The World has posted an odd article. Odd in that it contradicts its own reporting and then has John Rowe contradicting Nikki Whitty and facts contradicting other statements. Evidently, enough concern has been expressed over the paving of ten private driveways as part of the Wallace Road LID the paper sought to clear things up but seems to have just made them muddier. The paper still fails to report on the additional $36,000 in cost to be financed over a ten year period. Nor is there mention of the incongruity of using county forces and dedicated road funds on private property when many residents report their roads are not being adequately maintained.

Although county crews paved private driveways as well as streets in the Wallace Road Local Improvement District, property owners paid for both labor and materials at the same price they would have paid a private contractor, according to Rowe.

And the plan to pave driveways while roads were being paved in the county’s first local improvement district was never a secret.

‘It was talked about at several meetings,” Rowe said.

‘It was in my feasibility document.”

This account counters the earlier account that the driveways were a surprise.

what Commissioner Kevin Stufflebean and Roadmaster John Rowe didn’t announce at the time was they were also paving 10 private driveways.

That was revealed only when citizens snapped pictures of the work in progress.

The driveways, or at least the mention that some residents wanted driveways paved, may well have been discussed at public meetings attended primarily by the residents of the LID. Rowe’s claim driveways are mentioned in his feasibility study meet the barest definition of mention.

Prior to the paving of the driveways neither the public nor the BOC were presented with the $36,000 cost and whether the County was going to be financing the cost over the ten year period. A subsequent BOC meeting ratified the paving ‘after the fact’ but the public was not informed of the costs before the paving.

Rowe also contradicts Whitty’s statement that he didn’t want to do driveways.

Another contradiction is the claim county forces were able to pave the driveways for the same price as private contractors. One LID resident claimed on this blog that it was cheaper for him to have the county do the paving.

Rowe is now saying that for the Stage Road LID it would cost $10 per yard more for the county to pave than a private contractor. This despite the county not having to pay fuel taxes or prevailing wages. Rowe claims contractors are hungry right now but where are they cutting the costs if the job requires them to pay prevailing wage? (It may be the job size does not require prevailing wages)

Lastly, the paper reports Planning Commissioner, Dennis Schad, who had five driveways paved had nothing to do with the formation of the LID. What may be pertinent in this instance is whether a sitting commissioner received favorable terms or benefits from public funds. Schad and five other property owners had their driveways paved and financed by the County, an opportunity not being offered to property owners of the other two LIDs. Of course, if Schad plans to pay the $10,200 for the driveways in full upon presentation of the final cost, it isn’t an issue.

Not surprisingly, Coos County Commissioners voted unanimously (Bob Main held his nose) to accept the findings of hearings officer Andrew Stamp with a few minor amendments. For those who had read both Stamp’s findings and the comments submitted, it was obvious neither the commissioners, the planning department or Stamp had actually read all the comments and evidence submitted. The commissioners seemed more focused upon grammatical and spelling errors in Stamp’s findings than matters raised during the comment period.

Main, reminded the audience of the wonderful but empty promises of the 12″ pipeline and those of Methane Energy. Main noted that if the BOC were empowered by the legislature he would have asked to impose potential penalties of $1,000 per day for the first week of any violations, $5,000 per day for the second week not corrected and $10,000 per day every day thereafter.

Ultimately, today’s acceptance by the BOC of the unaddressed evidence will benefit the argument with the Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA).

There are rumblings of a recall effort forming to remove Coos County Assessor, Adam Colby from office. Too early to release details but of concern will be timing. Should a recall be successful, and unlike during the Stufflebean recall, The World has called for a recall at least twice, then a replacement will be necessary. If my information is correct, the Coos County Commission will choose an interim assessor to complete Colby’s term.

Given we are in July already, assuming a recall committee can be mobilized quickly to gather signatures, it is possible, though improbable, Colby could be voted out before the end of the year. Consideration should be given to timing the recall election to allow a new BOC in January to pick the interim assessor, unless the recall group is comfortable with Nikki Whitty and Kevin Stufflebean having a hand in the choice.

Stufflebean has made challenger Andy Jackson’s job pretty easy with his erratic behavior and poor public safety decisions and terrible employee handling. There seems little doubt Sheriff Jackson will be Commissioner Jackson come this November.

Whitty’s challenger, Larry Van Elsberg, suggested earlier this spring how he would handle the Colby matter in a response to questions from The World.

