The Town has not explained why they will not tell us why and for how long Hope Sullivan was on paid leave nor will they tell us why she left the Town employ because they say they want to protect Hope’s privacy. We wonder if they are protecting the privacy of someone else.

The Town entered into a settlement agreement entitled Settlement and Release dated July 1st. It says a number of interesting things and raises interesting questions. First of all, the document states that Hope “has provided excellent service to the Town of Woodside as Planning Director and has decided to tender her resignation to the Town effective June 26, 2008.” If someone who has provided excellent service decides to leave there isn’t usually a severance agreement and release unless that person is threatening to sue. Why would severance be paid to someone who voluntarily decides to moove on? But if she provided “excellent service” why would she be fired?

The Town paid Hope $40,565.61 and will pay her health insurance for three months. If Hope quit, why was she paid this large sum of money? There is a mutual release under various civil rights acts. Obviously, the Town is not paying Hope in order to release Hope from such claims the Town might have against her. They are paying because Hope has some claim against some Town official. Maybe it is not Hope’s privacy that is being protected since the Town COWncil confirmed their belief in writing that she was an excellent employee. They paid her more than $40,000 not to sue. They must believe she had reason to sue.
So who are they protecting??

There is definitely something fishy in the manure pile.

COW.com has always found Sullivan to be a convenient scapeGOAT for everything from gravel regulations to global warming. As a resident who’s had many dealings with Town Hall over the years, my experience was that Hope was the only person who wasn’t a petty minded bureaucrat.

Now that Hope is gone, it will quickly become obvious the problem is a HORSE of another color — namely Susan George. The BUCK stops at the top. Look at her WRECKord over the past few years. First, the grand jury investigation. Then the hiring of key personnel who were FLEA-ing Half Moon Bay behind a mega lawsuit. Now, she’s trying to pull the WOOL over our eyes on the Hope situation.

Sorry Susan, but COW’s don’t won’t wear BLINDERS any more. When will the COWncil end their HIBERNATION on the issue of Geroge?