At Tuesday’s BOC meeting commissioner Main, in front of the camera for the umpteenth time, insists the selection committees empaneled to pick Cam Parry and Fred Messerle were composed of a varied and diverse group of people spanning all political parties and formed to give the “public a chance to participate” in this critical decision. The results belie Mains claims of diversity, the BOC is now comprised of three like-minded conservative ‘pro-business’ commissioners. In my opinion, the committees were formed to deflect criticism for the choices away from the commission.
Regarding the selection of Cam Parry I know from a phone conversation with Main before the decision that he was angling for Parry all along and of the top five picked for the final interview process I admit to being supportive of Parry within the limited choices available. Parry probably would not have been in my top five list, or at least not in the top four, and I admit that I have become more and more disillusioned with all three commissioners and deeply disturbed by the rationale they use to justify their decisions.
The board took some criticism from the audience regarding their use of advisory committees. Committees have been formed to evaluate forestry, the road department, government structure in terms of reorganization, i.e home rule, as well as overall efficiency. Parry, who began his term by suggesting weekly informal coffee meetings with the public, defended the committee process as a way to involve the public in their own governance. Unfortunately, I have to strongly disagree. The very fact that the board gets to approve the official membership of these committees is in and of itself exclusionary and divisive. By far, the very best way to include the public, if that is truly the aim, is to hold a series of public hearings in different locations of the county and at times the working citizen can actually attend.
Governance by advisory committee allows a handful of unelected individuals appointed by the commission to impact the daily lives of 64,000 fellow citizens who may be too busy working during the day to keep up with what is going on. Credit should be given to Main for raising questions during a committee workshop meeting held last Monday of why do we need a ‘governance’ committee or an ‘efficiency committee’. “These department heads know what they’re doing”, he said. Nevertheless, Parry easily convinces Main the structural committee is critically important by using a technique common in politicians but that I find both frustrating and disingenuous.
Clearly, Parry has already convinced Main that the administration of county services is really a $100 million a year “business” rather than a government funded by taxpayer dollars. Working from that premise Parry then explains that any business must have a strategy thereby inferring the county does not, in fact, strategize every year during formal budget hearings or during every BOC meeting, and then makes a declarative statement inferring the county has not progressed since the 1950’s.
“We can’t keep operating in the fifties”, said Parry. There it is, he just states it as if it is fact and offers no examples of what he is talking about nor, assuming there are any valid examples, does he explain why, if true, these fifties artifacts may still be in place. Maybe, just maybe, if there are still some old ways of doing things it is simply because, gasp!, they work well.
Parry simply makes a vague yet declarative statement, wraps it in the folds of ‘running the county like a business’ and sells Main on a concept originally promoted by Fred Messerle. Done deal. Personally, I never heard any clear argument in Parry’s explanation to support the formation of these committees and I specifically never heard what the presumed ultimate goal might be but Main is satisfied something is broken and that forming small advisory committees is the way to fix it.
Messerle is barely able to form a coherent sentence without pausing every few words to interject an “uh” or an “um” and by the time he has finished whatever he means to say, again, like Parry, there is little substance. Like Parry, he is clear that something is wrong but falls short of saying it has anything to do with inadequate revenue and falls back on, “we have to determine what level of service we can afford to offer.”
Later, I hope to have a video clip up of the BOC regular meeting to augment this post.
took an entire beer to get caught up here. the committees just make the commissioners look like they don’t know what they are doing. oh, that’s right, they don’t
We can agree on one thing, Alan, “I don’t think the research stage warrants undo concern” although I am sure we agree for entirely different reasons. On the other hand, I do think the manner in which these committees have been thrust upon the public will concern voters next year. Lastly, there is nothing varied about the group on this committee, they are, for the most part, the usual suspects. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy your tenure and the experience
Thank you for your feedback. The legal complexities associated to several of the identified priorities must be well understood by all committee members or we will waste a lot of personal time and, ultimately, render the process useless to the Commissioners. And unless the general public is also willing to invest the time and energy to fully understand all the issues associated with timber, energy, org-charts, etc., then it is highly unlikely that public feedback will be informed or productive. I say this not as a slight, but as a pragmatic assumption. The committee members chosen represent a good cross-section of our community and bring a varied but solid set of credentials to the process, and all are available to the public for feedback or to hear concerns. I am acquainted with only two members on the Structure committee and I look forward to meeting and working with all members in creating one or more proposals that the commissioners may – or may not – wish to employ. It is my understanding that this process will be completely transparent and subject to public scrutiny. It is also my understanding that committee members are performing roles akin to research assistants, not decision makers. Our job is to sort through the complex haze that is government and provide some bottom line recommendations to the Commissioners. What the Commissioners do with that information will also be subject to public scrutiny and I assume that there will be more appropriate time and place for citizens to voice their concerns. I don’t think the research stage warrants undo concern. – Alan Pettit
Alan, I have a question, how is this county going to move forward, when it keeps putting the same people who have driven us into this ditch, in charge of getting us out of this ditch? Did they suddenly get even more:” intelligent and professional” suddenly?
