Bea Cortes famously supported the antics of Former Acting City Manager Steve Berry in his bid to elbow Schwab out of his City Manager's position. Berry a hire of Schwab continued to use the same management practices that Schwab did over the years. Both men were known for writing bad contracts and agreements that were later changed by verbal horse trading. Both men were known for being more like Boss Hog.
The clearest justification for not having Mr. Schwab as a council member is that we in GT do not need continuity of his kind of management or administration or ego on our City Council. His statement in public that said he took 2 million of RDA money and put it to use in the City Fund as a "Loan" he never intended to pay back to the RDA, would end anyone else in jail for embezzlement and fraud. His statement to the press that he halted a criminal investigation into charges of falsification of official records and embezzlement committed by his hire Steve Berry was an admission of his own criminal conspiracy to obstruct law enforcement and justice. The type of contractual management or non management that was exemplified by the Contracts on the Blue Mt. Senior Villas is further reason Mr. Schwab should be no where near a Council Seat or any official function in the City of Grand Terrace. Villa contracts began with Schwab and were concluded by Berry. Neither served the city well in the process.
He said people will go negative in the campaign season. Mr. Schwab you yourself bring your past history with the city as justification to be voted into Power of the City Council. Thus you bring to the campaign all the negative things you and your hires have done to the city in the past years.
The citizens may vote for Schwab or Cortes only because of name recognition. This is in part why neither of them want a long election period. It will be interesting to see if Mr. Schwab will be given the Miller treatment by Cortes. In the past she deferred to his "Recommendation" religiously during past council meetings. But, she did support Berry in the battle for City Manager Position. She did aid Berry in having his nemesis on the council arrested, and charged with a felony, and ultimately removed from the City Council under the duress of criminal charges.
The vote will be split between 4. If Sandoval or Loder want real change on the council they will have to work hard to gain name recognition and votes.
If Schwab is elected he will join his former collaborator Lee Ann Garcia on the City Council. He could control the City Government if he gets a third collaborator on the council, and he would continue to rule Grand Terrace as if he were City Manager. He is getting a hefty retirement from the city as it is. He no doubt would love to control city actions including the continued investigation and attempts to put right the city finances and development plan he so badly managed in the past. Public disclosure of all the facts of his past actions may cause him to lose part of that retirement and or face criminal charges. Let's hope the citizens will pay attention and not let this happen.
It is clear in his Contract with Grand Terrace, Bernardo Sandoval wants to clean up Grand Terrace's Management Practices of the past. Schwab and Cortes wants the past practices to continue to be hidden and perpetuated into the future. Loder has yet to come out clearly on his positions. He has not been active in city council meetings it is hard to judge his intentions.
