City of St. Helena
Special City Council Closed Session
Meeting
Tuesday, March 24, 2026 @ 7 p.m. (Meeting
will commence at Adjournment of Regular
City Council Meeting)
Vintage Hall Cafeteria
465 Main Street, St. Helena
REMOTE PARTICIPATION:
346 Agate Street, Laguna Beach, CA 92651
PLEASE NOTE: Any person who wishes to speak regarding an item on the agenda or make a comment under the "Public Comment" portion of the agenda may do so, but please observe the time limit of four minutes.
Page
1. CALL TO ORDER
2. ROLL CALL
Mayor: Paul Dohring, Vice Mayor Michelle Deasy, City Council Members:
Aaron Barak, Kate Spadarotto, Billy Summers
3. ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA
4. PUBLIC COMMENT PERTAINING TO CLOSED SESSION
Each person’s comments shall be limited to 4 minutes.
4.1. Public Comment - Michelle Covell 1
Public Comment - Michelle Covell 2
Public Comment - Michelle Covell 3
Public Comment - Michelle Covell 4
Public Comment - Michelle Covell 5
Public Comment - Michelle Covell 6
Public Comment - Kelly Wheaton
Public Comment - Charles Covell
Public Comment - Lisa Pelosi
Public Comment - Michelle Covell 8
Public Comment - Susan McWilliams
Public Comment - Norm Manzer
Public Comment - Jordan Coonrad
Public Comment - Katie Somple
Public Comment - Katie Somple 2
Public Comment - Colleen Gillaspy 1
Public Comment - Lana Ivanoff
Public Comment - Elaine de Man 3
Public Comment - John Pedersen
Public Comment - Tom Belt
Public Comment - Chris Warner
Public Comment - Celeste Neeley 3
Public Comment - Tamara Sorensen
Public Comment - Ken Stanton
3 - 115
5. CLOSED SESSION:
5.1. Closed Session pursuant to Government Code § 54956.9(d)(1): A.
Conference with Legal Counsel—Existing Litigation
Name of Case: Woodson v. City of St. Helena (Superior Court of California, County of Napa, Case No. 26CV00379)
5.2. Public Employee Performance Evaluation (Gov. Code Sec. 54957) Title: City Manager
6. ADJOURNMENT
The next Regular City Council meeting is scheduled for April 14, 2026, at 6:00 p.m.
This agenda was posted at City Hall, 1088 College Avenue, and at Vintage Hall, 465 Main Street, St. Helena, California on March 20, 2026.
Andrew Bradley, City Clerk
In Compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you need special assistance to participate in this meeting, please call the City Clerk’s Office (707) 967-2792. Notification 72 hours prior to the meeting as required by Section 202 of the Americans with Disabilities Act will enable the City to make reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility to this meeting.
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Agenda Item #4.1.
November 7, 2025
Public Statement by
Michelle Covell, resident and Planning Commissioner
This document below are my personal views, and does not represent the Planning Commission’s views.
I am bringing this mee ng to a en on of the city leaders to address process failures in responding to public comments and their aggregate effects on Governance and Civic Accountability. At the PC hearing on October 21, 2025, item 5.1, several residents wrote with important messages that was deemed by the Chair, not an agendized item, and therefore could not be addressed and Staff would not have to answer. In the last mee ng, November 4th, 2025, quality control regarding the amendments on the agenda was brought up, and it was again discussed that this is not an item for Planning Commission that evening, and would be be er suited for the Dec 16th workshop regarding the zoning code.
I’m reques ng this discussion today regarding the persistent systemic failures in accountability, accuracy, and responsiveness within the City of St. Helena’s public processes—par cularly as they relate to the handling of resident concerns, the accuracy of staff reports, and the lawful administra on of zoning code amendments.
This memorandum summarizes some of the documented cases, iden fies structural governance failures, and proposes correc ve ac ons to restore transparency, integrity, and public confidence in City opera ons.
Beginning in October 2024, a resident/applicant raised concerns regarding an unauthorized inser on of language into the City’s zoning code that substan vely altered policy under the guise of a “clerical edit.” Over the following year, mul ple public comments, wri en submissions, and appearances before the Planning Commission and City Council documented inaccuracies, procedural irregulari es, and staff misrepresenta ons rela ng to this issue.
Despite repeated requests for clarifica on and correc on, there was no acknowledgment or resolu on un l the City A orney’s memo of June 2025 confirmed that the word inser on was not necessary at all, and is a policy discussion, rather than “clerical edit” and would require going through the formal policy amending process.
During that period, the City expended significant me and public resources on staff hours, a orney and consultant fees, while residents con nued to encounter a lack of transparency and accountability in official communica ons and staff reports.
I have collated in this document the public le ers sent in, and reference them generally with bullet points. There are many and feel free to read through them to understand the magnitude of public comment. I do not have all of the mee ngs listed below however I believe there is enough between these mee ngs to show the magnitude.
Agenda Item #4.1.
