Town Attorney Andrew Morris

Town Attorney Andrew Morris

Some citizens have pointed accusing fingers at the Mammoth Town Council for failure to disclose what’s going on with Town Manager Dave Wilbrecht, who is on administrative leave and the subject of a series of closed sessions. Town Attorney Andy Morris said that legally there is not much officials can say.

Sierra Wave Media asked Morris if he could comment on Wilbrecht’s status right now. Morris said he could not. We asked Morris to comment on why Town Manager Wilbrecht was placed on administrative leave. Morris’s response – no comment. He had the same response when asked if there were anything else he could disclose. Morris explained that if issues are personnel matters, he can not comment, and if something unfolds in a closed session, he can not comment.

This matter of intense interest by the public is legally confidential. Morris did say that if action is taken in closed session, it must be reported out. The Town Attorney said, “Until then, there’s not much I can say.” The same legal rules apply to members of the Town Council.

Mammoth Town government continues to shudder with the waves of repercussions from the Hot Creek lawsuit, the judgment of $30 million against the Town and complex and costly negotiations that led to a settlement – $2 million per year to Mammoth Lakes Land Acquisition for the next 23 years. Other budget problems added to that huge expense led to personnel cuts that left many departments cut in half or nearly so.

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