A lengthy complaint forwarded to Doug Pearson, Audit Coordinator for the Oregon Department of Justice, Charitable Activities Section alleges the ORCCA board of directors have failed to provide proper organizational oversight, violated its own hiring policies and procedures, hired an inexperienced and incompetent executive director, misused dedicated funds and used ORCCA charitable donations to pay overdue construction bills.
|
ORCCA Board
Christina Alexander, Chair Cecilia Lyon, Vice Chair Marcia Hart, Treasurer Brenda Brecke, Past Chair Carl Siminow Susan Brown Zana DiBartolomeo Matthew Muenchrath |
The complaint filed Wednesday alleges that the board is being manipulated by Executive Director Mike Lehman and is allowing him to set board agendas, take meeting minutes, edit the minutes, ignore wage and hiring freezes and to confer special treatment upon select staff.
The complaint also accuses the board of continuing the interviews and hiring for the permanent executive director even after it learned the process had been compromised by the human resources director. One of the applicants “sent a complaint to board members Marcia Hart and Christina Alexander stating that her application had been sabotaged” by the human resources director, Carol Douglas, and requested Douglas’ removal from the hiring committee.
Interim director Pattie Gouveia submitted her application to Douglas an hour before the deadline and was assured nothing more was required. A week later Gouveia was shocked to learn she was not eligible for the position because Douglas had wrongly informed the board that her application had not been correctly filed online and it was incomplete. A witness to Gouveia handing in her application confirmed that Douglas had received it on time and had told Gouveia it was complete and the board reinstated her as a possible candidate, as well as three other applications that had also not been filed online.
Gouveia believes Douglas deliberately sabotaged her application yet the board chose to keep Douglas on the hiring committee anyway despite a previous record of compromised hiring procedures, (once reportedly losing six applications for a Head Start director). Douglas and Lehman are reported to have known each other since high school and Lehman relies on her as an administrative assistant and recently agreed to expunge negative write-ups from her employment record. To date the board has simply ignored internal complaints raised about the HR department and the complaint filed with the DOJ labels the board as “dysfunctional”.
Why has the ORCCA board not addressed the fact that Carol Douglas specifically used her position as HR to requested of ED Lehman her high school friend to remove several disciplinary write ups from her own personnel file. How does anyone know that Douglas has not removed them herself, after all she does have access to all staff personnel files including her own. This is by far such a violation of ethics, not to mention I am sure ORCCA has polices that prohibit such a request. Why has she not been fired? If Douglas had any morals she would resign, Oh but wait this is the same person that sabotaged job applications, set on job interviews when she had a direct conflict of interest, lost numerous of the Head Start director job applications. What was I thinking she doesn’t have a moral or ethical bone in her body. The Board has a duty to step in and hold both Douglas and Lehman accountable. Will they? Most likely not.
Today I received an email from the board chair which outside of attempting to scold me for not subjecting myself to one of Lehman’s dog and pony shows appeared to have no purpose whatsoever… it just said everything is wonderful and everyone is working happily together. I will write up more this weekend about what wasn’t said in the email
nope, many of ORCCA’s employees are concerned about the dysfunction of the board and ED. But what can they do? It is obvious if you get in the crosshairs of Lehman, Douglas or other management, you lose your job. But why be concerned with the fiscal mismanagement that is occurring? It is far better to go after the messenger. Yep, Mgx must have it out for Lehman; what other possible explanation could there be? Couldn’t be that the organization is being run by someone who admits he doesn’t know what he is doing and manages by manipulating staff and the board. Inspiring for employees, don’t ya think! Seems to me the issues that have been raised were raised previously – the board refuses to do its job and will let anyone run the place, as long as they don’t have to do anything.
