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Aug. 27, 2009 Opinions |
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—Letters To The Editor—
Know The Baker City Charter
To The Record-Courier:
Baker City voters created a representative democracy in which City Councilors are given broad discretion under the charter.
Section 4. “The council shall appoint and keep in office a city manager, ... (and other positions) ... all of whom shall hold office subject to the discretion of the council and may be removed by the council with or without cause.”
I choose not to engage in a public debate about Mr. Brocato. Had he been warned of the very things that finally caused me to fire him? Yes. Were they good reasons? Yes, I believe so.
Past removals of city managers have sometimes been abrupt, and without great public notice or disclosure.
No procedure is specified to remove the city manager except a simple vote of the majority. Others claim that the majority of council failed to follow procedure. That is simply false.
Resolution 3407 governs council members’ behavior. Two councilors who are now attempting to recall others, themselves publicly slandered and defamed their fellow council members. They modeled disorderly and disrespectful conduct. Before I agree to new rules they want to make up, they better follow the rules we have.
Section 22 (f) forbids the city manager from influencing municipal elections because the councilors are his bosses. A councilor who sees “nothing wrong” with city manager lobbying, tells you he can violate law.
Does the recall affect Councilor Pope and Bryan’s job performance? Yes, absolutely. They have no bridges left to burn, except perhaps with the voters. Two councilors are “stuck,” determined to fight and control every action of the council. They want you to overturn past elections and give them power to appoint their cronies without your control. One election every two years isn’t good enough for them. Councilors who try to influence votes by threats are worse than ineffective, they are destructive.
Councilor Calder and Mayor Dorrah deserve praise for behaving with grace and fairness toward everyone, including those who declared them their enemies. When you see a headline stating “Councilors Support Recall,” know that I do not.
Clair Button
Baker City Councilor
Brocato’s Application Missing Information
To The Record-Courier:
In 2007, when city council hired Steve Brocato to be Baker City manager, it appears to have taken at face value everything Brocato put into his application.
It shouldn’t have.
Brocato described his career in the international shipping container business. He reported that from 1997 to 1999 he was president of the leasing division of shipping container giant Cronos Group, a “$1 billion” company. He said he “directed 6 VPs, 25 managers and 100 employees.”
Then-mayor Jeff Petry gushed, “If he can run a big company, he can run a small city.”
But, if the City had done due diligence, it would have learned that Brocato’s employment history left out a few things.
Such as, before 1997, Brocato held much-lower level employment at Cronos, supervising at most three or four employees.
Such as, during his short tenure as president, the company’s financial performance was dismal.
Such as, at the time he appointed Brocato president of the leasing division, Cronos chairman of the board Stefan Palatin was under investigation by the SEC for securities fraud. (A Cronos executive told me employees were “shocked” by the appointment.)
In 1999, Cronos ousted Palatin as chairman for bilking the company out of millions of dollars, for which he served several years in an Austrian prison.
Due diligence by the City would have also disclosed something else missing from Brocato’s resume. Within a week of Palatin’s ouster, Brocato “resigned” as president of the leasing division.
After a career of nearly 20 years, Brocato never again worked in the container business. Why? His resume is silent.
So, what did Brocato do during the eight years between his departure from Cronos and being hired as Baker City Manager? He described himself as “contractual and financial consultant.” No details. Brocato listed not one reference of persons to contact or addresses of contracting companies.
Did the City verify any of Brocato’s employment during those eight years before becoming manager of our “small city”?
When I asked interim city manager Tim Collins about the City’s pre-hiring investigation of Brocato, he said the City cannot disclose that information “without an order to do so.”
In a recent letter to the editor, city councilor Milo Pope said people should be asking four city councilors why they voted to fire Brocato.
Well, they can’t. And Pope, an attorney, should know that.
The same rule that requires personnel files be kept confidential, keeps councilors from publicly discussing their reasons for firing Brocato.
But a court order is not the only way Brocato’s personnel file can be made public. Brocato himself could authorize Baker City and other employers to disclose confidential information.
How about it, Steve?
Gary Dielman
Baker City
Local Event Wrong Place To Gather Recall Signatures
To The Record-Courier:
Saturday, my wife and I went to the park to take in the Farmers’ Market and the Show ‘n’ Shine. When we got there we saw many people we knew and lots of out-of-towners. The day started out very pleasant until I saw the table asking people to sign a petition for recalling City Council members. I do not think this was the time or place for doing this. Baker had people from all over the Northwest visiting and partaking in this event and enjoying the weekend. What a shame we have to push our views on unexpecting visitors. I feel all this time and money could be spent on the kids (building a bigger skate park for one) in town and not on this recall. Many of the people we saw in the park felt the same way.
Bill Uttenreuther
Baker City
Journalists Are Not Continuing To Cover Climate Change
To The Record-Courier:
Being a journalist, I have seen how issues come to the forefront, and then how people tire of them and move on to another subject. There is an initial frenzy of interest, then editors feel that people have heard enough.
Despite the myriad of new findings, I am concerned that this is becoming the story about climate change. The science is getting more and more clear, but journalists are not continuing to cover the story commensurate with its importance. We are permanently harming all life on our planet, and all life to come. This is by far THE most important issue.