1. October 21, 2025 – Planning Commission Item 5.1
• Residents iden fied inaccuracies and omissions in staff reports, incorrect repor ng on the events, and slander of a resident. No one has addressed this publicly. • Poten ally illegal zoning code inser on classified incorrectly as a “clerical edit” asking for legal interpreta on.
• Concerns of professional negligence and misuse of city resources, and costs associated
2. May 13, 2025 – City Council Item 11.1
• Staff and consultant presenta ons mischaracterized substan ve policy changes as administra ve edits
• Resident le ers demonstrated how the change contradicted the City’s General Plan and would harm property values and community character.
• Early correspondence clearly outlined the issue; staff persisted in misinterpreta on despite clarity from residents, expended more costs to the city.
3. July 22, 2025 – City Council Item 12.2
• Residents’ ques oned inser on of word
• Concerns were raised over the treatment of residents, the calling of law enforcement inappropriately. Does the resident’s side of the events ma er to the city? Protec ng residents from misuse of power?
• The City A orney removed key informa on about property value impacts from a presenta on to the Council, is the city trying to reduce resale values of homes as a policy goal?
• The PC handbook does say that property values should be protected. The policy discussion in staff report for suppor ng staff’s recommenda on outlined as having an effect of reducing resale values.
• Residents brought up that the policy for suppor ng the inser on is downzoning without public knowledge.
• Residents pointed out correc ons to the staff presenta on and called out procedural viola ons. Staff report had misleading informa on.
Governance and Accountability Concerns
The pa ern of events described above illustrates a systemic breakdown in the City’s mechanisms for accountability and public responsiveness:
1. Lack of Oversight:
The Planning Commission cannot address concerns beyond its purview, leaving significant governance gaps when staff conduct or documenta on is ques oned. Who is responsible for addressing the concerns of ci zens and ques ons, that out of the purview of the commission, council and staff?
2. Failure of Administra ve Response:
Is it the responsibility of the City Manager for staff management, quality control, Agenda Item #4.1.
accuracy, and resident rela ons, addressing resident’s ques ons and concerns? If not the CM, then who?
3. Delayed Legal Clarifica on:
The City A orney’s formal acknowledgment of the unnecessary inser on came aEer eight months of resident requests, confirming the residents’ posi on but without addressing the procedural failures that preceded it. Is it the City A orney’s responsibility to quality control the substance of the zoning codes, and general plan? If it’s not, who is?
4. Erosion of Trust and Misuse of Resources:
The year-long process resulted in unnecessary legal and consultant expenditures, wasted staff me, and diminished public confidence in local government. It has been asked in for public engagement, and that the ci zens play a role in the review and quality control of codes (see PC 11.4.25 in par cular) It has been said that ci zens have their own day jobs, and it should not be on the ci zens (not all are knowledgeable of codes and how they apply) to be able to QC this. It is ul mately within city staff that should have QC and roles and responsibili es clear. (See Napa County Strategic Ini a ves 2025-2030 – Elevate County Service and Workforce Excellence sec on) I would imagine this goal of the county, would include the city of St Helena.
Accountability Responsibili%es
I imagine having a clear separa on of roles and responsibili es would help make the process work be er. There has to be a checks and balances in our small-town government. Whether or not we are running on limited resources or not, these clear roles and responsibili es must not blend as that negates the checks and balances built into the system. Please define the roles and responsibili es of the City Manager, City council, City A orney to ensure accountability.
This is an example: Feel free to clarify/rearrange and make certain there is a clear accountability system.
• City Manager: Charged with ensuring the accuracy, quality, and responsiveness of staff work products and communica ons, and holds staff accountable. • City A orney: Provides legal review but does not replace the City Manager’s duty to address resident concerns.
City Council: Ul mately responsible for overseeing the City Manager and ensuring the integrity of administra ve processes. City Council, Mayor, Vice Mayor, are the representa ves of the ci zens, and they are there to protect ci zens by holding the City Manager accountable.
When these func ons fail in sequence, residents have no effec ve recourse, crea ng a governance vacuum inconsistent with the principles of public service and transparency.
Agenda Item #4.1.
I request that the City council agendize and address the memorandum.
1. Publicly acknowledge the unauthorized inser on into the zoning code and affirm that it was a substan ve, not clerical, change, and confirm that these mischaracteriza ons will not be tolerated of staff.
2. Recognize and correct the inaccurate and misleading staff reports, addressing the meline of events, acknowledge applicant’s comments. Address the misleading staff reports and presenta ons of zoning codes, and the alleged misinterpreta ons by staff and the planning consultant we paid for their exper se.
3. Provide a formal apology to the affected applicant, property owners, and residents who engaged in good faith to correct the issue, and received only dismissal of their ques ons/comments.
4. Implement structural reforms to prevent recurrence, including:
o Establishing quality control procedures for all staff reports and public documents, and clearly address the roles and responsibili es of staff and ci zens. o Requiring that any resident-iden fied inaccuracy be reviewed and addressed by the City Manager within a defined meframe.
o Ins tu ng performance and accountability standards for staff, ensuring that knowingly false or misleading repor ng results in disciplinary ac on. o Crea ng a formal escala on process for public concerns outside the purview of the Planning Commission or City Council, ensuring mely and transparent responses.
