he decided that Weiss was a bully. Numerous residents have proved Fried to be nothing more than a storyteller.
His pronouncements are groundless; he never provides facts when called out.
Gasparotti then proclaims that twice Weiss went into Dupuis’ office, pounded the table and yelled at her.
Both of those instances are he said/she said. Apparently, only Weiss and Dupuis were present for one of them. Weiss denies the allegations. The second included Dupuis’s subordinate – the man whose professional reputation she rehabilitated.
Of course he wouldn’t deny her version of events, and Weiss again denies them – so another he said/she said.
Gasparotti dismisses all other allegations Dupuis made – the ones that would provide some factual basis for the actual discrimination complaint that was the subject of the investigation. He had no choice – even the investigator didn’t believe the discrimination complaint.
It was convenient for Fried to ignore Dupuis’ now discredited central allegations because the investigator decided that other less significant ones were true. Also interesting is that the findings in the report are advisory. Council declined to adopt the report – another evasion of accountability and transparency.
We are left with flimsy accusations by Dupuis that Weiss publicly criticized her in his newsletters, at council meetings and in emails to her while he should have done it privately. Hm.
If the council majority is allowed to heap praise on Dupuis, which no one has claimed was illegal, then isn’t Weiss allowed to question her actions publicly? If both are personnel matters, but according to Fried’s reasoning, only words of praise are permitted, nothing critical of her or her decisions. Sadly, Weiss was the only councilmember who called out her many missteps and abuses of office – Ti Amo property acquisition without an appraisal or divulging that it was to be used for another purpose, the very corrupt attempted deal with the Presbyterian Church for a “bad deal” parking structure, many “studies” by consultants ignoring the direction of City Council, the handling of the May 2 invasion of Hotel Laguna. Those are just a few of many examples.
Gasparotti is misguided.
Dupuis’ allegations are flimsy and unsubstantiated and were meant to punch her ticket out. The council majority gifted her a retirement deal potentially costing residents millions without giving Weiss his due process.
That’s what Gasparotti should be crying about.
Michèle Monda, Laguna Beach
