Mueller responds to recall notice
John Mueller, a trustee on the Los Banos Unified governing board, has responded to a recall notice served to him by the Community Advocacy Committee.
The recall notice was served to Mueller by Baldo Salcido on Dec. 7 and stated six reasons for the recall effort. The notice claims Mueller refuses to communicate with his Area 7 constituents; it criticizes his approval of a deal to build a new junior high school; is critical that few, if any, local contractors are involved in that school project; it cites poor test scores across the district; it accuses Mueller of condoning nepotism; and criticizes his disruptive behavior during board meetings.
Mueller, 35, was elected to the board as the Area 7 trustee in 2014, beating Ruben Santos by 22 votes, election results show.
Mueller responded to each complaint, saying his personal cellphone number is available at the district office and website. He said he has met with the petitioners, with whom he disagreed. That caused the petitioners to say he refused to communicate with them, he said.
Mueller also noted that he was not the only board member to vote for the lease leaseback contract to build a new junior high school. He noted that the lease leaseback method is legal, and all documents related to the deal are available at the district office. Mueller also defended the district’s contract with Oral E. Micham Inc. to build the new junior high school, saying the contractor’s employees worked on a similar design in Tulare County.
The petition said Los Banos schools’ test scores have been poor during Mueller’s tenure on the board, but Mueller said that is not the case. He said school test scores have increased, in part because of the board’s decision to support more school counselors and tutoring programs.
In response to the claims of nepotism, Mueller said he simply believes in hiring those best qualified for the job.
Regarding the petition’s accusation that Mueller displays “irrational and disruptive behavior” toward other board members, Mueller said he is passionate about his position, and though it is his job to serve the voters and his constituents, he also has the right to vote how he feels.
To qualify for a recall election, the coalition would need 25 percent of registered voters in Area 7 to sign the petition, said Barbara Levey, Merced County’s registrar of voters. That equates to about 400 signatures, Levey said.
If the coalition meets certain deadlines in the process, a special election could be ordered by July or August, Levey said. The school board could choose to hold an election by mail if it wishes to reduce costs.
This story was originally published December 17, 2015 at 11:24 AM with the headline "Mueller responds to recall notice."