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!)