Intended Outcomes
• Rebuild public trust in the City’s governance processes. • Ensure accountability for the accuracy and integrity of public records. • Strengthen staff morale by recognizing quality work and holding all personnel to professional standards.
• Promote transparency, fiscal responsibility, and lawful adherence to the City’s General Plan and zoning procedures.
Please consider this is not an isolated ma er but a reflec on of broader procedural and cultural challenges within City administra on. Correc ng this course is essen al to reestablishing credibility, protec ng staff who perform their du es ethically, and honoring the civic responsibility owed to the residents of St. Helena.
Through this memo, I request a formal agenda discussion and policy response from the City Manager, Mayor, Vice Mayor, and City A orney to ensure these governance issues are addressed comprehensively and publicly.
RespecOully
Michelle Liu Covell
Agenda Item #4.1.
Public speech from October 14, 2025 City Counsel
Good evening city council.
I am speaking as a resident.
I had a conversa
on recently that sent the hairs on the back of my neck straight up.
I was speaking to a long
me resident — someone deeply connected to this town,
who works for the county and has served on many commi
ees for several
decades. They congratulated me on my appointment to the Planning Commission.
When I men
oned that I had filed several formal complaints with City Manager Anil Comelo about what I believe are unethical items, this person said:
“If you file complaints on staff, you’ve made yourself Anil’s biggest enemy.
You’ve just put a big X on your back.”
Hearing that was chilling.
If asking for accountability means pu'ng a target on your back, then we have a serious problem.
In our council–manager government, checks and balances exist to prevent abuse of power. Each part — staff, Council, and residents — has a role in ensuring accountability.
I appreciate the Council’s service and look forward to the water presenta on
tonight. I understand this is not on today’s agenda and will be discussed in tomorrow’s closed session.
Here’s my main point:
No one in this town should ever feel like they have an X on their back for standing up for what they believe in.
Thank you,
Michelle Liu Covell
Speaking as a resident, not in any of other role.
Agenda Item #4.1.
10.07.2025
To City Council:
This letter is to formally share my concerns with the City Council regarding a phone call I received from City Manager Anil Comelo on Monday, September 29, 2025.
I am a new Planning Commissioner and have been a resident of this city for the past ten years. This is the first phone call I’ve had from the City Manager since my appointment on July 22, 2025.
He began the call by stating he had several items to discuss.
The first point was his advice to be cautious about what I say or write publicly. He noted that, as a Planning Commissioner, if I make certain public comments, I could be required to recuse myself from future project reviews.
I acknowledged the point and noted that I had received onboarding materials, including the Brown Act and the Code of Ethics. I then asked if there was anything specific I had said or written that led to this call. He said no — nothing came to mind — and that this was just general advice given to all new commissioners.
I responded by explaining that I find the line between speaking as a resident versus a Planning Commissioner unclear, and that it would be helpful to have more specific guidance beyond the general warning of “be careful what you say.” Since being a resident is a prerequisite for serving as a commissioner, understanding that boundary is critical.
The second topic was a volunteer group formed following the September 23, 2025 City Council meeting, regarding alternative ideas for Site 10. During the meeting, there was a call for resident volunteers to bring creative input — and I raised my hand and submitted my information to the City Clerk.
On the call, Mr. Comelo stated that many residents had volunteered, and that he preferred I not participate in the group. He quickly moved to the next item.
The third topic related to a formal complaint I submitted after a meeting on July 24, 2025, with Mr. Comelo and Mandy Kellogg. At that meeting, I was told part of the complaint would need to go to City Council. Months passed with no update. After checking with a city council member, it appeared nothing had been brought forward. I followed up by email with Mr. Comelo and Ms. Kellogg — and received no reply.
During the phone call, Mr. Comelo scolded me for following up. He said that when he gives his word, it will be carried out, and that there was no need to follow up. I responded by thanking him for letting me know he was still working on it, and he said it would be going to the Council “in the next couple of months.” I returned to the second topic and asked for clarification: when he said he “preferred” I not be on the group, was that a decision made or simply a preference? He did not answer directly. Instead, he repeated that there were already enough volunteers, and that he preferred I not participate. I then asked how many people were selected and who they were. He declined to disclose that information. Again, I asked: was his “preference” a final decision, or did I still have the option to participate?
At that point, he raised his voice and said, “Michelle, I’m not arguing with you, but I am highly trying to dissuade you from being on the group.”
I remained calm and repeated that I wasn’t trying to argue — I simply wanted clarity. Eventually, he said, “If you INSIST on being on the group, then you can be on the group.” I responded that I wasn’t insisting; I was simply trying to understand why I wouldn’t be included when I had volunteered, and when several councilmembers had expressed appreciation for my offer to participate.
He again repeated that if I insisted, I could be on the group. At that point, it became clear to me that the only way to remain involved was to insist — so I did. He replied, “Great, you’re in the group. Goodbye.” And he hung up.
Agenda Item #4.1.
