It could be characterized as the Judas goats exiting through the rear after leading the sheep to the pen. Not surprisingly, the three founding board members that all four enterprise zone sponsors rushed to approve, resigned yesterday. Now that the cities of North Bend and Coos Bay, along with the Port of Coos Bay and the county have joined the SCCF (South Coast Community Foundation), Joanne Verger, John Whitty and Bill Lansing have passed the directors’ reins to others. Their resignation gives rise to one of the issues raised by the public about the leadership, namely that as an unelected board, the directors can change overnight.
Of course, the above characterization is only fair if all three directors never intended to fill out their terms. Whitty let it be known he was ready to leave at a moments notice as soon as the public began questioning the so-called Community Enhancement Plan and the SCCF component. While the character of the three founding directors was never in question the trio took complaints about the lack of transparency and public access personally. In the sense that they could not or would not appreciate why the public would want a say in how the windfall from the proposed Jordan Cove LNG export terminal might be spent, they may be right to take it personally. Why wouldn’t the public should just trust them?
The answer to why the public wants some oversight is multifold but includes a well earned distrust for the prime architects of the plan, that being the Port of Coos Bay and its board and director. The port having a well documented history* of expensive economic development failures, it is not only natural but healthy for the public to take pause. According to The World, port director David Koch, however, blames the public for the resignations.
“As a result of their volunteerism to help this community put this plan together, they’ve been berated by people that have mistrusted their intentions. I am disappointed that the situation has caused them to feel underappreciated for the work they have done,” said Koch.
The plan was ill conceived from the beginning because it barred the public from the process and the directors, any directors, willing to jump in under this onus should have expected some push back. Public outcry brought to light several flaws in the foundation bylaws and the overall enhancement plan and the resulting furor might have been avoided had the public been invited from the beginning.
It would be easy to speculate that an article in The Oregonian had something to do with the mass exodus but for now the directors are mum on their reasons for resigning. All three indicated to out of town reporters they were unhappy with the numerous bylaw changes and no longer felt like part of the foundation. Verger referred questions about the foundation to Coos Bay City Councilwoman, Jennifer Groth.
The county is scheduled to formalize its involvement with the foundation June 3 but ratified the founding members, Whitty, Lansing and Verger, in a work session earlier this month. It will be interesting to see how this effects the commissioners’ effort to approve the actions taken in the work session as a consent calendar item where there is typically no discussion.
*Read Wim de Vriend’s excellent history “The JOB Messiahs” available at the Blue Heron Bistro, Coos Bay.
The sycophants The World are now calling The Three Musketeers the “aristocrats” of Coos County. Really? I’m mad as hell at these three for their part in the last twenty years of Coos Co. politics. THEY ARE THE PEOPLE WHO BRUNG US HERE TO THIS POINT. The movers and shakers of Coos County. How can they, in any way put the blame on anyone else? The Whittys, McKeuens, Vergers, etc., are solely responsible for the condition of this county, they made the rules, remember? And those Roblans, who are the anointed education czars of the county, how have our schools endured their representation in Salem? Huh? Answer me that question, what has ANY Roblan done to further education/and or funding of education in Coos County in the past five years? Arnie, when you push tax-free zones, it comes right out of our childrens’ budgets, as if you didn’t know. My humble personal opinions only, of course. I wouldn’t want to upset the gawd damned Aristocracy of Coos County now would I?
And these ‘pillars’ of society are the very people who brung us to this dance, do not ever forget. And they have the gall to point fingers at someone else. What childish, petty people they have turned out to be. All it took was a little truth to crumble these pillars. And sunlight, the best antiseptic, always has been, shows why these people prefer closed doors to do their business. Now Cribbins says the BOC is no longer going to answer to the public at their public meetings? Good girl Melissa, way to show the youngsters how representative government is NOT supposed to work. Not suited, in my opinion only, to even BE in public office. She doesn’t appear to be very adept at conversation, unless it is in her BS “world cafe style”, that is. What wankers run for office now, but what deep thinking rational person would even WANT to be associated with these flim flam boys and girls. Seems Cribbins, instead of listening to The Yahoos snipe at her, will attempt to shut them up once and for all. But she won’t do it herself, you notice, she delegates that to County Council. Unbelievable she is even trying to run again, she cares neither for representative government nor those who vote for her, she won’t listen. The woman has NEVER responded to any of my emails. How about you guys, does the woman answer your emails?
Don’t you think that was the plan all along? Suck the community into this private enterprise based on the “integrity” of the “founding” directors and then as soon as it’s a done deal, they all quit? Right!!
Now we will get the same old BS crowd to bs coos county and run this deal they way they always intended. The CEP will take care of its 1% and the 99% will suffer.
Isn’t this a replay?
Yes, I have received more than a little criticism for kind of, sort of, excusing the triad of Whitty, Verger and Lansing. If you note, I did point out that if they were really paying attention they would have anticipated the public outcry.
In the end, they have all been involved in the many failed economic development schemes and should have been excoriated long ago even if all they are receiving today is an objection to an obviously flawed process.
And the “pillars of the community” crumble before us. A lovely letter from Whitty telling the next group of directors how they should act. We now trust four unknowns, soon we will trust seven unknowns.
Remember, they only want people of “standing” on the board. So who will stand up now that the founders have crumbled?