Earlier this month, the News and Review ran the following Letter to the Editor from Linda Hathorn:
‘City manager sing-a-long
(Sung to the tune of “That’s Amore”)
When the moon hits your eye
Like a big piece of pie …
Nak-a-mura
When your city’s in the red
And you can’t get ahead …
Nak-a-mura
When the parks all get closed
If they’ll open no one knows …
Nak-a-mura
When you’re taxed to the max
And the workers get the ax …
Nak-a-mura
When the assets all get sold
And Chico’s out of gold …
Nak-a-mura
When the jobs all get cut
You’ll find one that is not …
Nak-a-mura
Please feel free to add a verse
It won’t even hurt your purse…
That’s amore
Linda Hathorn
Chico
To which Stephanie Taber responded:
Ditty wasn’t amusing
Re “City manager sing-along” (Letters, by Linda Hathorn, Aug. 1):
How insensitive and cruel. The ditty shows the ignorance and lack of information demonstrated by a member of the general public.
Brian Nakamura was hired to bring the city of Chico back from the brink of insolvency. How many City Council meetings, Finance Committee meetings, and Economic Development Committee meetings did she attend over the last six years? How did she arrive at her nasty little ditty—have help from the likes of Bob Mulholland or perhaps Ann Schwab or perhaps former City Manager David Burkland, or our tell-the-truth-and-nothing-but-the-truth former finance director, Jennifer Hennessy?
What’s being done must be done if the city is to survive the financial devastation that has been brought upon us by the current and former liberal councils. If you have better solutions, pay attention, attend meetings and speak up.
Stephanie L. Taber
Chico
I know nothing about Linda Hathorn other than she’s an employee of CUSD. For all I know she’s part of Ann Schwab and Dave Guzzetti’s smear campaign on Nakamura. Unfortunately, this smear campaign seems to have some merit – I’ve found the same stories when I’ve searched Nakamura’s past. He’s a carpet bagger, that’s for certain, and he’s left a steaming pile of doo-doo wherever he’s gone.
I bet a lot of people don’t realize how many issues Stephanie Taber and I do not agree on. This for example. I find this a very amusing little ditty. I could have written it myself, and I may write a few more verses.
Stephanie has a lot of faith in Brian Nakamura, I don’t. I’ve read up on what he did in Oregon City and other towns. Get a load of this article from 2004 – can of worms, read it all.
http://www.lodinews.com/news/article_ed5fb0ba-75a7-5b19-ba63-518549aacceb.html
First of all, as of 2004, all the Nak wanted to do was get back to his hometown of Lodi! Just dreamed of it! What the hell is he doing here?
Second of all, he’s accused of a $600,000+ deal that benefited his friends – wow, that seems to be a pattern with this guy. We really should check out this consultant he hired to gloss over the garbage franchise scam he’s trying to pull. A deal like that puts a man in a position to take a bribe, and we wouldn’t want that to happen to The Nak!
In Hemet, a lot of people blame their current crime problems on the slash job Nakamura did on their police department. Instead of bringing in new hires at lower salaries, he just cut, cut, cut, raised administrative salaries like he did here, and left.
Another pattern in Nakamura’s behavior, is when he gets accused of something, he runs. When he was accused of something in that $600,000 consulting deal, he left. When Hemet found out he was trolling around for jobs in other cities (including Chico) behind their back, HE DENIED IT! That’s lying. I just can’t abide with a liar.
So, while I admire her drive in digging into public affairs, I don’t let Stephanie Taber pick my friends. We can work together without agreeing on everything.
Chico Taxpayers Association 
I would look into the recent black walnut tree removals. I was told trees that size, age and with the root structure, are fetching 500,000 plus dollars each these days.
Thanks for coming over Joe,
Yes – my grandfather was a walnut/rice farmer, those burls are worth a shitload of money, not sure on the amount. This is the first thing I thought when I saw that article.
Nakamura has admitted, he’s ready to sell ANYTHING to get money to pay these inflated salaries and benefits – including his $212,000/year salary. Or was it $217,000, I get that mixed up.
but, look into it? I am up to my ass in stuff to look into. All I know is, we need to get rid of Nakamura. That’s what I’d like to look into. One thing I know – he got a year’s severance in his contract, which Hemet had refused to give him, but Chico (Mark Sorensen and Scott Gruendl) handed it right over. If we fire him without a criminal charge, we have to pay him an extra year’s salary to walk away.
Jesus, for that kind of money, he ought to have to do a strip tease!