NOW they know what to do?
I think not Alan, been there done that.
This entire process, both the Architects and the BOC, nothing but stacked committees through the Chamber of Consorts, nothing will change and the progressives of this county aren’t ignorant to the actions of these people. No sense arguing here with you, we’ll take it to the voting booth this time.
The Chamber of Consorts has to be watched very carefully, they are exerting muscle on the political process here in Coos County.
Thank you, Alan, during your intro at the Chamber luncheon it was made clear that you had restructured or turned around a division of Apple. It was Fred Messerle at the recent work session who described you to the other commissioners as having turned around the entire company. Thank you also for the invitation, however, I believe as stated in the post above that the use of committees in this context is inappropriate and exclusionary to the general public. Further, the information available at the AOC website and a conversation with the secretary of state indicates that while budget committees, etc… will be necessary once a decision is in place to adopt a structural change, the cart may be a bit ahead of the horse in this instance.
Again, if the commissioners really want to involve and engage the public they should schedule a series of public hearings throughout the county over the next several months. Out of those hearings the public can choose whether they see the benefit of forming committtees to proceed further.
Mary, just a bit of clarification: I didn’t repair the whole of Apple Inc., just a couple of divisions. And yes, those divisions had shipping departments. And Steve Jobs was not employed at Apple during my tenure. And no, unwed mothers will not have a bearing on the restucturing project as the two are quite unrelated. And no, these committees will not have the authority to funnel taxpayer dollars to “a few select companies and individuals.” However, if you or any of your followers have constructive input to the structural process, feel free to stop by the dealership at anytime and share those thoughts with me. I am always open to intelligent and professional feedback. Lickity Split and themguys: you have earned an exemption.
I don’t know lickity but I do know that SCDC, as a non profit, is required by law to release, if not outright publish its financial information upon request and Messerle continues to ignore requests for that informaiton. A complaint to the IRS may be necessary
Well Lickity, you made me laugh, thank you for that, I will laugh every time I see him waddle around in front of a camera. Even more than usual.
Opinions are like, shall we say… anuses, everyone has one & I think you know the rest.
Pull your head out of the sand & open your eyes. In the four years since Ron died the Hen over at SCDC has laid one giant Goose egg. She is on the lower end of the spectrum when considering the egregious acts of fraud & corruption in our quaint little community.
The highly unethical borderline felonious activities being engaged in are met with the same levels of tenacity when objecting to them. If everything was on the up & up then this conversation would not be occurring. They bring it on themselves with their insatiable greed & brazen arrogance.
As for Jon Barton, can someone please explain how a Pus Gut like him gained such prestige among the pig squealing rump slathering deliverance boys club.
precisely why I told Bob in my last e-mail that I was looking forward to the next election, and the opportunity to cast my vote against him.
The outcome of the selection committees is precisely why people are objecting so strenuously to these committees now. Bob has been overheard saying that he believes many of the elected positions should be appointed instead, like the assessor for example or the county clerk
Having the committees will ultimately lead to losing our right to vote. Just what happened with the appointment of our two new commissioners.
The committees, in my opinion, are little more than a way to deflect criticism from the commissioners for their picks. Bob still blames the selection of Fred Messerle and Cam Parry on the selection committees, even though we all know better. On the other hand, in order to move the county toward a home rule charter or to add more commissioners, a budget committee and a steering committee would be required to help move it on to a ballot.
Again, my view is the commissioners should schedule a series of hearings around the county during the evenings to allow as many people as possible to provide input and learn about the options. The rest of the information is available at the AOC website – out of that public hearing process, then committees could be formed if that is what the public want.
Hum, seems as if the BOC be doing some “complete melding of business and government?”
