At least four citizens, and possibly more, have filed an ethics complaint with the Oregon Government Ethics Commission alleging conflicts of interest claiming that Fred R Messerle & Sons, Inc benefited from a fee reduction at the Coos County Planning Department.
On or about July 2011, Messerle unilaterally instructed the Coos County Planning Department director to lower research fees charged to applicants from $75 per hour to $60 per hour. This decision jeopardized the department’s self supporting status and the $20,760 shortfall was paid out of the county general fund. Messerle’s company, Fred R Messerle & Sons, Inc., which submitted two applications to the department after the fee reduction was in place personally benefitted from the fee reduction in violation of ORS chapter 244. Attached is a list of benefactors of the fee reduction and major contributors to Messerle’s campaign for commissioner, including John Knutson, owner of Knutson Towboat. See https://secure.sos.state.or.us/orestar/cneSearch.do?cneSearchButtonName=search&cneSearchFilerCommitteeId=15455
Planning department staff state that Messerle informed them that Knutson would be making application to the department at the same time he instructed them to lower the fees. Knutson Towboat then applied to planning.
Messerle admits reducing the fees but did not disclose this fact to the budget committee during this year’s budget hearings
Attachments
Invoice from the planning department for reimbursement from the county general fund for $20,760.
Applicant list during period of fee reductions
WTH? I just read todays’ editorial in what is still called a news paper, and did not realize this flooding issue near Coquille IS ANOTHER ONE OF FRED MESSERLIE’S PROJECTS. There are so many issues, and I admit, I didn’t follow this one at all. Can someone explain what is REALLY going on here?
Thank you.
I believe the term was “uninformed”.
Al, what would you expect from 63,000 citizens who you and Mr. Barton consider to be uneducated? That is the term that you two used on the Jim Bice program isn’t it?
Al, do you even know what the term “wing nuts” refers too? The way you use it, I doubt you do.
This story reminds me of when I lived out of state and watched a local judge throw the book at young service men for any infraction that got them in front of his holier than thou court. Then when a story broke about that judge getting free rides home from the local private club by the local cops when he was too drunk to drive, opened the flood gates about the abuses this judge was inflicting on that community, it brought to light that he was a child molester as well. It only took a crack in his shell to get the full extent of his corruption exposed, which led to him dropping dead of a heart attack before he could get to trial.
The cracks are already showing on the corruption that this group of local business men are inflicting on this community. SCDC or humpty dumpty is getting just a little bit closer to the edge of the wall.
Without whistle blowers the abuses will just continue. My hats off to the citizens that have had enough of this local corruption.
Again??? Salem must think we’re all wing nuts down here.
Excellent