The Board of Commissioners needs to look at these costs and see if they can be reduced through policy, training or better communications with employees and managers. I would rather see these funds spent towards county services than expensive outside attorney fees.

Until recently, due to news media and employee union concerns, the current Board of Commissioners seemed reluctant or silent in dealing with the excessive turnover of employees in the Assessor’s office. I realize they cannot discuss those issues publically, but from an outsider’s perspective, it seems they were slow to react or possibly condoned such actions.

In a June 29, 2010 letter from the BOC to Colby, expectations listed include ‘training’ and ‘communication’. Why the present BOC dynamic allowed the problems at the Assessor to continue for so long before taking this type of action isn’t clear. What is clear is that Whitty has repeatedly relied upon Stufflebean and his representations without doing her own research or pulling upon her oft touted experience. Two days after the lay off of twenty two road workers, Whitty couldn’t state why she voted to fire them.

So far, all efforts to obtain a copy of the analysis that maps out how this can be done as Whitty claims have failed and was not made a part of the county press release. Nor could Whitty under persistent grilling by road crew workers, Friday, explain her own decision instead deferring questions repeatedly to Kevin who is out of the office until Wednesday.
Many road workers questioned the commissioners decision to vote on this matter in advance of newly elected Bob Main taking office. Whitty claimed responsibility fearing Main, not having enough background information, would vote NO.

After days, if not weeks, of requests it was finally admitted the ‘analysis’ did not exist on paper but that didn’t stop Whitty from eschewing public safety and terminating twenty two family wage jobs despite an approved budget covering their employment and, like Stufflebean, not bothering to attend the swearing in of Commissioner Bob Main.

Notwithstanding that Whitty herself appears to have had no more information than was released to the press, her unilateral choice to exclude Main is even more confusing because she claims the interim roadmaster did not require board approval to terminate employment.
“Kevin didn’t have to bring that to the board of commissioners because the department head, which he technically is, has the authority to do that. But I was glad that he kept us in the loop,” said Whitty.
Nevertheless there was a rush for an unnecessary vote, in closed session, to terminate 22 employees and avoid putting the decision, “on Bob’s back”. Bob Main does not appreciate being excluded from the decision no matter the reasons, and does not believe the information provided to the board was adequate to make such a sweeping decision.

Whitty has voted pretty much in lockstep with Stufflebean all along. Stufflebean has publicly revealed his incompetence and lack of stability again and again which may be why she has been so silent of late. It seems that a word of support for exonerated Andy Jackson would be in order.

Regardless of Whitty’s poor judgment and willing dependence on a character like Stufflebean, Van Elsberg has his work cut out for him to oust the social butterfly this November. However, despite Stufflebean’s resentment for Van Elsberg for heading the recall attempt, the commissioner has done more to win Van Elsberg votes and has certainly cost Whitty votes, (remember his reference to the ‘pipeline fiasco’? Thank you, Kevin!)

Amongst the charges Stufflebean hurled in an, as yet unreleased, email to Clark Walworth are accusations both Andy Jackson and Larry Van Elsberg mishandled their responsibilities during the construction of a natural gas pipeline. The $51M pipeline, now leased by NW Natural, was sold to the County electorate who approved a $27M bond on the basis of job creation by local officials and FONSI. More than 2,900 jobs were anticipated to be gained over the subsequent ten years.

In the end, unfortunately, the FONSI laced dreams, despite the support of all the commissioners, Whitty, Ross and Griffith, didn’t pan out, The pipeline, under the administration of the commissioners, found the Army Corps of Engineers levying the largest fine ever in Oregon, $570,000 against Coos County for environmental degradation, amongst other things. Alas, nary a job in sight.

Of the accusations hurled by Stufflebean, he charges Van Elsberg with not stopping the project for road permit violations. Van Elsberg, who unlike Stufflebean was intimately involved during this time, tells another side of that story. Namely, he points a finger or two at both Griffith and Ross claiming they attempted to intervene between Van Elsberg and his environmental compliance officer, Paul Slater. Ross, the road department liaison at the time, called Van Elsberg at home one night and told him Slater was interfering with pipeline contractor Mastec’s progress. Griffith, according to Van Elsberg, intimated or outright stated< at a time when Mastec was going to be drilling under a creek, that Slater should be reassigned to another location that day.