At no point did I raise my voice. I was cordial throughout the conversation, even as the tone from the City Manager became heated. I had to ask the same question multiple times just to get basic clarity. The heat in that exchange was not necessary. It seemed intended to discourage further discussion.
I found this phone call troubling. A formal complaint deserves timely follow-up and clear communication. To be told that I should not inquire — even after months without an update — sends the wrong message. Following up on official matters is not only reasonable; it is expected. And a City Manager should welcome engagement and accountability, not discourage it.
Looking back, the call boiled down to three key messages:
1. Be careful what you say — even though the rules are unclear.
2. I would like you to not participate in a volunteer group.
3. Do not follow up — and do not put concerns in writing.
All three messages point in the same direction: suppression, silencing, and discouragement.
The City Manager does not oversee me. I am a resident. He works for the City and the City serves its residents.
City Councilmembers represent their constituents and are responsible for holding the City Manager accountable.
When a resident brings forward a formal concern, it should be treated with seriousness and professionalism.
Efforts to intimidate, silence, or discourage civic participation — even when subtle — have no place in the government of this town.
There should be zero tolerance for gaslighting, intimidation, or attempts to erode public trust in the democratic process.
To be clear, this is a formal letter of complaint on the conduct of the City Manager.
Sincerely,
Michelle Liu Covell
Agenda Item #4.1.
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Agenda Item #4.1.
City of St. Helena
City Clerk
1088 College Ave. | St. Helena, CA 94574
(707) 967-2792 | cityofsthelena.gov
March 11, 2026
VIA EMAIL
Jordan Coonrad
[email protected]
RE: Public Records Act Request (PRA-040-26) Received on February 27, 2026 Dear Mr. Coonrad,
This letter serves as a written response to your California Public Records Act (“PRA”) request received by the City of St. Helena (“City”) on February 27, 2026. Your request seeks the following:
My request concerns a discrete professional services agreement and related procurement process. The categories of responsive materials—including RFP documents (drafts and final versions), proposals, scoring sheets, evaluation materials, the executed agreement and amendments, invoices, payment records, work product, and communications—should be readily identifiable.
This includes emails, text messages, internal memoranda, letters, and any other correspondence between Pamela Wu and/or representatives of Arise Solutions and City employees or officials, including communications involving the City Manager. Such communications are typically searchable by custodian, date range, and keyword, and should not require extended delay absent truly unusual circumstances.
The City appears to have records responsive to your request. Due to the need to appropriately examine responsive records to shield statutorily exempt information, the City anticipates making records available on or before March 25, 2026. Nothing in this letter should be construed as a representation that the City has all of the requested records, or that those records (if they exist) will be subject to disclosure under the PRA.
Please contact this office if you have any questions regarding the information provided in this letter
Sincerely,
Andrew Bradley
City Clerk/Program Manager
Agenda Item #4.1.
City of St. Helena
City Clerk
1088 College Ave. | St. Helena, CA 94574
(707) 967-2792 | cityofsthelena.gov
All documents relating to:
• the proposal or offer to loan the sculptures
• internal discussions regarding acceptance of sculptures • site selection and location planning
• engineering or structural reviews
• installation requirements including concrete foundations • transportation and installation logistics
3. 1. All communications (including emails, text messages, instant messages, and attachments) between City officials or employees and:
• Gordon Huether
• Gordon Huether Studio
• Any representative, agent, or consultant acting on behalf of the artist
2. Communications involving any of the following City representatives; • Ashley Sylvester
• Sue Furdek
• the City Manager
• members of the Planning Commission
• members of the City Council
• Parks and Recreation staff
• Public Works staff
March 20, 2026
VIA EMAIL
David Walser
[email protected]
RE: Public Records Act Request (PRA-069-26) Received on March 13, 2026 Dear Mr. Walser,
This letter serves as a written response to your California Public Records Act (“PRA”) request received by the City of St. Helena (“City”) on March 10, 2026. Your request seeks the following:
Pursuant to the California Public Records Act (Gov. Code §6250 et seq.), I request copies of all records related to the proposal, approval, and installation of sculptures created by Gordon Huether within the City of Saint Helena.
The request records include, but are not limited to:
Agenda Item #4.1.
Page | 2
• insurance and liability coverage
• maintenance and cleaning responsibilities
• duration of the loan
• removal or deinstallation obligations
Any records establishing or referencing the formation, membership, or activities of 4 any “arts committee” or advisory body involved in recommending or reviewing the installations, including meeting agendas, minutes, notes or reports.
5. Any cost estimates, invoices, contracts, or budget documents related to installation, maintenance, insurance, or removal of the sculptures.
6. Any communications referencing prior locations or proposed locations for the sculptures, including installations that may have been declined or removed from other sites.
The requested timeframe is January 1, 2024 to the present.
Please provide these records electronically where available.
If any records are withheld, please identify the specific exemption relied upon and provide the factual basis for the withholding.