Nope I find your fishing expedition for information odd. I think you must be confused as your first words ask “what’s so interesting about community action” and then shortly thereafter you answer your own questions by saying “the organization that helps people in our community every day”. That would be why ORCCA is so interesting, do you know for a fact that people are helped everyday? Has Magx done something to you for you to be so hateful? Has the organization promised you something? Has the new director put you up to this? Maybe you work there and want to protect your job. Don’t you find it odd that layoffs occurred at the same time wage increases happen and a new Development coordinator was hired. Where do you think these people are paid from? Could be wrong but you sound as though you are on the inside therefore you would know! How strange you comment regarding disgruntle x employees? Do you know something about that? Sounds to me like you could be out for revenge. Oh but hey, what do I know
What do all of you find so interesting about community action? It seems like an obsession. I have to say that after reading several posted articles on this site I do question the hateful determination of Magix. Has this organization done something to slight you? Or someone you know? Did their new Director do something to you? That question goes to all of the people who post such negitivity about this Organization that helps people in our community everyday. Realistically, after all the Articles posted the last few years about the old CEO and Gang, did anyone really expect things to go poof, and suddenly be perfect. Maybe one of you works there and have some sort of insider info that rest of us don’t? I mean in an article by Magix she basically said there had been layoffs.If they are truly in a deficit that is what happens, doesn’t it? People get layed off. Is that where your info is from? A disgruntled ex employee? It seems to me that one moment ORCCA wasn’t in the news and now its like a floodgate opened. What was your ex employee waiting for. If they are going to stay in the dark why not leak such ‘important’ information earlier. It soundsounds a lot like revenge to me. But hey, what do I know.
This is more of a fishing expedition than a comment and you are wrong on all counts. As for Lehman, I have no beef with him except that I lost all respect when he spun the deficit in The World and tried to pin it on “disgruntled ex employees” just like you’re doing now.
Stop worrying about where the leaks are and try fixing the obvious problems, everyone wants ORCCA to be successful
Mike and I go way back. I am sure he thinks you have it in for him
I take it you mean he is extremely paranoid and insecure. No argument there, it goes with the territory when you have spent your entire life covering up for your inadequacies and pretending to be competent. Actually, I am his best friend in this matter because I am convinced he is inadequate for the job and seriously needs board intervention before he is forever labeled as the guy who brought down ORCCA
Additionally, I don’t care who your contact is. The questions where retorhical. More or less think about the biases being set forth. Consider the sources. But hey attack me too. What do I know.
I don’t have revenge for anyone here. Mgx or ORCCA or there individual representatives. I have no association with anyone involved on either side. I guess I am just interested in the sum of all parts. Which doesn’t seem to be provided here. We had enough one sided reporting in Counties past, and not just in regard to ORCCA. I suppose I am just tired of bias reporting. Its become the norm for all to report opinions and not facts.
Everything reported in these posts has been vetted. Be specific about what you claim is not factual
Apparently it is fine with ORCCA to allow a convicted criminal who is on 20 years probation for identify theft and has direct access to staff and public personal information not to mention makes the determination who will or will not get housing assistances. The staff at ORCCA and Head Start employees and the community needs to be fully aware when you find yourself in need of housing assistance or energy the person in charge of the housing department has been convicted of identity theft. This is such and outrage and the public should be made aware. Anyone who has applied for housing assistance and been denied should be in outrage and demand to know if they were past over because the funds have been given to internal staff or the housing director family and friends first.
I hope the complaint also said something about how the board knowingly allows the ED to keep on as a manager a convicted criminal who has access to customer info and funds.
Also, that the managers give themselves, family, and friends help when they turn you and I away. The ED and board know this also and do nothing.
It looks to me that if you are a crock, criminal, liar, or worthless you would be the perfect person for management at ORCCA. If not you need not apply because soon enough you would get fired.
Pig nuts the point is the application was sabotaged by the human resources person Carol Douglas. The time the application was turned in is not relevant as it was prior to the deadline. It is not uncommon at all for people to wait to apply until just prior to the deadline. Pattie Gouveia has a superior track record with ORCCA and has brought in tens of thousand dollars in grant funding for the organization and was the interim Executive Director and did an excellent job at that. It is a shame that personal feelings of others that directly influenced the decision making on who to hire and not got in the way of her filling that position permanently.
Couple things.
Who needs a procrastinator leading an organization. If you waited to the final hour to apply for the position you deserve to be off the board for consideration!
Head start is a Joke! Do away with the entire program & turn the money & duties over to the school district.
“Who needs a procrastinator”…But you’re okay with dishonesty???
How many other qualified applicants has Carol Douglas sabotaged? This display by a Human Resources person should have the ORCCA board and the community in complete outrage. Losing six applications for the Head Start Director position is appalling. Was this intentional? Did Douglas want to insure the internal applicant she liked was hired for the position? Did the public applicants who applied even have a chance at the position? Regarding the Executive Director position what was Douglas motive for the sabotage? Could it be Douglas did not like Pattie Gouveia? Could it be she wanted to insure Lehman her high school friend got the position? The point here is the ORCCA board should send a clear message by stepping in and firing Douglas as Lehman and Douglas are friends so we know he won’t fire her.