Former road workers addressed Commissioners Main and Whitty this morning at the regular BOC meeting, (Stufflebean is out of town).
Given that BOC meetings are held on Wednesday mornings making it hard for many people to attend, it is a great service that public access television, Channel 14 and 98, provides to the community. Adam Wideman, a former ‘tire man’ at the road department viewed some of the broadcasts, notably the February 5 meeting Commissioner Stufflebean had with the Chamber of Commerce transportation committee held at the Hub building in Coos Bay.
This morning Wideman spoke on the public record to deny claims repeated by Stufflebean that he or any of the laid off road workers were aware they were going to be let go. He further denied ever having spoken with Commissioner Main about the subject.
Kevin has repeatedly accused me of meeting with Bob Main prior to the December 31, 2008 BOC meeting to discuss his plans to lay off the road department employees. His accusations stem from the December 31 meeting at which I attended and asked Kevin if there were plans to reorganize the Road Department. He made a comment to me that I and Dave Peterson had already met with Bob Main and discussed the 10 year projection that was handed out on the 16 of December in a budget work session. I did not respond to this comment because I was concentrating on my questions and did not think it was relevant at that time or do I think it is relevant now. I did not meet with Bob Main and discuss anything about lay offs or reorganization prior to the December 31 meeting.
Commissioner Main also took the opportunity to clarify for the record that the first he heard of the layoffs was along with the road crew 3:30 PM, New Years Eve at the Owen Bldg. Wideman made another point
I came to the Dec 31 Kevin and the Board if there were plans to reduce staff and reorganize the road department. I had no idea that I and 21 other employees would be laid off that afternoon. If Kevin and the Board wanted the employees to be part of the process of the reorganization, I am sure they could have figured out how to contact us so we could have provided input, however that did not happen. There were many meetings held at the Owen building and here starting at the first week of November, and when I and other employees asked the department managers what was going on they said they could not talk about it. Great care was taken to keep
these meetings secret, and to keep the employees in the dark.
Andy Chester another former road worker also watched the broadcast of the transportation meeting. Like Wideman, Chester felt compelled to get some facts cleared up for the public record most notably the paving crew had many other functions when not paving, the tire man did more than change tires and that many of Stufflebean’s equipment maintenance costs were out of whack and subsequently called into question all the figures.
Wideman finished the morning with this assessment
Kevin has acted unprofessionally and I am greatly disappointed at the actions of the previous (Whitty, Stufflebean and John Griffith) Board of Commissioners concerning this matter.
The problem is it takes a full time person following these guys around to keep track of what they say in one meeting and what they say in the next. Then you need to figure out a way to point out these inconsistencies or confront them on the inconsistency and get that on the public record.
Thank goodness for Channel 14 unfortunately they don’t cover everything.
You know they say a liar gets caught in his web sooner or later. It would be comic to watch this worm turn, if 22 families were not paying the price for one mans’ strutting arrogance.
I know the world is changing, and Stufflebutt and Witless’ free ride is coming to a close. They have abused our trust, repeatedly, and they must be held accountable. I simply cannot believe Stuff. can lurch from one meeting to another (well part-time anyway) changing his stories as many times as he pleases. Oh how convenient, Kevin wasn’t there to be confronted. Perhaps he and The Great and Mysterious One Who Hides Behind Doors are cowering in The Inner Sancdom of The Courthouse. How the H do you spell Sancdom? Oh well, just put the picture behind your eyes. Two numb-nut,uneducated nitwits who propel one another forward on their climb up the Korporate Ladder. How frustrating for the two of them to have , excuse me the three of them,(don’t forget the one who wears a mink AND an ermine fighting on her head at the same time– meow, I know) to have to deal with Bob Main, imagine someone in their midsts with some edjukation.