Your request will require City staff members to consult with another agency having substantial interest in the request (such as a state agency), or among two or more components of the local agency (such as two city departments) with substantial interest in the request. Under the PRA, requests for records that require the consultation among two or more components of the local agency are one of the conditions that create “unusual circumstances” under the PRA. Under such circumstances, the City may take an extension of the standard 10-day time period provided under the PRA for making its determination on a request for records. Regarding your request, the City is taking this time extension pursuant to Government Code § 7922.535(b) which states in pertinent part:
…In unusual circumstances, the time limit prescribed in this article and Article 1 (commencing with § 7922.500) may be extended by written notice by the head of the agency or his or her designee to the person making the request setting forth the reasons for the extension and the date on which a determination is expected to be dispatched. No notice shall specify a date that would result in an extension for more than 14 days… As used in this section, ‘unusual circumstances’ means, but only to the extent reasonably necessary to the proper processing of the particular request: … (3) The need for consultations, with shall be conducted with all practicable speed, with another agency having substantial interest in the determination of the
Agenda Item #4.1.
Page | 3
request or among two or more components of the agency having substantial subject matter interest therein.
In accordance with the above quoted section of the PRA, please be advised that this letter serves as written notice that the City is taking an extension of the standard 10-day time period for providing its determination on your request. City staff members will notify you in writing with a determination on your request no later than April 3, 2026. Nothing in this letter should be construed as a representation that the City has all of the responsive records, or that such records (if they exist) are subject to disclosure under the express provisions of the Public Records Act.
Please contact this office if you have any questions regarding the information provided in this letter.
Sincerely,
Andrew Bradley
City Clerk
City of St. Helena
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https://napavalleyregister.com/star/opinion/st-helena-editorial-anil-comelo-city-manager/article_30f0f257- d2a7-4797-864b-7494f36faecd.html
EDITORIAL
Star editorial: Our thoughts on the Comelo situation
STAR EDITORIAL BOARD
Oct 29, 2025
3/24/26, 3:48 PM St. Helena Star editorial: Thoughts on the Comelo situation | Opinion | napavalleyregister.com https://napavalleyregister.com/star/opinion/st-helena-editorial-anil-comelo-city-manager/article_30f0f257-d2a7-4797-864b-7494f36faecd.html 1/6 Agenda Item #4.1.
Our editorial board's interactions with City Manager Anil Comelo have always been cordial and professional.
Yet stories that have emerged paint a darker picture. The tumult over Comelo could hinder the city government’s ability to work with the public and accomplish important goals — unless Comelo and the City Council double down on transparency and a fact-based evaluation of how the current city manager is performing.
Let’s start with the stories, some of them quite troubling.
Stephanie Smithers, who doesn’t strike us an ax-grinding malcontent, describes Comelo’s attitude toward her as “curt and dismissive” and says employee morale is suffering under his leadership.
Terence Ford says Comelo referred to a local resident using a vulgar four-letter word. We've yet to hear Comelo's side of the story.
Daniel Hale’s account of discovering an unauthorized change to city code paints a credible picture of an administration that bristles at public criticism and defaults to a defensive posture instead of owning up to a mistake. 3/24/26, 3:48 PM St. Helena Star editorial: Thoughts on the Comelo situation | Opinion | napavalleyregister.com https://napavalleyregister.com/star/opinion/st-helena-editorial-anil-comelo-city-manager/article_30f0f257-d2a7-4797-864b-7494f36faecd.html 2/6 Agenda Item #4.1.
Comelo strenuously discouraging Tom Belt from filing public records requests might have been a well-intentioned if ham-fisted effort by a new manager to protect his staff from someone who Comelo felt was wasting their time with excessive questions.
And then there was the poor management of the city's cash, which caused the city to miss out on at least $924,000 in interest over three years. Most of us know better than to keep an excessive amount of money in our checking accounts when a higher-yield, low-risk alternative exists. The stewards of St.
Helena's money, managed by Comelo, should have known that too. Comelo has rightly taken responsibility for the mistake.
Some of the more general criticism seems grounded in understandable frustration over excessive state control of local housing policy and decades of underinvestment in infrastructure. But overall, Comelo comes across as someone who, at best, rubs a lot of people the wrong way and, at worst, oversaw the mismanagement of city funds.
Yet mistakes, once corrected, can be forgiven, and people skills can be learned and coached. Comelo's primary job is to accomplish the council’s goals.
That’s where the council’s leadership comes in. The council should direct staff to provide an update on the city’s goals. Which ones have been accomplished? Which ones have not, and why? Which ones are almost to the finish line? This could happen at a regular council meeting or, even better, at a standalone town hall where members of the public can air constructive criticism and see the tangible progress that’s been made toward the city’s goals, from water to wildfire preparedness.
3/24/26, 3:48 PM St. Helena Star editorial: Thoughts on the Comelo situation | Opinion | napavalleyregister.com https://napavalleyregister.com/star/opinion/st-helena-editorial-anil-comelo-city-manager/article_30f0f257-d2a7-4797-864b-7494f36faecd.html 3/6 Agenda Item #4.1.
The act of listening and sharing facts in a civil way might defuse the current tension, separate the personal from the professional, and allow citizens to make their own, evidence-based evaluations of City Hall’s performance under Comelo’s leadership.
