Antithesis of a "Team Player:" Mayor McCloud

The Record of Mayor McCloud, April 2000-June 2006

As mayor of Carmel-by-the-Sea, Mayor Sue McCloud has been so unable to cooperate and collaborate as a team-player that she has resorted to terminating one commissioner, dissolving two commissions and forcing the resignations of four commission and board members.

1. October 2000: Mayor McCloud instigated the termination of Planning Commissioner Allan Paterson for his criticism, "Recently you have manipulated the Planning Commission down from 7 to 5...I do not appreciate that. Design Traditions is a visionary landmark piece of planning legislation...Do not micromanage it at this time...before it has a chance to start working. The Steering Committee and the Planning Commission have made their recommendations. Please respect them! How can we continue to have confidence in your leadership if you behave in this autocratic way?"

Note: Ironically, at that time, Mayor McCloud said that she had “no indication that he would be a ‘team player.’” In psychology, that’s called “projection.”

2. 2002: Protesting “the erosion and minimization of all commissions in the City. Over the past two years, all of these city bodies have been weakened or relatively ignored,” Community & Cultural Commission Member Antonia Verleye resigned from the Community & Cultural Commission.

3. 2004: Mayor McCloud instigated the dissolving of the Community & Cultural Commission largely due to the Member’s independent and critical comments about the proposed lease agreement with Sunset Cultural Center, Inc. McCloud proposed the combining the Community & Cultural Commission with the Community Activities & Recreation Commission, forming the new Community Activities & Cultural Commission.

4. June 2006: In her letter of resignation, Carmel Art Board Member Eleen Auvil stated, “We are treated like school kids and must be chaperoned in case we might make a decision concerning art,” she wrote. “In my opinion, a good working committee is needed in Carmel to remind the city and citizens that our heritage is from the early artists. That won’t happen as long as the tight control is in place.” And in Margot Petit Nichol’s letter of resignation, she wrote “I am saddened and frustrated by this stasis,” adding that the city council failed to consult CAB before deciding some art-related matters.

5. June 2006: Mayor McCloud dissolved the Community Traffic Safety Commission citing the commission “members were also “getting all into projects that had no approval at the council level.” Commissioner Tom Conmy expressed disappointment and frustration. “It’s too bad, because it’s a good commission, and I think we did a lot of good things,” he said. “Why they want to change it, I don’t know.”

In short, from April 2000 to June 2006, under the auspices of Mayor Sue McCloud, there have been 4 resignations due to disaffection and 11 terminations, either as an individual or entire commissions.