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As is my right under Cal. Const., Art. II, Secs. 13-19; §11023 ((a),(c)), I am filing my 200 word response as follows:

Approximately two years ago I became your City Council Member by the largest plurality of votes among four candidates. Since then I have worked tirelessly on your behalf, as I promised, to make our local government open, accessible and responsive to the needs of the citizens we council members are supposed to serve. Apparently, in this endeavor I have stepped on some toes. I am accused of behaving unprofessionally and creating a hostile environment - what I actually do is ask tough questions and demand straight answers. I am accused of disrupting work at City Hall - the truth is I won’t rubber stamp staff recommendations preferring to thoroughly investigate and understand the potential consequences of an action before voting on it. I am accused of disclosing confidential information in the public forum - the fact is that I have always advocated transparency in government and will continue to fight for citizens’ access to information affecting their lives and well-being. I am accused of defamation and deceit - claims that are simply untrue. See this recall for what it really is: an attempt to silence your voice so the Council majority can continue their back room politics and unchecked spending spree.

– Councilman Stan Beckham

Mr. Beckham,I have been to many city council meetings as an observer and am not a citizen of the City of Tehachapi so I have no personal ax to grind. You say you have worked tirelessly on behalf of the citizens. If this is true why is it that you have shown up unprepared for council meetings? You have had to be reminded that "the information is in your packet", in other words you either didn't prepare for the meeting or you do not understand what you have read. You have in the past not voted on many issues. When the mayor has asked for a yea or nay you offered no verbal response. Fortunatly Mayor Hand has been asking you how you voted so that a response is recorded. Is this so you may simply deny later having made whaterver decision was reached on any matter? You asked for a change in the term limits, a limit that was already in place, revealing a lack of knowledge on the city's own guidelines.You were the dissenting vote on whether or not the city Police should respond to incidences at the local schools, saying something to the effect that, schools should hire thier own law enforcement. This of course would result in tremendous costs to the very taxpayers you represent. You have gone door to door in the neighborhoods downtown which normally would be admirable, but during the course of which you accused certain members of the city council and school board of being dopers, smoking marijuana and painted the whole art community with the same broad brush. So yes this "steps on toes", and is in fact behaving unprofessionally and does "create a hostile environment" to say nothing of slander. Yes, YOU DID THIS.Transparency in government does not include revealing personal private information regarding city personnel to others. That is what closed sessions are for. You opened the city up to liability and possible lawsuits costing the city a lot of dough by doing just that.I could go on. You sir are unprepared, unprofessional and a boorish jackass.The City of Tehachapi deserves better.