Debbie Peterson quits Grover Beach council, accuses colleagues of corruption
Grover Beach City Councilwoman and former mayor Debbie Peterson resigned from the council suddenly Tuesday night, blasting her colleagues with allegations of corruption and saying, “I can no longer in good conscience associate myself with this council.”
“After much soul-searching I have decided to submit my resignation, effective after this evening’s council meeting,” Peterson wrote in a letter to the council, which she read at the end of the meeting.
Peterson noted that while “much good has been accomplished by the council over the past years” — like the city’s work repairing its streets and the ousting of former South San Luis Obispo County Sanitation District Administrator John Wallace — the city has engaged in behavior she said she can no longer support.
According to Peterson, the council has appointed people to the Sanitation District and Integrated Waste Management Authority boards “who have supported those who have been convicted or accused of fiddling, cheating and double dealing at both public agencies.”
The San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s office is currently investigating allegations of possible malfeasance and fraud at the IWMA.
Mayor Jeff Lee is currently the city’s representative on the IWMA, where Peterson was the alternate; Lee is also the city’s representative on the Sanitation District board.
Lee did not respond to requests for comment from The Tribune on Wednesday regarding Peterson’s allegations.
Cannabis accusations
In her letter, Peterson also called out the council for crafting what she called a “pay-to-play insider game” in which she says cannabis dispensary applicants paid council members to get licenses approved.
“In the end, applicants with clean backgrounds were pushed out of town while those with felony convictions were granted licenses,” she said.
“I cannot betray the trust of those who elected me by looking the other way to avoid rocking the boat,” she added. “Doing so to get along is complicit and would make me as guilty as those who commit the evil or those who choose to wear a blindfold.”
Peterson did not respond to requests to specify which council members and which cannabis companies she was referring to in her letter.
City says claims are unsubstantiated
City Attorney David Hale said it would be premature to speculate on any legal action that could come out of Peterson’s allegations, noting that the city has not been provided with any evidence to back up the claims.
“Her claims are very general,” Hale said in a phone conversation with The Tribune on Wednesday. “I can say she’s never come to me with any of this.”
City Manager Matt Bronson said the city was aware of Peterson’s claims because she also made them during her recent campaign for mayor, but that so far they are unsubstantiated.
“The city has not received evidence that substantiates these claims and thus there is nothing at this time for the city to investigate,” Bronson said.
He said the council will consider how it wants to fill the seat at its meeting March 4. He said they could choose to appoint a new member, similar to what it did when filling the spot left by Lee when he became mayor last month.
In that process, the council selected new Councilwoman Desire “Desi” Lance.
Bronson said the council could also choose to hold a special election.
Peterson has served on the council since 2008; she became the city’s first directly elected female mayor in 2012, before returning to the City Council in 2016. Peterson ran for mayor again in 2018, but was defeated by Lee.
“I want to thank the voters of Grover Beach for electing me to serve them for over 10 years as their council member and mayor,” she said in her letter. “Thanks also to our dedicated city employees, who have been a delight to work with.”
You can read Peterson’s resignation letter below:
This story was originally published February 20, 2019 at 5:03 PM.
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