Candidate statements:
For information on all candidates out real solid evidence.” rent annual budget is about for paradise Town Council, $16 million. The town has refer to the Butte County Voter received the settlement The Town Council was rocked in information guide available on the clerk-recorder site: money, which is currently April with the announcement of clerk-recorder.buttecounty.net sitting in an investment criminal charges against then-Vice account held by the state. Mayor Zuccolillo. According to The settlement funds have also been earthe Butte County Sheriff’s Office, Zuccolillo marked by the current council. was targeted in a “‘To Catch a Predator“A big portion of it is to support operastyle’ operation” by an unidentified person tions through the rebuild,” Phillips said. “A over an alleged “bad business deal.” This perportion of it is to pay for our local share of son, the Sheriff’s Office said, brought forward grant funding that we’re receiving. A portion evidence that Zuccolillo had been sending of it is to pay off some existing debt.” sexually explicit text messages and photoThe council has discretion over the graphs to a person he believed was a 16-yearfunds—and members could decide at any old girl. Once Sheriff’s detectives took over point to shift gears, he said, adding: “They the case, it’s alleged he sent additional sexucould come out next board meeting and ally explicit texts and photos to an undercover decide to designate it for something comofficer posing as the previously established pletely different.” 16-year-old. Current councilwoman Schuster, who was Zuccolillo has pleaded not guilty to sending elected to a four-year term in 2016, told the harmful matter to a minor, communicating with CN&R that the town’s settlement money must a minor for the purpose of engaging in sexual be protected and leveraged for the benefit of conduct and arranging a meeting with a minor the town as a whole. for the purpose of engaging in lewd and/or las“[It’s important to] recognize that that civious behavior. His case is ongoing. money is not there to be handed out to the The council stripped Zuccolillo of the title community; it is there to continue to provide of vice mayor on May 12, but the councilman services that a town provides,” Schuster said. has chosen to not resign. On a recent after“That’s why the town exists—to provide sernoon at his office on Skyway, Zuccolillo told vices to the community. Police and fire and the CN&R the case will be litigated in court. animal control and code enforcement.” “People get accused of things all the time,” Schuster recently spoke with the CN&R he said, “and I tell people, ‘Judge me on what at her property in south Paradise, and she said I’ve done for the town. Judge me on the decithe number of candidates in the Town Council sions that I’ve made.’” race tells her there’s frustration among surviZuccolillo said he’s received mixed reacvors with the rebuild. She said people feel out tions from the community about his re-elecof control as they navigate their recovery and tion campaign. Some people have expressed now, on top of that, a global pandemic. It’s a their distaste for the councilman. Others have frustration that Schuster said she shares. reached out through Facebook to show their “I think that everyone feels that things support. aren’t moving fast enough,” said Schuster, “You’re innocent until proven guilty, and who is rebuilding after her home burned in it seemed that council wanted to be judge, the Camp Fire. “And the biggest one—I think jury and executioner, which is very disapthe biggest thing since day one, since Nov. 8, pointing to me,” he said. “But I’m not really 2018—was that people aren’t getting answers surprised. I’ve never been welcomed on counto their questions. cil. It’s been clear as day from day one. But I “I wish I could give them all of the didn’t run because I wanted to be friends with answers that they want, and I wish I could tell them. My job wasn’t like, ‘Hey, I want to be them what they want to hear. But that’s not your friend, let me in your club.’” reality. We don’t have all the answers.” Zuccolillo said he sees town residents Schuster said she decided to run again struggling with their recovery, many tempobecause she didn’t see other candidates who rarily living in RVs and hedging their decishare her values. Schuster described herself sions on their settlement awards with PG&E. as open to hearing new ideas and taking into Zuccolillo said outside of the issues he’s account the feelings of others. running on—including restoring Skyway to “I care deeply for people,” she said. “I care four lanes and creating an oversight commitdeeply for the Earth. I care deeply for animals. tee to advise the council on the best use of the … I’m the only vegan on the council.” town’s settlement money—he also wants to Schuster also said she believes an experibe an accessible councilman with whom resienced council is needed to navigate the town’s dents can relate. recovery, though she expressed her disap“I think it’s important that people feel like pointment with Zuccolillo’s decision to run we listen,” he said. “And I think the reprefor re-election as he faces criminal charges in sentation of why all these people are running Butte County Superior Court. probably reflects on the fact that people don’t “I am disappointed that he didn’t resign,” think that we’re listening.” Ω Schuster said. “I don’t feel that our sheriff’s department, or the DA, would have arrested a public figure—a popular public figure—withELECTION C O n T i n u E d O n pa g E 2 2
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