It would also give Comelo a chance to demonstrate the competence of him and his team. Personality can’t be measured, but performance can. It would be unwise to force out an effective, goal-oriented city manager based mostly on his personal traits.
Meanwhile, the council should allow and encourage Comelo to respond to the allegations. He seemed to be itching to say something before the Oct. 22 closed session. Let’s hear him out. The content and tone of his remarks would tell us whether he has learned from the criticism and adjusted his management style accordingly.
The council’s announcement that it will consider amending Comelo’s compensation is a welcome sign that the council is starting to listen to the public. We hope Comelo is listening too.
An open dialogue about Comelo’s professional performance could be the first step in restoring public confidence in City Hall and working together as a community to accomplish our shared goals.
The Star editorial board consists of community volunteers Norma Ferriz, Chris Fowler, Shannon Murray Kuleto, Chuck Meibeyer, Gail Showley and Dave Yewell.
3/24/26, 3:48 PM St. Helena Star editorial: Thoughts on the Comelo situation | Opinion | napavalleyregister.com https://napavalleyregister.com/star/opinion/st-helena-editorial-anil-comelo-city-manager/article_30f0f257-d2a7-4797-864b-7494f36faecd.html 4/6 Agenda Item #4.1.
MORE INFORMATION
Letter: Thanks to St. Helena City Council, especially the mayor 3/24/26, 3:48 PM St. Helena Star editorial: Thoughts on the Comelo situation | Opinion | napavalleyregister.com https://napavalleyregister.com/star/opinion/st-helena-editorial-anil-comelo-city-manager/article_30f0f257-d2a7-4797-864b-7494f36faecd.html 5/6 Agenda Item #4.1.
Critics call for St. Helena city manager Comelo to resign Star editorial: Happy birthday to us
Star editorial: Yes on Proposition 50: High stakes, unanimous support Star editorial: Celebrating St. Helena’s Italian roots
Star editorial: Restoring a historic treasure
Letter: City manager was more than 'ham-fisted'
St. Helena City Council amends city manager's contract
Star editorial: St. Helena’s newest wonder
St. Helena could amend city manager's contract amid calls for removal 3/24/26, 3:48 PM St. Helena Star editorial: Thoughts on the Comelo situation | Opinion | napavalleyregister.com https://napavalleyregister.com/star/opinion/st-helena-editorial-anil-comelo-city-manager/article_30f0f257-d2a7-4797-864b-7494f36faecd.html 6/6 Agenda Item #4.1.
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Agenda Item #4.1.
March 23, 2026
RE: Request for Immediate Termination of City Manager Anil Comelo’s Employment Contract Dear Council Members,
As a resident of St Helena, I care deeply about this town. There is a wonderful sense of community, rich history, great schools, and a robust local wine industry. Our town prides itself on keeping a small town feel in a rural setting.
Yet, our town is in distress. The government is led by a mysterious outside figure that doesn’t seem to care for this town—only about lining his own pockets and performing no verifiable work of inherent value. He sits on a few outside boards, including the International City/County Managers Association (Cal-ICMA) and Network of Asian Public Administrators (I-NAPA), as well noted by community members, allegedly participates as a member of the Masonic Lodge and local Rotary Club. It is also rumored the city manager has associations with a Shriner clown club. If this is true, is a clown running our town? These are private and secretive organizations. This is a secretive man, a member of secretive organizations that should instead be a transparent leader of our community.
While these organizations are typically of no concern, they are when the city manager can spend his time participating in these clubs yet fails to focus his time managing and improving our city. A priorities issue.
I’m not sure why the city manager was hired into his role. He had a prior background in Human Resources and no relevant strategic experience. It shows. He spent the 10+ years prior to working in his current role primarily in HR positions. Sure, there are budgetary elements to these roles, but not nearly enough to justify a city manager role.
I am requesting that the City Council terminate the City Manager’s employment contract without delay. The most noteworthy reasons for termination, in no particular order:
1. Financial flops. A failure to invest $16M of city funds, resulting in the loss of $2M in interest revenue. It’s notable that this oversight would likely not be made by a leader with a financial background. A city manager should understand managing cash accounts. Our cash was just sitting in a non-interest-bearing account. This is unacceptable. Meanwhile, a consultant report recently surfaced suggesting there were no financial ratios to be found anywhere in city management practices.
2. Interpersonal relations. There is a well-documented paper trail of the city manager harassing citizens and becoming hostile with anyone that questions his Agenda Item #4.1.
management decisions. He has been confrontational with numerous individuals in person, in public settings, and monitors social media presences. There have been documented encounters of the city manager confronting citizens for filing public records requests. This is atypical behavior for an executive city employee. He is a bully, plain and simple.
3. Conflicts of interest. The city manager worked directly with Joe Leach, the public works director and newly appointed assistant city manager, at his last place of employment, City of Richmond, and ‘coincidentally’ hired him as the public works director. Later, he promoted him to a dual role of assistant city manager. This hiring process is currently under investigation, as well as numerous conflicts of interest with the public works director and prior relationships with new contractors performing work on city water infrastructure. The public works director should also be asked to leave, but this is another subject altogether. Why was Joe Leach hired into these roles by Comelo? Why was he promoted to assistant city manager?