Stufflebean has also accused Sheriff Andy Jackson of not reporting stream fracking on the part of Mastec to the Department of Environmental Quality. Jackson, again because The World mysteriously refuses to release a copy of the accusations, doesn't understand what the commissioner could be referring to. Sheriffs rarely have authority over non criminal issues like environmental quality. Van Elsberg says he has no recollection of ever working with the Sheriffs Department regarding the pipeline.

Opening the pipeline history will actually be a good thing for the people of Coos County. Whitty, who was the main 'go to' person between the road department and the pipeline advisers generally passed the problem back to the advisers managing the project. The advisers, out of Colorado, eventually bailed out on the County and wouldn't even release inspection reports. In essence, the road department was operating on its own with no competent guidance.

Van Elsberg is accused by Stufflebean of not shutting down the project for permit violations. Van Elsberg states he was not about to shut down a $51M voter approved project without the consent of the commissioners.

From the moment the commissioners accepted the lowest bid and ignored other bidding options the project was on a path to failure and the promised jobs have yet to be seen.

For some great photos of the pipeline disaster check here

Despite being cold to the idea of recalling Coos County Commissioner Kevin Stufflebean last year The World is now calling for the recall of Adam Colby. In the Stufflebean matter there was ample evidence of what was wrong and why the recall was brought against him. The paper always spun it as only having to do with the road department layoffs. In fact, the recall was motivated by the layoffs but was entirely about public process and transparency. Despite narrowly surviving the recall, Stufflebean’s low vote count in Tuesday’s election supports that most citizens got the message and agreed, even if The World did not.

Not that I disagree the assessor needs to go, I find it interesting the paper supports a recall while admitting, unlike the Stufflebean matter, little is known about what is wrong in the office.

County Assessor Adam Colby, 16 months into a four-year term, has become a liability to taxpayers and an obstacle to his staff’s effectiveness. It’s time to think about a recall.

This suggestion may seem drastic. Thanks to employee confidentiality and the county’s liability concerns, taxpayers know little about the problems in the assessor’s office.

Some small factoids. Commissioner Nikki Whitty is the liaison to the assessor’s office. Adam Colby and the ‘G-Man’, Steve Allen, were frequent lunch partners when Allen was still Human Resources Director. Allen resigned to go into private industry. Today is his last day.

Maybe the paper should launch a ‘please resign for the good of the county’ campaign.

Looks like a runoff for both positions in November! Stufflebean only with 26% of the vote and it IS NOT because he makes the tough, unpopular decisions.

Nikki with just 42% if she doesn’t garner 50% plus 1 she and Larry Van Elsberg will be fighting it out through November. Alother update at 10:30 PM tonight.

In another testament to why this county remains in the economic funk it has enjoyed these last two decades, The World endorses the incumbents for Seats 2 and 3 in the upcoming commissioners race. Thankfully, for those of us ready for some fresh thinking, The World has a poor batting average for predicting winners… they endorsed loser John Griffith, gone but not forgotten, these last four years.

There is the added bonus too. The World can’t write an op/ed worth a damn. Consider this graf (and gaffe) from an editorial endorsing Whitty.

Experience should be the deciding factor in the Seat 2 race for Coos County commissioner. Incumbent Nikki Whitty has it. Her opponents don’t.

“Experience should be the deciding factor…” Experience? Experience in what… pipeline mismanagement? Employee mishandling? Public meeting manipulation and obfuscation? The author just throws out declarative statements as if they are spectators at a football game. “Drive the ball! Move those legs! Run” They may as well have said… “Blue should be the deciding factor. Whitty has it. Her opponents don’t”. Blahhh

Consider the author’s assessment of Stufflebean.

Defying the road workers union showed courage on the taxpayers’ behalf. He supports industrial development that will create jobs. He’s an effective advocate for social services.

Yet his handling of the Road Department layoffs was as clumsy and arrogant as it was courageous. We have reservations about his candor.

Here we see this author, like the incumbents, has no critical thinking skills. Stufflebean..”showed courage on the taxpayers’ behalf”. How was that, exactly? The road department layoffs may have been many things, including hidden from the public and based upon bad, unapproved budget projections but courageous wasn’t one of them. (gutless is more like it) He supports “…development that will create jobs.” Everyone supports development to create jobs, so what?

Now, I love this line. “We have reservations about his candor”. In other words they suspect, as I do, that he lies!!!! Yet they endorse a liar! Actually, The World endorses a November run off between a suspected liar and another status quo candidate, previous Commissioner Gordon Ross, (he was in on the pipeline mess too). Ughh!

This time I am actually grateful for lousy writing!