Found Deceased CA - John Wooner, 57, city manager, Bakersfield, 14 May 2019

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Valiant said:
Why? He's not performing the job and they likely need someone to step in to fill the position. They can't just make special circumstances for one person who doesn't show up for work.
Sorry, it sounds cold but if you don't do the job you won't have the job or the pay.
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100% agree. Look at it from the city's POV- the city is (was) without a functioning manager AND he disappeared with a very expensive piece of city property (the vehicle). Consider the following three scenarios- any one of which may have happened to our MP:
  • If he were killed in a traffic accident- the city would not continue to pay his salary.
  • If he were to quit without notice- the city would not continue to pay his salary.
  • If he was killed by some nefarious circumstances (outside of his official duties) - the city would not continue to pay his salary.
 
Valiant said:
Why? He's not performing the job and they likely need someone to step in to fill the position. They can't just make special circumstances for one person who doesn't show up for work.
Sorry, it sounds cold but if you don't do the job you won't have the job or the pay.[/QU
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meanmaryjean said:
100% agree. Look at it from the city's POV- the city is (was) without a functioning manager AND he disappeared with a very expensive piece of city property (the vehicle). Consider the following three scenarios- any one of which may have happened to our MP:
  • If he were killed in a traffic accident- the city would not continue to pay his salary.
  • If he were to quit without notice- the city would not continue to pay his salary.
  • If he was killed by some nefarious circumstances (outside of his official duties) - the city would not continue to pay his salary.
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while these points are all very valid, there are many other factors that could be refuted. Since his status is unknown, was he injured due to failure of the company driven vehicle? Driven to the brink due to work stress? Any union considerations? Any considerations if he were a protected class?
Lots of considerations without concretely knowing the reason for his missing status. I stand by my amateur opinion that his dismissal was premature. Of course I don’t know all the facts.

Amateur opinion and speculation
 
I am also split with what could have happened to him. Each entry here makes me lean a different way.

I do think the city could have made him look less like he had some impropriety on his job, by switching him to “unpaid administrative leave” and no paid benefits. They could then choose to fire him upon return or proof of death. Doing it this way, makes me think he did something improper while in office. (Although their statement has been they found no proof of wrong doing.) All the years working around courts, this could’ve very misleading, since they don’t appear to explain their decision to fire him. This is all my opinion of course.

I hope he found soon.
 
Thanks for the updates Tripod. Interesting that John was looking for new employment when he disappeared. And I’m glad to see there is still a news organization interested in delving deeper into John’s missing status. Maybe there will be a resolution to this case, hopefully.
 
rosesfromangels said:
That quote (supposedly a joke?) about “breaking legs” is bizarre, and jumps off the page!

Amateur opinion and speculation
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Meh- I've said (in reference to a confidential matter) "I'd have to kill you" to my boss.

But I'm happy that this news outlet is taking a good hard look at the situation.
 
I am not sure I would put much stock in the interest in other city manager positions. My husband, who had a career in municipal government would often respond to a position offer just to test the waters with no real intent of leaving his job. This is not uncommon.
 
Blondie in Spokane said:
Thanks for the updates Tripod. Interesting that John was looking for new employment when he disappeared. And I’m glad to see there is still a news organization interested in delving deeper into John’s missing status. Maybe there will be a resolution to this case, hopefully.
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I sure hope so and hope they keep tabs on this. It doesn't seem there are any eye-popping personal issues within all those emails they saw. JW appears to me to have been a very competent city manager. Such a puzzle!
 
Rosiebones said:
I am not sure I would put much stock in the interest in other city manager positions. My husband, who had a career in municipal government would often respond to a position offer just to test the waters with no real intent of leaving his job. This is not uncommon.
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That's true. Only odd thing was his vanishing, and if there are no other clues?
Where are you, John, and where is that truck?
 
I lean most heavily toward a road accident of some sort. I lean away from foul play, because who goes after a 300 lb. 6 foot 4 inch man as a target of a mugging or car jacking.
I guess an offshoot of a road accident is self harm, primarily because in both those instances, the car has not been recovered, leading me to think he is with the vehicle wherever he is.
 
Rosiebones said:
I lean most heavily toward a road accident of some sort. I lean away from foul play, because who goes after a 300 lb. 6 foot 4 inch man as a target of a mugging or car jacking.
I guess an offshoot of a road accident is self harm, primarily because in both those instances, the car has not been recovered, leading me to think he is with the vehicle wherever he is.
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His height, weight, and age also support the speculation of a medical episode.

Amateur opinion and speculation
 
On the 23ABC Facebook page (news station in Bakersfield, CA)
"CAR IN RIVER: CHP & KCSO are trying to pull a white/gray vehicle from the Kern River Canyon about 3 miles into the canyon. Expect delays and closures. No driver or passengers found so far." There's no indication regarding how long this vehicle might have been in the river, but there's speculation that it might be JW.
 
I just went up and down Route 178 through the canyon on Google street level and there is no barrier between the side of the two lane road and the river. So easy to leave the road and land in the river in most of the length.
 
Rosiebones said:
I just went up and down Route 178 through the canyon on Google street level and there is no barrier between the side of the two lane road and the river. So easy to leave the road and land in the river in most of the length.
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The rivers around here have been running amazingly high ... doesn’t surprise me at all ,that if this is indeed him , it took this long to find the vehicle .
 
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