Gabe Ewing and Roger Berg Praise Kapanicas

Ever wonder why Roger Berg and Gabe Ewing are rooting for the City of Beaumont to fail?

Berg's lack of oversight the nearly two decades while on council allowed mismanagement and corruption to run wild and he was embarrassed in the 2014 election. Ewing's best friend, and cash cow until he left the school district in disgrace, Brian Deforge, also failed the city and was replaced in 2014.

Berg & Ewing were emotionally damaged by the overwhelming defeat of the status quo in 2014 and the resulting removal of all their criminal friends. They think if the current council and staff fail, the voters will forget what Kapanicas and the gang did to the city and return them to power. Not likely.

Two years ago Gabe Ewing wrote a post on the Patch titled "Alan Kapanicas is NOT GONE". Like so many of Ewing's other posts, in which he showered praise on the people who almost destroyed our city, this post is gone from the Patch. However, comments on the Patch are captured through an online service. This service is Disqus.

I've posted Ewing's original post (spelling and grammar errors are his not mine) followed by the comments on Disqus. This is very revealing and explains why Kapanicas and Aklufi have handpicked Berg & Ewing to be their mouthpieces.

Note the tone and civility of the following comments from two years ago, even by Berg & Ewing. It is a shame the Patch Bulletin Board has become the place it has. It once was a valuable resource where people weren't attacked and insulted for voicing opinions different than Berg & Ewing, Libi, or Niki. The Patch provided civil discourse that has since been replaced by the crazies.

Berg & Ewing are likely to claim the comments posted here are made up, they're not.

Here is a link to comments as they were captured by Disqus 2 years ago. Link to Comments

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Gabe Ewing's Post

Alan Kapanicas is NOT GONE

Alan Kapanicas was placed on VOLUNTARILY administrative leave when the council voted 4-0 accepting his offer

Banning-Beaumont, GABE EWING (Open Post)June 15, 2015

Rumors keeps surfaceing that Alan Kapanicas is gone or fired. A letter from Kapanicas was read by Beaumont City Attorney Pinkney to the council and citizens of Beaumont.

“Personnel who are not fully informed as to what is transpiring may be prone to speculation and may be distracted in the performance of their duties pending final resolution of these issues. Mr. Kapanicas would like to minimize any disruption or adverse effects to the city pending a final determination as to his status and how the city intends to move forward.”

It doesn’t matter what you think or predict. I don’t want be a bearer of bad news to those that wish Kapanicas be gone. But... Kapanicas is still on our payroll. That is not gone but alive, well and vacationing. Paid by you and I, the citizens.

Personally I was not excited by the outcome. I would have preferred to force the council to make a decision to “discipline or possible termination” as said by Councilman Lloyd White.Prehaps what transcribed through Alan Kapanicas letter is the better outcome in the end. Until then, Kapanicas is very much not gone. No need in twisting words up to make a point. Prove your points without endeavoring destruction on him or his family’s livesThe things that are being said and done to this man and others is beyond unethical. It is wicked and evil on so many levels.

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Comments:

SoCalSteve • 2 years ago

No one is twisting words. Libi has been saying over and over that Alan Kapanicas is not only NOT gone, but is actually still in control in Beaumont….along with Urban Logic, of course.
Those of us who know better have been responding that Mr Kapanicas is no longer in control, even though he is still on the payroll. That's what we mean when we say he is "gone" and it's time to move on.
Just like Roger, you seem to be trying to equate Libi's and Judy's insults and slander aimed at Mr. Kapanicas with those of us who have had legitimate concerns about the direction our city is going. That is not at all fair.
Alan Kapanicas has always treated me with dignity and respect, and I appreciate that. But the issue is job performance. The problems our city faces happened on his watch. Whether they were all his fault remains to be determined. But it is clear that if we want to move the city in a different direction, we need different leadership at the staff level.
I do agree with you that we would have been better off if the council had made a final decision on this rather than kicking the can down the road. But a final decision will have to be made, and I suspect that it will be to hire a new city manager and let Mr. Kapanicas retire.

