Inquiring Minds

INQUIRING MINDS… Squid has been waiting to see what unfolds in Pacific Grove City Hall. City Council parted ways with the last city manager, Ben Harvey, in July, sending him off with $438,000. In 2022, Harvey filed harassment complaints against Councilmember Luke Coletti; an investigator confirmed three of the complaints, yet Coletti suffered no real consequences.

Other P.G. employees have left or filed complaints in the last two years, and based on records acquired by the Weekly via a California Public Records Act request, Squid sees a pattern of Coletti emailing employees demanding information. It might give any city manager candidate pause.

Coletti introduced a proposed ordinance on Dec. 6 that would allow councilmembers to make direct “inquiries” of employees without going through the city manager. The council voted 5-1 to approve the ordinance. Coletti posted the ordinance to Facebook, and when one astute person pointed out it was essentially codifying harassment, Coletti responded: “Inquiry, not harassment. Thank you.”

Meanwhile, the City is now circulating a survey to find out what Pagrovians want in their next city manager. The first question asks what are the major challenges facing the city. Squid has one thing to say to the council: The call is coming from inside the house.

NOT AT HOME… Squid loves a race, especially when it’s not against a sea star – that’s unfair. When it comes to public office, Squid thinks a challenge is healthy for democracy. So Squid was disappointed, if not surprised, to see that District 1 County Supervisor Luis Alejo is running unopposed for a third term.

In District 4, Supervisor Wendy Root Askew faces one challenger, Jeremiah Pressey, who is also running for a seat on the Monterey County Republican Central Committee. Squid wanted to learn more about who he is beyond his campaign paperwork, where he identifies himself as a “father/homemaker.” A brief search of records in Monterey County Superior Court shows that “father/homemaker” is a bit of a stretch. According to a 2019 request for a domestic violence restraining order – which was granted for three years, along with full custody of the couple’s two children and one that was, at the time, on the way – his ex wrote that he “threatened to shoot me and the children for certain sins multiple times throughout our marriage” and “said he would kill his child if gay.” When the restraining order required him to turn over firearms, he produced five weapons.

“I don’t want those past allegations to deter me from being an example to my sons,” Pressey says. The Veterans Transition Center alum says his top campaign issues are housing, public safety and quality of life. For Pressey’s own family, Squid is campaigning for safety and stability.