And now Coos Bay has figured out a way to save money, supposedly, by bringing in business people to actually write proposals and bids? Did I hear that one right?
Back to topic, I strongly didn’t agree with John Griffith’s positions when he was commissioner, but at least he didn’t need a committee to decide his positions. I would almost be willing have John back, than have the kind of government that hides their decisions behind the guise of a committee. Is that sick or what.
@gene and if Congress cuts back on entitlements like Social Security and Medicare which comprise 75% of the spendable income in this county, it will be beyond worse all the way to catastrophic
@opinion let’s just accept that you don’t like me or how I run my blog and leave it at that. The topic of this post is about public hearings versus select committees as a way of engaging more public participation. If you want to contribute to that conversation, pro or con, feel free in the spirit of working together. If your whole intent in posting here is simply to go after me personally then I don’t see much point in continuing this on a public forum.
Ok opinion you still haven’t contributed a single bit of info we can use to have a dialog with you, other than you don’t like Mary. Now I do question who you might be. Another shill for SCDC maybe, you must have been brought here for a specific purpose, care to enlighten us. You don’t like what goes on here then why bother posting at all. You will just get your feelings hurt before its all done.
Gene,
Will hold comment on those for another time. Signing off. (But not tucking!) Till next time..
Oh it can get worse alright. Bring LNG,coal, and sell more whole logs to china, and it will get there real quick.
Mary you assume I haven’t learned a little about your ‘qualifications’ and simply just listened to others? Hmm..there it is again.. quick to jump to conclusions. Gene, I find it almost humorous that you insinuate Coos can’t be any more for the worse than it already is? This town has no where to go but up. Take a look around. I think you would agree it needs a serious overhaul. Everyone has a different opinion of how it needs to be done. Find some common ground and lets get on with it already
Well welcome again you “newcomer” opinion. To answer your question, I most definitely tell them to their faces at public meetings. They don’t like it much, in fact they call the police when you talk back to them. Trust me, been there. So much for that accusation, I don’t say anything here I don’t say in public. You see, some of us have lost that Faux Veneer Of Respectability you seem to admire so.
You have something to say here, say it. We’re all adults. We don’t whine either.
Magix, some of your rebuttals are definately not slow pitch. I love ’em. Keep up the good work.
Opinion, you wrote that we get worked up over things that haven’t happened yet, That’s exactly right. If we wait until these things happen it will be to late to effect any change of course. Should we all wait until their plans are enacted, then complain?
Do you think we should just shut up and let them have their way with this county?
What do you think, other than Mary is mean to people that put their own interest’s before the public interest.
Well, @opinion, as you point out opinions are very subjective and you might take your own advice and find about my qualifications instead of listening to others. Regardless, the criticism and praise posted here are opinions and subjective but I will add that many of the leaders and officials receive commentary on these pages are held in wide spread contempt for their entanglements in a long series of local economic fiascoes involving public money and even more for their failed promises surrounding these disasters.
Public opinion revealed itself at the last election and I am quite sure the next one will be very enlightening as well.
I really don’t care if people speculate as to who I am. The ‘merits’ of my opinion? Its an opinion. Don’t begin to tell me that 99% of your comments are directed at actions and outcomes not personalities. Go back and re-read your posts. You and a few of your followers sure do get worked up over things that haven’t even happened yet as well as very worked up over who may or may not end up on some committee. And you get ugly about it. Mary my original post was to you personally as the driver behind this website and blog. Its a small community. As passionate as you are about issues that are close to you, you represent yourself in a very unprofessional manner. It makes it a little difficult to take you seriously. Like I said, being quite new to the town, it didn’t take long a all for your reputation to present itself
@opinion absent any specific information from you it is hard to address the merits of your opinion and when you post anonymously people will inevitably speculate about who you are. Since 99% of my criticism is directed at actions and outcomes and not at specific personalities you raise more questions than you answer. Lastly, hiding behind a moniker, while perfectly acceptable on this blog, it hardly raises anyone’s confidence in your claim that you are “not the type of person to ‘tuck tail’ and run.”
Opinion, who was it Mary attacked unfairly, be specific, or you risk being the one unfairly attacking. I did not see anyone trying to figure who YOU may be. We did try to guess who you were trying to defend on this site. The cast is quite large and we would like to know. If you have just moved to the area then you should take your time and see what goes on around here before you defend the crooks running this county. Now see I just attacked them all and I am not ashamed of myself, and I know I’m grown up. please enlighten us as to who you think is being misaligned. I would like to hear your take on how things are being run around here. Be specific please.
