It is Time for a Change - Weeds Gone Wild / A Town Divided! - Never Underestimate the Impact of Incompetence

By Clayton Watch (4500 flyers distributed)

Frontside of Flyer

It is Time for a Change - Weeds Gone Wild

When Clayton was incorporated in 1964, our first Mayor, Bob Hoyer, and his organizational team wanted Clayton to be different than Concord. They wanted people driving down Clayton Road to know when they reached Clayton's city limits that they are now in a different town--Clayton. There was no big monument sign identifying this new city and no natural geographic barrier to separate Clayton from Concord as you drove down Clayton Road. So Mayor Hoyer and his team decided, among other things, to make the street signs and street lights different than Concord. Thus, the brown street signs and hanging street lights. They wanted this to be a positive experience.

Well, Clayton's new leadership team, Cloven,Tillman and Wolfe, has achieved this goal in a different way. When you drive down Clayton Road and Oakhurst Drive today it is obvious you have entered a different city because the landscaping in the medians and the right-of-ways change. People are greeted with dead plants and healthy weeds and it is very obvious you have entered a different town. I don't think this is what Mayor Hoyer and his leadership team had in mind when they wanted Clayton to be different. It has only taken Cloven, Tillman and Wolfe one and a half years to turn this city into an eyesore---pathetic.

Clayton residents pay an annual parcel tax of $274.00 to maintain the city's landscaping that goes into the Landscape Maintenance District fund. With around 4,500 parcels in Clayton this generates approximately $1.2 million a year for this restricted fund. For the last couple of years there has been little to no maintenance and the city looks rundown, uncared for and sad, from the gem it used to be (Not only is this an eyesore it is creating dangerous fire conditions). Therefore, there has to be a huge surplus in this fund if the city has not been playing games with the money. First it was the drought and then Covid-19 as the reasons our landscaping lacked maintenance. I guess Concord was immune from these conditions or maybe they have real city leaders. Perhaps, Coven, Tillman and Wolfe could get together with Concord's leadership team for some leadership training.

This has gone on long enough and must be corrected. This city was on automatic pilot last year under Wolfe's leadership and it appears Cloven is following in his footsteps.

Cloven should step down as Mayor and let someone that knows how to lead this city take over.

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Backside of Flyer

A Town Divided! - Never Underestimate the Impact of Incompetence

By Clayton Watch (4500 flyers distributed)

According to a recent $30,000 taxpayer-funded survey (pushed by City Manager, Reina Schwartz, and supported by the city council majority Peter Cloven, Holly Tillman, and C.W. Wolfe), our town is divided, and 44% of Clayton residents do not trust our elected officials. Furthermore, the people surveyed rejected the $400.00 per year parcel tax increase, including a sales and utility tax.

The dynamic four (Schwartz, Cloven, Tillman, and Wolfe) wasted $30,000 of taxpayer money to tell them what we already knew.

Here are some thoughts to help you understand why we’re so divided:

● Prior to the last election for two vacant seats on the Clayton City Council, two candidates, one, in particular, touted our City was racist and our police profile. This could not be further from the truth.

● The City Council majority voted to disregard the historical council rotation policy (as outlined in the City Council Guidelines) and denied Vice Mayor Jeff Wan the Mayor position he deserved and has earned. The same majority, Peter Cloven, Holly Tillman, and C.W. Wolfe passed up Jeff Wan once again in the 2021 rotation for mayor. He could have been our first Asian American Mayor and provided us with the leadership we desperately need.

● At a February 2022 council meeting, the City Manager, Reina Schwartz put out false and misleading information on the city's budget deficit, as reported in the Clayton Pioneer, claiming it would be $629,000 next fiscal year, instead of the $109,000 as indicated in the Staff Report. It was Reina's pathetic attempt, along with backing from Councilmembers Peter Cloven, Holly Tillman, and C.W. Wolfe, to generate support for a new $400 parcel tax.

- Clayton's $629,000 budget deficit is not real. The $629,000 budget deficit, as being pushed, is actually what the City Manager, Reina Schwartz along with three council members, Cloven, Tillman, and Wolfe are calling unmet needs (a.k.a. WISH LIST) that included hiring more staff and providing raises.

- It was their sad attempt to fool the public into thinking a $400.00 per year parcel tax increase, along with increasing the sales and utility taxes, we all pay, were desperately needed before the city went dark.

- We do not need additional staff or higher salaries – what we need is real leadership, not salespeople or spin-doctors.

- For the record, according to a national survey, the #1 Reason people leave their employment is - a “Toxic Work Culture”, followed by a lack of leadership. It’s not always about money!

● Over the past year and a half, our City Manager, Reina Schwartz, along with the support of council members Peter Cloven, Holly Tillman, and C.W. Wolfe have wasted over $15,000 on several consultants for their goal-setting sessions. This is a waste of taxpayer money, especially when there is a projected budget deficit. The city has not even addressed or accomplished the goals that were set in the prior two years.

● The City of Clayton has not balanced its books in over 18 months, so they really do not know what the budget deficit will be for the next fiscal year if any. Additionally, the city’s bank account was hacked to the tune of $50,000 last year, and it was not discovered or brought to the council’s attention for several months. What a way to run a city.

● Our City Manager, Reina Schwartz, provided inaccurate information to the City Council on a damage claim a citizen filed. A large city tree fell on their property causing $30,000 in damage to the fence and home. Reina failed to correct the inaccurate information that was submitted to the city’s insurance advisor, even after she was directed to do so by the City Council. To date, the corrected information has not been submitted to the city’s insurance advisor and the claim is still unpaid.

● The City Council majority voted to approve a three-story, 81-unit apartment building in Historic Downtown with inadequate parking over the objection of residents, not once, but twice.

In Summary – After looking at the results from the recent $30,000 taxpayer-funded survey, 94% of the residents surveyed said they are satisfied with the quality of life in Clayton, 92% said they are satisfied with our police, and 44% of Clayton residents do not trust our elected officials.

It's deplorable that Cloven, Tillman, Wolfe, and Schwartz,including the Clayton Pioneer, did not tell the truth about the budget situation in Clayton. It’s apparent we need new leadership we can trust to "Do the Right Thing."

Now, hopefully, you understand why we are so divided. If you would like to comment on this article, please email Claytonwatch94517@gmail.com.

We appreciate you for reading this article.

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