GRIDLEY, CA (MPG) – Four months after his arrest for allegedly driving under the influence of drugs, Paul Eckert has been cleared of any charges after a blood test confirms the lack of any illegal drugs in his system.

Community uproar and calls for his removal in the wake of the incident with the California Highway Patrol and social media posts regarding a separate investigation into Eckert by Gridley Police Department caused Eckert to resign from his position as City Administrator and City Finance Director while Gridley City Councilmembers considered their course of action. The last information circulating in the public by way of the Council before his resignation was that Mr. Eckert would be working from home for the City of Gridley until November 30^th. After Eckert’s resignation, the community assumed that Eckert and the City of Gridley had parted ways.

On Sunday, February 7^th, City Councilmember Catalina Sanchez put a community update on Facebook, surprising the community with some information from the January 19^th City Council Meeting. Councilmember Sanchez has been assigned to the Norther California Power Agency Committee, which requires the involvement of a voting Councilmember, City Attorney and City Administrators. During that discussion, it came to light that Paul Eckert was indeed still under contract with the City of Gridley, although it’s a separate contract, acting in a capacity to keep relations with the NCPA and the City of Gridley in good standing. A fact that was previously unknown to Councilmember Sanchez and the majority of our town. In her post online, Councilmember Sanchez says she asked the Council if the community was aware of this, in which she states Mayor Bruce Johnson responded, “It’s not a secret.”

It may not have been a “secret”, but it was not openly expressed to the community that Paul Eckert, although he had resigned his positions of City Administrator and City Finance Director, was still working for the City of Gridley.

We have not been able to obtain a copy of the contract at this time, but from our conversation with Mayor Johnson, Eckert is to work approximately 20 hours a week, remotely and not at City Hall, not to exceed $3,300.00 of compensation with no benefits, to facilitate work and business relationships between Gridley and the NCPA until a new City Administrator is hired, or other action is taken. Eckert’s current contract can be severed at any time for any reason, according to Mayor Johnson.

Mayor Johnson explains that during the January 19th meeting, Chief Harr (also Interim City Administrator), City Attorney Tony Galyean, and himself reiterated how crucial the relationship between Gridley and the NCPA was, a job that Mayor Johnson says is easily a 40-50 hours a week commitment. “It is the number one committee, the most important committee, in fact, that’s one of the most important items, or one of the most important things involving the city. It is our lifeblood basically,” Bruce Johnson says. “When Paul had resigned the council agreed that we would retain him on a separate contract to represent us at NCPA.” To be clear, the council he refers to was that of the previous term: Ray Borges, Quinten Crye, Chris Williams, Zach Torres, and himself. The reason: “Because there’s nobody else,” says Mayor Johnson, “There’s nobody else that could have fit that slot, because of all the information that it takes” and is knowledgeable about the dealings with the NCPA over the past 4 years.

Councilmember Sanchez, who broke the news to the public, says she plans to address the issue at the February 16^th meeting and has published a series of questions she intends to pose regarding Eckert’s current position.

When we asked Mayor Johnson, now that Eckert has been cleared of any illegal charges, if the Gridley City Council would entertain reinstalling Eckert as City Administrator again, Mayor Johnson said, “No. That’s what takes the majority vote, and I can tell you right now that probably is not going to happen.”