There it is..once again the comments that followed my post are very quick to jump to conclusions about who I may be referring to or who I am. I am not apart of any group, let alone ‘working’ for or asked to speak for anyone. I am fairly new to the area and simply have made an observation. To the person called ‘themguys’, those kind of comments are exactly what I was referring to. Its very easy to say things on a blog. I can hardly imagine you would speak like that in person. Perhaps I am wrong. Look all I was getting at is that there is no need to be so nasty. You may not like certain people in certain positions or the way things are being run/done. So be it. As far as I have seen you don’t like much of anything that goes on in this town. As far as my comment ‘ we are all in this together..’ I was referring to the fact that we all live in this tiny community and your sour comments do not help to move things in any kind of a positive direction. I am not the type of person to ‘tuck tail’ and run. I’ll be around.
“We are all in this together and can make a difference together. Grow up.” sayeth opinion. Welcome opinion.
I must start with the fact that “we” are NOT all in this together. May I ask if you were one of the “special” people here who received a personal invitation to what has become Sandy Messerlies “work groups”. Did you? If you think that system of only inviting certain “trained” people to her planning sessions reinforces “we are all in this together” then you must have been one of those “special” people. The Church Lady comes to mind. Trust me opinion, the Chamber of Consorts and SCDC, and now it seems the entire BOC are intent on trying to make the rest of “us” believe up is down, and it ain’t gonna fly. Too many people have figured out the game, and we are not on the team. I saw the call at the IBO luncheon to “stack” the committees, and Sandys’ meeting where they were all reminded to “control the conversation at every table”, okay? We’re not all idiots and naysayers, but we know a con when we see it. Same old same old.
Please be more specific with your charges and we can all discuss it. Or was this just a hit and run, as are so many of these “newbies” who come here?
Methinks the circle of “movers and shakers” simply cannot take the truth, and they will not be back.
Where’s Jon Barton? I thought he was a big guy, he posted once then tucked his tail and never came back. What were you expecting Jon? We’re not sucklings at the Public Teat like you are. The rest of us just want this county to succeed, not to join your circle jerk.
Maybe Barton or perhaps they are defending the ultra-sensitive Al Pettit whose disjointed logic stream and at least one of his public actions have been the subject of sharp observations here on MGx
I wonder if opinion is trying to protect Jon Barton aka Sherman at the world.
Check out his postings at the world and tell me how polite he is to readers with a different opinion.
It would help, “opinion”, if you would be a bit more specific about who you feel I am offending/ but as regards qualifications, past experience means nothing compared to present results and actions. Every judgment made on this blog by this author are based on the actions and behavior of the individual and for the most part it is only these actions that are provided any criticism.
Finally, many of the people on this blog whose actions I have been most critical of, MANY PAID WITH PUBLIC FUNDS, have used public meetings to call anyone who disagrees with their perspective names. Perhaps you should level a bit of your criticism towards their unprofessional conduct, as well.
Mary,
You really need to stop insulting and slamming so many people in this community who are trying to make a difference. There is no question that Coos County has room for improvement and there are a lot of good people out there trying to do just that. I can tell that you are just as passionate about wanting to make a difference. Take the time once in awhile to learn a little bit more about the very people you offend, their backgrounds, their education, etc… before you make some of the most immature comments I have read. We are all in this together and can make a difference together. Grow up.
yeah i’ll go with that
Just a guess, but i believe they will be best described as STEERING committees. Able to direct the flow of tax dollars into the right hands, the same hands getting the pass through now. These people aren’t into government for the good of the people, they’re there for the bucks, plain and simple. Its not a new racket just a successful one.
@aghast! well, I don’t think there is much likelihood of getting anything on the ballot by the next primary election and any changes will require a vote of the people. To be honest, I think these committees are going to backfire on the commissioners, politically speaking. Appointing the “usual suspects” is divisive in and of itself and as I state above, they should just hold a series of public hearings and invite everyone. In summary, I think they are committing political suicide because the pretense of casting about looking for answers to undefined and non specific problems looks more like inexperience than leadership
What is going to happen with these committees? Jon Barton gets on a lot of things but he doesn’t seem to accomplish anything
magix, you are going to pay for that and yes it was really funny
I have to admit, that was pretty funny, Lickity
@themguys, if you have been paying attention the port commission have continued to expand Bishop’s scope of authority. He can sign larger checks and they authorize him to sign as yet unwritten contracts and agreements thus throwing the matter onto the consent calendar or, in the case of checks, just combining the payment as part of the monthly total. They never show a list of the invoices being paid or to whom.
