LATHROP – Dan Doyle is calling for Lathrop Mayor Kristy Sayles to resign.
He made the “formal” request Monday night during the regular city council meeting which was not attended by the mayor. City Clerk Mitzi Ortiz said the mayor called City Manager Cary Keaten earlier in the day to inform him that she was sick and will not be able to be at the meeting.
“She is dragging the city down and she has taken a lot of people down with her. So I’m calling on the rest of the people (of Lathrop) to call for her resignation, too. She just needs to step away from the podium,” said Doyle.
He said the Oct. 5 arrest of the mayor’s husband, Thomas Xavier Sayles, after she reported him to police for allegedly physically abusing her 8-year-old son has thrown Lathrop in a negative light with all the television news stations in the area following her every move.
“That’s why she’s not here. She thought there’d be the press here. But she should be here taking care of business,” Doyle said.
When it was pointed out that Doyle was not a resident of Lathrop, he countered by saying he owns 20 acres of farmland in the city which gives him the right to speak up. He currently resides in Manteca.
None of the candidates in the November elections who were at the council meeting Monday volunteered a comment about Doyle’s request for the mayor’s resignation.
But resident and community volunteer Ruben Sandoval said, “It’s a good call,” commenting on Doyle’s request.
In fact, said Sandoval, “It should have been made a long time ago. She should have stepped down when her husband started suing the city. That was like a conflict of interest. Even though she (the mayor) said it was a separate (issue involving only her husband), there’s still the connection because they were married.”
He added that resignation is the right thing to do for the mayor under present circumstances.
“A leader always wants to step back and let others lead. That’s a sign of a good leader,” said Sandoval who is also a doctoral student at the University of Phoenix.
The alleged child abuse took place on Monday, Oct. 4, while the mayor was presiding over the council meeting that evening. She reported to police about the alleged abuse the following day when, according to her reports and press release to the news media, she found out about it.
Her husband has been released from jail on his own recognizance after posting a bail of $25,000 which was reduced by a Manteca Superior Court Judge from $50,000. The felony child endangerment charge was also reduced to a misdemeanor, with court hearings continuing later this month.
The alleged victim, 8-year-old son of the mayor, is Thomas Sayles’ step-son and is one of three children from Kristy Sayles’ third husband. She also has an adult son from a former marriage.
The mayor is running for re-election in November and is being challenged by mayor hopefuls Steve Dresser, a former planning commissioner and councilman, and Lathrop businessman J. “Chaka” Santos.
He made the “formal” request Monday night during the regular city council meeting which was not attended by the mayor. City Clerk Mitzi Ortiz said the mayor called City Manager Cary Keaten earlier in the day to inform him that she was sick and will not be able to be at the meeting.
“She is dragging the city down and she has taken a lot of people down with her. So I’m calling on the rest of the people (of Lathrop) to call for her resignation, too. She just needs to step away from the podium,” said Doyle.
He said the Oct. 5 arrest of the mayor’s husband, Thomas Xavier Sayles, after she reported him to police for allegedly physically abusing her 8-year-old son has thrown Lathrop in a negative light with all the television news stations in the area following her every move.
“That’s why she’s not here. She thought there’d be the press here. But she should be here taking care of business,” Doyle said.
When it was pointed out that Doyle was not a resident of Lathrop, he countered by saying he owns 20 acres of farmland in the city which gives him the right to speak up. He currently resides in Manteca.
None of the candidates in the November elections who were at the council meeting Monday volunteered a comment about Doyle’s request for the mayor’s resignation.
But resident and community volunteer Ruben Sandoval said, “It’s a good call,” commenting on Doyle’s request.
In fact, said Sandoval, “It should have been made a long time ago. She should have stepped down when her husband started suing the city. That was like a conflict of interest. Even though she (the mayor) said it was a separate (issue involving only her husband), there’s still the connection because they were married.”
He added that resignation is the right thing to do for the mayor under present circumstances.
“A leader always wants to step back and let others lead. That’s a sign of a good leader,” said Sandoval who is also a doctoral student at the University of Phoenix.
The alleged child abuse took place on Monday, Oct. 4, while the mayor was presiding over the council meeting that evening. She reported to police about the alleged abuse the following day when, according to her reports and press release to the news media, she found out about it.
Her husband has been released from jail on his own recognizance after posting a bail of $25,000 which was reduced by a Manteca Superior Court Judge from $50,000. The felony child endangerment charge was also reduced to a misdemeanor, with court hearings continuing later this month.
The alleged victim, 8-year-old son of the mayor, is Thomas Sayles’ step-son and is one of three children from Kristy Sayles’ third husband. She also has an adult son from a former marriage.
The mayor is running for re-election in November and is being challenged by mayor hopefuls Steve Dresser, a former planning commissioner and councilman, and Lathrop businessman J. “Chaka” Santos.
