Oakley City Council to vote on censure of Fuller, calling on him to resign

OAKLEY An Oakley councilmember is facing censure and a call to resign for bullying and retaliatory actions against city staff after a third-party probe ascertained that he had allegedly engaged in such activity George Fuller Ed D was reelected to the Oakley city council Courtesy of George Fuller On Tuesday the City Council is set to potentially take the action against Councilmember George Fuller The issue was initially raised in September when Mayor Shannon Shaw proposed it as a future agenda item Shaw who authored the censure resolution mentioned Fuller s contemporary conduct reflected a pattern of behavior directed not just toward staff but also toward other councilmembers elected administrators and constituents I think it s pivotal for people to understand why we re doing this The only reason this is coming about is specifically because of his actions toward staff Shaw explained this news organization I want to make sure that I m letting staff know that we in the city of Oakley will not tolerate this behavior at any level up to and including ourselves We have to hold ourselves just as accountable as you would expect our city staff to hold themselves accountable Fuller was first elected in He represents District which covers chosen areas in Creekside Park Dali Court Emerson Ranch Park and Riata Park His term expires in November When sought to comment on Tuesday s vote and accusations against him Fuller referred questions to his lawyer As of press time Friday no response was received from Fuller s representative While the City Council cannot remove an elected official unless a criminal conviction or other legal disqualification occurs it can take formal strategies to express disapproval according to the city Along with a call for his resignation in order to protect the integrity of the City of Oakley and restore masses confidence the resolution also encourages Fuller to participate in professional expansion on workplace harassment prevention and ethics Following statements of bullying and retaliatory actions against staff Oakley initiated an independent third-party review into the accusations While no details of that inquiry have been made residents as of Friday including who conducted the assessment and at what cost a staff summary stated that it was completed and unveiled that Councilmember Fuller engaged in bullying and retaliatory conduct Such conduct is inconsistent with the duties of elected office undermines the ability of staff to perform their work erodes inhabitants trust in the City Council and has required the City to devote substantial time and financial tools to investigations and responses a staff record stated When questioned about the third-party inquiry Oakley Assistant City Manager Danielle Navarro noted staff could not comment on the matter Per the supplemental record the item is one being brought forth by the Mayor and staff is not commenting or providing input on the item disclosed Navarro in an email to this news organization The details of the review are not disclosable City Attorney Derek Cole noted that a censure is purely a political message about a member of an elected body by a majority of that body City administration and staff have not nor will not take any position on the proposed censure declared Cole Consequently they should not be sought to participate in any way when the item is considered At Tuesday s meeting and prior to a vote by the council Fuller will be given the right to rebut the grounds for the censure proposed The citizens will also be given the opportunity to comment and then Fuller will have additional time to speak