4. Strategic failures. The city council initiated a consultant, Blackberg Group, to perform an assessment of the city’s current performance under the City Manager. A preliminary report recently surfaced, albeit without the city manager’s approval, demonstrating a clear lack of strategy by city leadership, lack of planning, lack of situational awareness, poor financial planning and analysis strategies, and no asset management systems. No performance measures. No trend analysis, no year-overyear performance indicators. This is utterly embarrassing, especially in attempts to justify the city manager earning a $400k salary.
5. Circumvention of established city laws and processes. The recent fiasco with the Gordon Huether public art displays was highly controversial for a number of reasons. Namely, being that the city manager attempted to negotiate a contract with a single artist for 13 art pieces without first receiving consent from the Parks and Recreation committee and for beginning work on placement of concrete pads for seven art display locations. Of these locations, one was placed within a PG&E setback, one in a Caltrans right of way, one on a public-school campus, and the remaining on private property (public funds used on private property). Sidestepping proper authorities for these processes is outside norms. It’s also another priorities issue. The Parks and Rec committee later voted no on this proposal. This will inevitably have many associated costs for work performed prior to approval.
Agenda Item #4.1.
6. Removal of mature street trees on Main Street. It is rumored that the city manager hastily ordered the removal of trees on Main St in front of Lyman Park to erect the ‘Hand of the Land’ sculpture. This was unnecessary. It has since been disclosed by the director of public works that removal of the trees was unnecessary and a mistake by not surveying the site conditions beforehand. A city management and public works failure. An investigation is ongoing. The careless removal of these trees will negatively impact the city for many years to come— culturally, environmentally, and economically.
7. Failure to verify proof of residency to fulfill housing stipend requirements. In late 2025, there was ongoing speculation that the city manager was not continuing to reside at a rental property to fulfill the residency requirements in his employment contract. The prior contract stipulated that the city manager would receive an additional $30k annually for residing within 30 miles of St Helena. The city council coincidentally met in late 2025 to alter the city manager’s contract, removing the residency requirement and adding the amount into his base pay package.
A Public Records Act request to the city was filed December 12, 2025, requesting any and all information relating to verification of satisfying Mr. Comelo’s residency requirements. The city responded with a statement suggesting that the city does not have any of these records, yet the “City’s Administrative Services Department and the City Attorney’s Office have reviewed proof of residency documents which verify that the City Manager fulfilled the residency stated in his employment contract for the entire period addressed by your request.” A local resident recently asked residents, “Why is there no Physical or Electronic dedicated personnel file for the City Manager?” Citizens find this to be a troubling practice, inviting misconduct and a lack of oversight, and potentially leading to fraud. After the city’s response to the PRA inquiry, a residency challenge for Mr.
Comelo was initiated and escalation to the proper authorities with oversight powers advised, if stonewalling continued.
Two weeks later, on January 2, 2026, the city sent a batch of documents that were used prior by the City’s Administrative Services Department and the City Attorney’s Office to verify residency requirements. These documents included: (1) a rental agreement for a residential property in Napa from July 2022 to July 2023, and (2) rental insurance policies spanning a period from August 2022 to August 2026.
Agenda Item #4.1.
A follow up request was made on January 26, 2026, to provide additional documentation from July 2023 to January 2026, such as a continuation of a rental agreement, utility bills, or anything more evidentiary to prove Mr. Comelo resided at this address and did not just continue merely paying a renter’s insurance policy for a rate of $181/year. This request was met with objection, denial, and hostility. The city refused to cooperate any further on this matter and shut down the request.
A few questions remain.
o Why didn’t Mr. Comelo provide any additional verification of his residency during the period from July 2023 to January 2026?
o Did Mr. Comelo discontinue his rental lease in July 2023 and vacate the premises, yet continue his rental insurance policy in attempts to defraud the city?
o Did Mr. Comelo pocket $90,000 of city funds without honoring his contract? If so, this is egregious. This not only presents a potential breach of contract, allowing cause for termination, but also potential criminal insurance fraud. It is up to our city council to accurately verify this information. This is also why the city should keep detailed personnel files on executive management, and our city attorney and city administrative office should perform due diligence in verification of meeting contract requirements.
Aside from speculation on any of these issues, the City Manager believes he is above the law. He believes he does not answer to anyone, whether it’s staff, citizens, the city attorney, or the city council. He has no place in our quaint, democratic town.
Sincerely,
John Pedersen
Agenda Item #4.1.
To St. Helena Mayor and City Council March 24, 2026
My wife and I have lived in St. Helena since 1977, and I have very few regrets about choosing this small city to be our home. But I’ll admit I have made some decisions I would like to take back if I had the chance, two of which stand out. The first occurred in 2012 when I had the opportunity to drill a water well on my property that would have saved me from all the angst and aggravation I’ve experienced over the last 14 years with the way our city has mismanaged its water enterprise. The second is not submitting a formal complaint about Mr. Comelo’s rude unprofessional behavior when he ridiculed me in front of four of my friends at the end of a utility rate meeting in 2023.
