Paso Robles mayor confirms ‘very real conspiracy group’ working to oust city manager
Paso Robles Mayor John Hamon confirmed on Wednesday that there is a “very real conspiracy group” of at least two people working to oust City Manager Ty Lewis, in a not-subtle emailed response to Councilman Chris Bausch, who has been accused by Lewis of leading a coup to remove him from office.
The confirmation comes after Lewis filed a $2.275 million claim to the city alleging Bausch created a hostile work environment and threatened Lewis with negative articles written by Cal Coast News reporter Karen Velie.
A Paso Robles couple confirmed to The Tribune that Velie told them she knowingly helped spread false rumors about Lewis and wanted to “make up bad things about the city.”
Velie has denied the accusation, calling it “false, ridiculous and unsubstantiated hearsay.”
Hamon forwarded to a Tribune reporter his response to message from Bausch, who had copied Tribune reporters on his Monday email to Hamon and interim city manager Chris Huot. In that email, Bausch appeared to reprimand the mayor for his statement published in the Paso Robles Daily News.
The councilman said he believes public officials should refrain from commenting on Lewis’ allegations publicly.
“I agree wholeheartedly with that statement, which is why I am puzzled by your subsequent comments in the same letter parroting Mr. Ty Lewis’ ‘conspiracy’ claim,” Bausch said to Hamon. “While not stated overtly, your remarks appear to be directed toward me, which would be unfortunate and untrue.”
In his response on Wednesday, Hamon said he did not and would not use Bausch’s name or another person’s name “in association with a very real conspiracy group designed to remove our current city manager from his position of employment,” unless evidence has proven otherwise.
But then the mayor went a step further.
“You are making me wonder with this letter, combined with your posture in public meetings towards Mr. Lewis, that you may feel in your heart that you wouldn’t mind seeing this conspiracy group succeed,” the mayor wrote in the email. “I do know that we are in this unfortunate situation because of two people, not one.”
Hamon did not name the two people, but Ty Lewis and the couple interviewed by The Tribune have said it’s Bausch and Velie.
This story was originally published October 24, 2024 at 10:25 AM.
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