Gabe Ewing SoCalSteve • 2 years ago

I can accept your answer. There have been a few that have said gone, fired or ex. That is simply not accurate. It is no different than reffering to the DA investigation as a FBI raid. It sound better and bigger to say "gone" "fired" "ex" "FBI raid". There scare or power words. I prefer to call it like it is. "Alan Kapanicas is on leave"
I hear what you are saying regarding mismanagement. I can acknowledge there was some poor management. I'm glad you clairified that.

robjamco robjamco • 2 years ago

Only time will tell the full story. Revisionist history will attempt another diversion of "back in the good old days" when the can was kicked to the future and no one cared what the Auditors said...they believed what they wanted to hear. There was no shortage of big ideas and big promises and subsequently the big disappointment when ya cant deliver what you promised. EVERY bond since '94 made a point of providing funding for reclaimed/recycled water... Approaching $400 million in homeowner obligations later...we still have drinking water in the purple pipes.

Gabe Ewing robjamco • 2 years ago

Where did your comment go? I wanted to respond but ran out of time with my last one. Any firm selling their service is going to make something worse than it is. It makes the prospect feel like they have to use them. Just about every new firm presented to the city has done this in some form. Not saying there wasn't mismanagement somewhere, but it can easily be made worse than it is.

RogerNBerg • 2 years ago

Well said Gabe. These people who are attacking Alan and other city employees should stop. I wonder how Councilman White would like it,if we started talking about his employer ERSI and all the government contracts they got for making maps. That would be wrong so I am not going there. On the other hand Councilman White need to step up to the plate and tell his supporters to knock it off. You cannot discipline someone for legally doing their job. Councilman White needs to learn something about Human Resourse Management. He could be opening himself up and the city for a libel lawsuit if he doesn't watch his comments and actions.

SoCalSteve RogerNBerg • 2 years ago

You CAN discipline someone for poor job performance, Roger. That's how it works in the real world. If you don't do your job satisfactorily, you can be disciplined, demoted or fired. The council has every right to discipline one of its employees. And if Councilman White wants to change the way we do business in our community, that's what we elected him to do.
Remember, the definition of libel is "the making of FALSE and damaging statements." In order to prove libel, you must show that not only did his statements damage Mr. Kapanicas, but also that they were untrue. Please show us where he has said anything false in public about Mr. Kapanicas that would open him or the city up to a libel suit.
P.S. If it is so wrong to "talk about" Councilman White's employer, why did you do it anyway? That's something right out of Libi's playbook.

RogerNBerg SoCalSteve • 2 years ago

Steve you don't understand. Mr. White is in a different position then he was last year. He now has to comply with the law in regards to employee privacy and protection as he is the employeer. Any comments he makes regarding the city manager and his employment status could be used agaist the city in a lawsuit The proper place for these comments are in closed session with the rest of the city council. Comments from closed session can never be disclosed in public unless a vote was taken and all that can be said is the result of the vote. Thats the way it works. Even in the private industry you do not counsel your employees or discipline them in public. Unless Alan committed a crime or gross negligence, Mr. White has no basis for his public comments. He needs to watch it.

SoCalSteve RogerNBerg • 2 years ago

I repeat: Please show us where Councilman White has said anything false in public about Mr. Kapanicas that would open him or the city up to a libel suit.

Gabe Ewing SoCalSteve • 2 years ago

Steve, what Roger is saying is it doesn't have to be a false statement. There are privacy rights that must be maintained when dealing with employees. By putting anything out there regarding a employee (particularly when you have a public platform) one is opening themselves and the entity represented up to be liable. Note the "human resources" Roger mentioned

SoCalSteve Gabe Ewing • 2 years ago

Again, what did he say that is materially false and not part of his duties as a council member that would be libelous? It has to be false in order to be libelous. That's the definition.
If he said something that should have been confidential instead of being made public, that's wrong. But it isn't libel.

Gabe Ewing SoCalSteve • 2 years ago

Steve, your missing the point. The relationship between a council member and a city city manager is much like a employer and employee relationship. That differs from what our relationship is with a city manager or council member. Corporations have a human resources department to protect the employee and the corp. There are disciplinary procedures thar must be followed and privacy rights that must be maintained. Doesn't matter if it is false accusations or not. This is besides the point.

robjamco RogerNBerg • 2 years ago

And you should let Councilman White do the job that he was elected to do.IT IS what was missing in all your years on the Council. Do you want the white pill that will open your eyes to what you have been a part of, or the continuing dose of the red pill that has blinded you to all the circumstances around you?