The later event occurred at the conclusion of a utility rate meeting when I went up to Mr.
Comelo to introduce myself. At the time, he was talking to my friends when I walked up to him, held out my hand and said my name is Tom Belt. Immediately Mr. Comelo said: “I know who you are”. Then he pointed his finger at my chest and said in a demanding tone:
”Stop submitting public records requests”.
I can’t begin to describe how I felt, accept that I was surprised, embarrassed, and didn’t know what to say. I just stood there. He then continued speaking to the people I was standing next to, stopped again and said: “Stop submitting public records requests.” This happened four or five times while I was standing in the group.
A day or so later Mayor Dohring walked past my home and I explained to him what happened. Mayor Dohring said: You can go ahead and continue submitting public records requests. But I never heard anything back from Mayor Dohring after I mentioned how Mr.
Comelo had berated me in public. To this day, I don’t know if our mayor even spoke to Mr.
Comelo. Needless to say, I’ve never spoken to Mr. Comelo and I regret not submitting a formal written complaint.
In regard to the Blackberg Group’s preliminary Efficiency and Business Transformation Study, I don’t have enough time this evening to complement the consultant’s report identifying so many glaring faults about how our city is being mismanaged. Let me just say I applaud their unabashed critique, and I welcome their final recommendations to correct our city’s deficiencies. I will say I was surprised to learn when the consultants asked Ms.
Kellogg for current staffing and salary data that Ms. Kellogg did not provide the information requested. But then I read further in the report the city manager stated to the Blackberg Group: “While I applaud you for taking the initiative to conduct a compensation study, it is truly not needed and if your firm has additional capacity, we would like you to focus on some additional areas”. It then became clear to me why Ms. Kellogg didn’t provide Agenda Item #4.1.
responsive information to the Blackberg Group’s request. Mr. Comelo must have intervened.
Then a few pages later in the efficiency study the report reads how Mr. Comelo tried to steer the consultants away from engaging with city council when conducting the study. In fact, he advised no meetings with the council were necessary during the study, with potential presentation of findings only after the conclusion.
I have heard comments from other St. Helena residents about how Mr. Comelo has been rude to them. He has called a female friend of mine the “C” word in public. He has averted the city’s process in trying to rush through the Huether art pieces and at the same time ignored the long delay it has taken West Yost and Associates to provide a new water neutral policy and safe yield report that has opened the door for hundreds of new houses to be built in our city that will be not be water neutral.
My only question is, how much longer is our city council going to allow this incompetent person to remain as our city manager?
Respectfully,
Tom Belt
Agenda Item #4.1.
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Agenda Item #4.1.
City of St. Helena
City Council
3/24/26 Council Meeting and Closed Session Public Comments for the Record Re: Governance, Accountability, and Public Trust
Good Evening:
These comments are submitted for the record in response to recent City Council actions, decision-making, and the findings of the independent Blackberg Group’s Efficiency and Business Transformation Study.
So much ground to cover, but for the purposes of this comment this meeting and this letter, I’ll focus one of the most important and key takeaways from the Blackberg report. It is not simply what it states—it is what it confirms.
The absence of data, the absence of a strategic plan, and the erosion of public trust are no longer matters of perception. They are conditions. Conditions that residents have been raising for quite some time, and too often were dismissed or discouraged in the process. In some cases, residents were made to feel as though their concerns were unwelcome.
The report makes clear that without data, there can be no strategy. And without strategy, there can be no accountability. At this stage, accountability is the only outcome residents will accept, because anything less would simply reinforce the very conditions that brought us here.
When decisions continue to be made and projects advance in the absence of clear data and strategic grounding, it raises a fundamental concern regarding what those decisions are based on and where authority resides.
There are also moments that reflect a broader issue of judgment and leadership standards. During a public meeting in which significant health, fire, and safety matters were under discussion, communications between leadership—conducted on taxpayer-funded devices—reflected a level of informality that does not align with the seriousness of those responsibilities.
This is not about personalities. It is about judgment. And judgment is foundational to leadership.
The conditions identified in the Blackberg report did not emerge overnight. They developed over time within a leadership structure responsible for both management and oversight. This raises an important question as to whether these conditions were not known, or whether they were known and not adequately addressed. Either scenario reflects a failure of governance at both the administrative and elected levels.
When trust has been compromised and cannot be effectively restored, and when sound judgment has been diminished to a level that no longer reflects the responsibility of the role—as reflected both in the report and in recent conduct—maintaining the current structure only deepens that concern.
Agenda Item #4.1.
The path forward is not preservation of the status quo. It is accountability.
And in some cases, accountability requires new leadership. In this case, it is difficult to reach any other conclusion. Where trust has been compromised, targeted leadership change—precisely where warranted—is necessary to restore confidence in the institution.
Respectfully,
Tamara Sorensen
1381 St. James Dr.
St. Helena, CA
Agenda Item #4.1.
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