In an election night that had its share of surprises, none was larger than the upset defeat of Arroyo Grande mayor Tony Ferrara, who has served on the council since 1998.
In the cloud of a sex scandal that rocked city hall in this small San Luis Obispo County city, Ferrera lost to write in candidate Jim Hill by just 95 votes.
Ferrera, who had served as the city’s mayor since 2002, was also the president of the California League of Cities.
The city’s election was marked by a wild turn of events that included allegations of improper trysts with top city officials, and an effort by Ferrera and others to cover it up.
Ferrara came under fire this summer for his handling of an incident this summer, when suspicions were raised over an incident involving City Manager Steve Adams and Arroyo Grande’s Community Services Director, who were caught alone, after hours at city hall.
While there are conflicting accounts of the pair's condition and level of dress, Adams contends that there was nothing unseemly going on. Ferrera rallied to his defense, saying the encounter was innocent that that the two were merely at City Hall drinking tea and sobering up after a night out.
The city’s police union issued a vote of no confidence against the City Manager and Mayor.