Spoken from the heart…
to Lickity Split, thanks for making me laugh.
Sicky sweet Parry on his radio show makes me want to vomit. How can someone listen to an afternoon of pig squealing deliverance boys slathering each others rumps is beyond me. It takes Parry all of 5 minutes to get into his mushy love fest mode & from there its no turning back. Someone could come on the air live & violate him with a coke bottle & he would still suck the chrome off his Mr. Microphone. Don’t get me wrong, that is an outstanding quality to have, just not as a public servant surrounded by chronic parasitic leach#ucks.
selective committee of anti-government people,desc.
Individuals who secretly profess the change of government to a system that allows personal profit at the tax payers expense. i.e. no-bid contracts, fees to study anything, employment positions that require no labor or results, legal lobbying(bribery), and travel expenses.
How long will people put up with this system?
That’s not anti-government, that’s the entry door to Fascism.
Those people want more government, to go through their pockets.
Yes, Pirate, given the time factor the best way to recall them is to elect new commissioners in the primary next May. There are three openings, Bob’s seat will continue for four years, the seats held by Parry and Messerle will be two year terms to regain the staggered terms and then become four year terms thereafter.
Having anti-government people running our government is a disaster, let’s find reasonable and independent alternatives to run against them.
Jon Barton, JJ McCloud, Craig Zanni, Danela Kellum, Timm Slater and Larry Bryant and Bill Marino as an alternate and the now infamous Al Pettit. Fred described Pettit as the ‘guy who turned Apple’ around which I am sure will come as news to Steve Jobs. (maybe he turned the shipping department around). Main said I am sure he will bring a lot to the table.
I can hear it now, “we must change this county to a home rule system because teen girls are getting pregnant out of wedlock”.
Just to be clear, I am not necessarily averse to changing the manner in which the county is governed but I believe a series of public hearings would be the appropriate way to go, not a selective committee of anti-government people.
Mr. Parry and Mr. Messerle are not the choice of the public.
So, let’s recall them and hold a new election to get someone that can manage the County without hiding behind “committees” they select.
We’re a sick society, government run amuck. Greed not public interest is the driving force behind these changes. If it weren’t then we would have been given a special election to choose our representatives, not appointments. I refuse to accept the legitimacy of these committees that choose our reps for us. These people (the crazy 88 as I like to call them) are making sure that the government evolves, but at what cost to the rest of us? Higher taxes, less services, and no voice.
Who will be crowned King of coos county, by these committees? Barton or a Messerle, or who.
It is a problem! Business are beholden to a handful of shareholders and must maximize the return to these shareholders by selling a product or service produced with a minimum cost for the maximum the market will bear. Running the gov like a business means that the shareholders, ie the taxpayer, should be receiving the maximum benefits and services possible for their tax dollar investment. That is not what is happening, instead, the county continues to cut back and ask more of individual staff while pushing to privatize services like road work and health care
:Parry has already convinced Main that the administration of county services is really a $100 million a year “business” rather than a government funded by taxpayer dollars
That’s a problem for all of us. Government agency’s have the habit of spending all monies collected, so they can request more not less revenue from the state on the next disbursement schedule. I’m not saying I agree with this system, it just is.
Now if he wants to run the county like a multi-million dollar business then where are we going to see a profit, stakeholders should expect a profit,(unless they are designated a non-profit organization like SCDC). The dumping of tax dollars to a few select companies and individuals that are just trying to privatize the system must end. To take or re-route dollars away from public services and set them in the hands of middle-men should be criminal. That’s the trick their trying to pull, make your friends middle-men of all tax dollars, it cannot pass through their hands without a little of it sticking, same system the port is using.
All the reader has to do is go to the Chamber of Consorts and IBO luncheon where the Consorts are told to, if they had not already done so, sign up and to basically stack these committees. Then I recall hearing at Mrs. Messerlies by invitation only training sessions, they needed to make sure “their” people were able to control the conversations at each table during discussions. “They” have had “special” training don’tcha know !
How rich is it Cam Parry saying to his cohort Fred messerlies about how we have to move out of the fifties !!!!! Gawd help us all.
Why the hell bother?