RogerNBerg robjamco • 2 years ago

No one is stopping him from doing his job, however there is the right way and the wrong way. Mr. White has no more power to govern this city as an individual then you or I. We have a Council Manager form of government. We do not have a Council? Commissioner form of government. That was done away with back in the early 1960s when the council hired the first city manager. The only place any council member has in directing the city operation, is when they are in session. Thats how it works and that is the law.

Big Pharma robjamco • 2 years ago

Unfortunately, this so called "white pill" only exists in a parallel universe that we call reality.
A long denial, which is where some choose to reside, there are only red pills. And, those are taken only to quiet the voices of reason, that have no idea what they are talking about.
On the other hand, Is there a pill that can separate a person's name from their performance/ record?
That way these, "defenders of the fake" might see that the alleged attacks on those that failed so miserably to do what they were paid to do, are not on the person. But on what they've done or failed to do, that resulted in the city being screwed. Or maybe even to see the actual state of things.
Separating the person from what they have done is what they are doing, but they are doing it because they feel that they know the person. Instead of being able to look at the result alone, rationally, they are taking everything as a personal attack on themselves or their perceived friend.
Whether anything can be proven, obviously, does not change where the city is and who managed it into bankruptcy
There is a one plus one equals not two type of reasoning being applied to everything, that defies logic. And I wish there was a pill for that, I just don't think one exists.

Gabe Ewing robjamco • 2 years ago

This is where I lose respect for people's opinions. Speaking with your impudence while throwing cheap shots at Berg, DeForge, and other council members. They all have good history in our community. They are the reason there is even a Solara, Stuton, Four Seasons and many other communities. I believe just about everyone here lives in one of these communities, most likely moving from a different city to here. They are the reason you can conveniently shop at Wallmart, Home Depot or Khols. These guys deserve respect as they ARE history in our community.
I've stated this before and I still stand by it. I belive the city out grew management skills. 10k to 40k is serious growth in a short period of time.

Your friend, David Gabe Ewing • 2 years ago

First you praise them and you say that they have a good history in our community. And then, you say that you believe the city outgrew management skills (but you don't believe that the manager, which is who is being paid to manage the city, is responsible for any of it) but, you don't fault anyone for failing to remove the manager or recognize that a change was needed. Which is the next logical step.
Also, I think you should stop pretending to have ever considered the opinions of others. And, although you've basically come out and said it. Just say what you believe and then say, "and nothing you say can convince me otherwise". To continue without doing that is not being honest and is an insult to everyone who has ever believed you.
People should look back to the time Mr. White had coffee as the prime example and not engage with an open mind.
Just to clarify; I am not a friend of Mr. White, I've never met him. I don't speak for him and he doesn't speak for me. I just wanted to let people know that if they were looking for some sort of proof to my statements, look to that meeting and the end result and everything should be crystal clear.
It's nice to discuss this with you. Just a heads up; don't mistake my seemingly lack of fact based opinions and willingness to discuss them as a desire to understand them better. And as always, I respect your opinion and will listen to everything that you have to say and consider everything with an open mind and without prejudice. But, I don't know you from David, so I immediately disregard it and take everything that you've said and regard it as lies. in fact, I will usually conclude that the opposite is more likely to be true.
Nothing personal, and I hope we can discuss this matter in more detail at a later time. Have a stupendous day! As I know I will.

WildWest2015 • 2 years ago

Are you saying that negative comments about Mr. Kapanicas have the power to destroy his life and his family's lives? I am sure he and his family are not that fragile.
Regarding things being "said and done to this man and others" as being "unethical. . . wicked. . . and evil" - that just seems to be standard operating procedure - at least here on the Patch.
I have never seen so many people over 18 years old (not sure I would call them adults) make so many mean, hateful and unkind comments.
It would be so refreshing if folks everywhere would be more respectful in expressing their opinions - especially here on the Patch