Use of staff at issue in Cotati recall

<p>Proponents of a recall movement against Cotati City Councilman George Barich say his overuse of city staff is one reason they seek his ouster.</p><p>Barich's requests for information during the first three months of the year cost the city $28,000 -- about 13 times more than the other new council member, Robert Coleman-Senghor, according to a memo from City Manager Dianne Thompson.</p><p>John Moore, the recall leader and husband of a former councilwoman, called it an irony that Barich campaigned as a fiscal conservative.</p><p>"Economically, we cannot afford him," Moore said. "We can't have him wasting money like that. Not to mention the embarrassment. He could drive away business."</p><p>Barich said he had "serious concerns" about the memo on council costs, written last month and updated this week. For example, he said, it was his understanding that the city attorney was billed on a monthly retainer, not hourly. And many of the e-mails to city staff were complaints he was passing along from residents, he said.</p><p>Barich asked Thompson to provide specific details of her estimates so he could know whether to challenge the findings or explain himself.</p><p>"I think the (memo) could wrongly infer I am wasting city staff time," Barich said.</p><p>Controversy has swirled around Barich almost since the day he took office in December after three failed election attempts in the past decade.</p><p>In addition to a flap about his use of city stationery, Barich, who is white, outraged some with his personal Web site, which contained a picture of himself in an Afro and dark makeup, superimposed over a likeness of the city logo. The site, gbarich.blogspot.com, has been critical of the Obama administration and contained a racially charged music video.</p><p>Barich's picture triggered charges of racism, and he was castigated in public meetings. After he shrugged off demands from groups including the Sonoma County chapter of the NAACP to step down, a local citizens group led by business owners mounted a recall initiative. They hope to put the matter before voters in November.</p><p>Reasons for the recall listed on a petition being circulated include Barich's unauthorized use of letterhead, racial and ethnic content on his Web site and his disproportionate use of staff time.</p><p>Recall opponents have until Aug. 10 to gather signatures from 1,020 registered voters. They also have a Web site -- www.recallgeorgebarich.com.</p><p>"We're going to be hitting the streets shortly," said Joan Simon, a member of the recall committee. "Personally, I think George Barich's antics since he was elected are outrageous."</p><p>Last month, Thompson calculated the hours spent answering questions and fulfilling other requests from the five council members. Councilwoman Janet Orchard had asked for the accounting, citing budget concerns. Suzanne Whipple, a Cotati resident and executive director of the Chamber of Commerce, also made a formal request</p><p>Barich's tab -- based on 231 employee hours from Jan. 1 to March 31 -- far outstripped totals from Coleman-Senghor, who required 17 hours costing $1,700, and the three other members, who used one to three hours each, costing between $300 and $900 apiece, the memo said.</p><p>A large portion of Barich's expense was attorney time billed to the city during a dispute over the councilman's use of the city logo and official stationery to write President Barack Obama, Thompson said.</p><p>Numerous e-mails back and forth from Barich and his private lawyer kept city attorneys busy, she said.</p><p>"A good chunk of those hours for George were attorney hours," Thompson said. "A good percentage of it was . . . responding to his questions and questions from his own attorney."</p><p>Orchard said it was reasonable that new council members such as Barich and Coleman-Senghor would require additional time, but said she didn't know if Barich's total was typical.</p><p>"We're struggling financially," Orchard said. "Our staff is really thin. I think we need to keep our costs in perspective."</p><p>In a second memo on the subject released this week, Thompson said her calculation was based on wages and benefits for various positions that cost the city from $41 an hour to $260 an hour.</p><p>She said her own office spent about 148 hours on Barich during the period, and the city attorney logged 44 hours. The Police Department, Community Development and Public Works had the remainder.</p><p>You can reach Staff Writer Paul Payne at 762-7297 or paul.payne@pressdemocrat.com.George</p><p>Barich</p><p>Opponents of Cotati councilman are conducting a recall campaign.</p>