Posted on June 6, 2017
By John Glidden, Vallejo Times-Herald
The Vallejo City Council was wrought by anger Thursday night as two members discussed the role of an ad-hoc dredging committee and its association with a controversial south Vallejo project.
Councilwoman Katy Miessner called out her fellow councilmembers, including Jess Malgapo for sending “mixed messages” to the Vallejo Marine Terminal (VMT) and Orcem Americas applicants.
“From early on, back when I was told that I shouldn’t be talking to anybody, there were other councilmembers that were meeting with the applicants,” Miessner said.
Many audience members cheered loudly at her comments.
Malgapo chaired the Mare Island Straits Economic Development Committee (MISEDC), which was formed in April 2014 to seek information about dredging the Mare Island Strait for economic development.
MISEDC was comprised of members of private and public economic groups, representatives of state and local elected office, including Malgapo, and councilmembers Pippin Dew-Costa, and Rozzana Verder-Aliga.
VMT and Orcem representatives were also on the committee.
It was discovered in late 2015 that Malgapo had expressed support for the VMT/Orcem project through a series of emails.
In an April 2015 email, Malgapo wrote to Kathleen Diohep, the then-economic development manager for the city.
“This project is like a square peg we are trying to fit into a square hole,” Malgapo wrote. “It is such a perfect project for this particular site. It will be (a) sad day for our city, if we can’t bring this project to fruition. It will certainly hurt MISEDC’s goals.”
Miessner read a second email written by Malgapo.
“You will recall that we have two goals; one is to search for dredging funds, but our second goal is to explore how Mare Island Straits could be transformed into an economic driver for the city of Vallejo and Solano County,” Malgapo wrote. “In this regard, let us congratulate our committee members, ‘Vallejo Marine Terminal/ORCEM’ as they reached a key milestone with their project … let us all wish them all the best and a successful public review.”
After reading the email, Miessner again said the council was sending mixed messages.
“They probably thought they were going to get their approvals,” she said about VMT/Orcem.
Once again the audience clapped loudly and some started to shout “shame!”
Vallejo Mayor Bob Sampayan responded by threatening to recess the meeting until the shouting stopped.
Shortly after, Malgapo responded to Miessner as he attempted to stifle anger.
“It takes a lot to make me angry and I’m trying not to get angry, even though I was attacked by a colleague, again,” he said.
“The accusation,” he continued, “is that I was working on a committee unbeknownst to the council — this is a committee that was looking for $12 million (in) federal dollars to dredge the channel, no more, no less.
“If you want to fault me,” he added, looking toward Miessner, “for looking for $12 million to deepen the channel, knock yourself out.”
Malgapo said he was given “too much credit that I’m capable of pulling the wool over your head and the rest of the smart people on the dais.”
“Too much credit,” he repeated angrily. “I don’t aspire to fool anyone, (and) I hope this is the last time I hear something about the dredging committee.”
There was more grumbling from audience.
“That’s fine,” Malgapo said from the dais, “I’m telling you, I was looking for money to dredge the channel.”
Councilman Hermie Sunga, who was not on the council two years ago, questioned why the committee was being discussed.
“It has been settled,” he said.
Meanwhile, Verder-Aliga said she was offended by Miessner’s comments.
“I take offense to councilmember Miessner’s comments about that issue because that has long been settled,” she said. Verder-Aliga said the “council and city has to move forward.”
The council met in January 2016 to address allegations the committee violated the state’s open meeting law.
At one MISEDC meeting in May 2015, then-Mayor Osby Davis addressed the committee, causing several residents to wonder if four — out of the seven council members — met in one location, at once, without proper noticing.
It was determined the committee did not violate open meeting laws. However, opponents of VMT/Orcem argue councilmembers on the committee formed a “shadow government” in an attempt to promote the project. All three councilmembers involved deny the accusation.
Source: Times-Herald POLITICS