Many scientists, such as Sir James Lovelock, warn that billions of people will likely die this century because of the impacts of climate change. unless we make major changes to reduce greenhouse emissions. The group Christian Aid found that 185 million people are expected to die from the disease impacts of climate change just in sub-Saharan Africa this century, unless major changes are made.
Climate change is a creeping disaster, as an Alaskan Senator described it. But it is also accelerating and unpredictable, as a 2004 Pentagon Report on abrupt climate change details. That report, done by Defense Advisor Andrew Marshall, found that climate change is a much more serious threat than terrorism.
The recent passage of the American Clean Energy and Security Act by the House of Representatives is the most important step our country has taken to combat this crisis. We must mobilize to pass the act through the Senate.
Misinformation, such as claims that the legislation will require home owners to do an energy audit before they can sell their homes are simply not true according to the National Association of Realtors. The insurance industry and several energy companies are in favor of the legislation, which does not go nearly far enough to reduce greenhouse emissions.
Still, it is a critical step, that will create nearly two million jobs, and clean up our air, water and landscapes as we transition to clean, renewable energy used far more efficiently, while combating the most serious crisis our species faces: climate change.
Chad Kister
Nelsonville, Ohio
Kister is as author and producer. His fourth book “Arctic Screaming” is coming out soon.
‘Cash For Clunkers’ Not For Everyone
To The Record-Courier:
There’s been a lot of talk about “Cash for Clunkers,” but for the majority of motorists, purchasing a new car is not an option. For many, their vehicle does not qualify as a “clunker” and for others, the cost of a new car is prohibitive, so keeping their current vehicle running efficiently is the sensible alternative.
Those motorists who treat their vehicles as valuable investments and commit to regular vehicle maintenance end up saving a lot of money. In fact, according to Runzheimer International, the difference in the savings over a four year period between keeping a car and buying a new one is over $10,000. Even with the “Cash for Clunkers” incentive, maintaining your current vehicle is still the best economic option.
To help ensure reliability and safety, and extend vehicle life, the Car Care Council recommends these preventive maintenance steps:
Change the oil and filter every 3,000 to 5,000 miles or per the owner’s manual. Periodic oil and filter changes keep your engine clean on the inside.
Check the tire pressure at least monthly, including the spare. Your car’s tires affect its ride, handling, traction and safety.
Schedule a tune-up annually to optimize your car’s performance. A well-tuned engine delivers the best balance of power and fuel economy, and produces the lowest level of emissions.
Have the alignment checked at least annually. Potholes and other road conditions, as well as normal wear, can take their toll on your car’s steering and suspension. A wheel alignment reduces tire wear, improves fuel economy and handling, and increases driving enjoyment and safety.
Inspect the windshield wipers and lights on the car. Lights and wipers play a major role in safe driving, and they are normal wear items that need periodic replacement.
To learn more, visit the Car Care Council’s Web site at www.carcare.org and check out the popular digital Car Care Guide.
Rich White
Bethesda, MD
Do Bagpipes Need Tuned?
To The Record-Courier:
The Celtic Society is rather close mouthed about certain facts concerning the Scots. I can do without knowledge on about what they wear under their kilts, but I would like some information about the bagpipes. I would like to know how the bagpipers can tell when is time to get a tune-up on their bagpipes.
Carl R. Kostol
Baker City
Road Closures Are Bad For Us
To The Record-Courier:
“It makes us look bad,” Commissioner Warner said, in regard to people possibly misinterpreting Baker County’s position on Travel Management in the Wallowa- Whitman. “Look bad” to whom? Anyone following this issue is well aware of Baker County’s choice to willingly give up roads and the designation of an Open Forest. Maybe the counties were mislead into believing each of their plans would stand alone. I think it can be said, that Union County didn’t want to be associated with Baker County either. Colleen MacLeod, past Union County Commissioner, in an initial comment stated, “We feel that every road closed means one more nail in the coffin of this region ever being able to recover financially.”
Many volunteers spent hours doing road inventory. This inventory could be construed as misleading. Previously bermed roads, roads that could and would have been used, if not for the blocks were inventoried for closure. Retaining an “open forest” insures these roadbeds for all forms of recreation not just the many exemptions.
The ATV community is not the only one going to suffer after Mr. Ellis makes his closure decisions. Closures will hinder access to firewood, berries, hunting, camping, fishing, mushrooms, again everyone that enjoys the forest.
Even with the presently open forest, gathering firewood can be an arduous chore. Too many roads have been closed as it is. Abundant winter wood supplies are available behind berms. Cords and cords of home heating fuel very likely will be consumed by forest fire.
“It makes us look bad,” yes it does. Baker County’s position was totally disappointing to the over 6,000 people who signed a petition of “no more road closures.” Baker County should have taken a step back and repositioned. An attempt to appease the forest service, ODFW, environmental groups, seemingly everyone but constituents, the county opted to continue deleting roads, ignoring overwhelming cry to fight for our culture and historical access.
Travel Management is a huge land grab to be followed closely by a forest revision plan and numerous pending wilderness bills. When public domain has vanished, who will look bad?
Wanda Ballard
Baker City, Ore.
Opinko
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