UPDATE: 2nd District Parks Commissioner, Pandora Nash-Karner, "Absent"
Since first exposing that long-time 2nd District Parks Commissioner, and former Los Osos CSD vice-president, Pandora Nash-Karner, has missed almost half of the Parks Commission meetings over the past year, SewerWatch has received several updates to that original story.
In that story, SewerWatch (twice) asked 2nd District Supervisor, Bruce Gibson, who (re)appointed Nash-Karner to the Parks Commission in 2007, after she financially donated to his campaign throughout 2006, if there were by-laws that applied to Parks Commissioners that stipulated how many meetings a Commissioner could miss over a certain time frame, before losing their seat?
Gibson never answered that question, but, County Counsel, Warren Jensen, did.
Jensen recently sent SewerWatch a copy of the 1988 Resolution (88-366), adopted by County Supervisors, that first created the SLO County Parks Commission.
According to that Resolution, "absence of three consecutive meetings or any four meetings during one year without the Commission's approval... shall constitute automatic termination."
Since June 2008, Nash-Karner was "absent" from the June '08, September '08, February '09, May '09, and June '09 meetings, according to official sources. The last two meetings were missed due to "an extended vacation."
However, county officials say that the reason Nash-Karner wasn't "automatically terminated" following her May '09 absence, or her June '09 absence -- both her fourth within "one year" -- was because all of her absences were tacitly "approved" by the Parks Commission.
In an e-mail, SLO County Parks Director, Pete Jenny, wrote, "The Commission has never established a written protocol for determining 'approval' for an absence. During my 19 years experience with this Commission, it has never deemed any Commissioner's absence as 'non-approved.'"
When asked if that meant that a Commissioner could miss as many meetings as they want without being "automatically terminated," neither Jensen, Jenny, or Gibson, answered the question.
In an e-mail to SewerWatch, Jensen wrote, "Mr. Jenny provided our office with the following information regarding absences, and I would think his information would be definitive."
That "definitive" "information" included this quote from Jenny, "For the record, she has missed three (not four) meetings over the course of FY 08-09."
Additionally, in an e-mail for the original story on this issue, Gibson wrote, "I had someone check the minutes for the past year. Ms Nash-Karner missed the September '08 and February '09 meetings."
Since June 2008, Nash-Karner was "absent" from the June '08, September '08, February '09, May '09, and June '09 meetings, according to official sources.
Furthermore, in the original story, SewerWatch also exposed how Nash-Karner has "sat on" "several" "interview panels" to hire "top level staff positions" for SLO County government.
Resolution 88-366 reads, "5. Duties:... The Commission shall not be involved in personnel matters..."
When asked, "If 'the Commission shall not be involved in personnel matters,' why is a Commissioner involved in personnel matters?"
Jensen replied, "I think that paragraph 5 only applies to the Commission, as such. In other words, it limits the type of matters that the commission can put on its agenda for consideration and action."
Finally, when asked for an update on SewerWatch's public records request -- originally sent on 5/19/09 -- to view the documents associated with all of the "interview panels" that Nash-Karner has "sat on" for "top level" SLO County government staff positions, Jensen wrote, "Sorry for the delay on the public records issue. We needed information on how they keep these records. We now have that info and we will be back in touch with you, hopefully tomorrow."
That e-mail was sent on Wednesday, July 1. SewerWatch has yet to be contacted to view those documents.
Nash-Karner was first appointed to the SLO County Parks Commission in 1991, by then-newly elected Supervisor, Bud Laurent.
According to Laurent, Nash-Karner, a marketing specialist, worked as his "campaign materials manager" for his campaign throughout 1990.
###
In that story, SewerWatch (twice) asked 2nd District Supervisor, Bruce Gibson, who (re)appointed Nash-Karner to the Parks Commission in 2007, after she financially donated to his campaign throughout 2006, if there were by-laws that applied to Parks Commissioners that stipulated how many meetings a Commissioner could miss over a certain time frame, before losing their seat?
Gibson never answered that question, but, County Counsel, Warren Jensen, did.
Jensen recently sent SewerWatch a copy of the 1988 Resolution (88-366), adopted by County Supervisors, that first created the SLO County Parks Commission.
According to that Resolution, "absence of three consecutive meetings or any four meetings during one year without the Commission's approval... shall constitute automatic termination."
Since June 2008, Nash-Karner was "absent" from the June '08, September '08, February '09, May '09, and June '09 meetings, according to official sources. The last two meetings were missed due to "an extended vacation."
However, county officials say that the reason Nash-Karner wasn't "automatically terminated" following her May '09 absence, or her June '09 absence -- both her fourth within "one year" -- was because all of her absences were tacitly "approved" by the Parks Commission.
In an e-mail, SLO County Parks Director, Pete Jenny, wrote, "The Commission has never established a written protocol for determining 'approval' for an absence. During my 19 years experience with this Commission, it has never deemed any Commissioner's absence as 'non-approved.'"
When asked if that meant that a Commissioner could miss as many meetings as they want without being "automatically terminated," neither Jensen, Jenny, or Gibson, answered the question.
In an e-mail to SewerWatch, Jensen wrote, "Mr. Jenny provided our office with the following information regarding absences, and I would think his information would be definitive."
That "definitive" "information" included this quote from Jenny, "For the record, she has missed three (not four) meetings over the course of FY 08-09."
Additionally, in an e-mail for the original story on this issue, Gibson wrote, "I had someone check the minutes for the past year. Ms Nash-Karner missed the September '08 and February '09 meetings."
Since June 2008, Nash-Karner was "absent" from the June '08, September '08, February '09, May '09, and June '09 meetings, according to official sources.
Furthermore, in the original story, SewerWatch also exposed how Nash-Karner has "sat on" "several" "interview panels" to hire "top level staff positions" for SLO County government.
Resolution 88-366 reads, "5. Duties:... The Commission shall not be involved in personnel matters..."
When asked, "If 'the Commission shall not be involved in personnel matters,' why is a Commissioner involved in personnel matters?"
Jensen replied, "I think that paragraph 5 only applies to the Commission, as such. In other words, it limits the type of matters that the commission can put on its agenda for consideration and action."
Finally, when asked for an update on SewerWatch's public records request -- originally sent on 5/19/09 -- to view the documents associated with all of the "interview panels" that Nash-Karner has "sat on" for "top level" SLO County government staff positions, Jensen wrote, "Sorry for the delay on the public records issue. We needed information on how they keep these records. We now have that info and we will be back in touch with you, hopefully tomorrow."
That e-mail was sent on Wednesday, July 1. SewerWatch has yet to be contacted to view those documents.
Nash-Karner was first appointed to the SLO County Parks Commission in 1991, by then-newly elected Supervisor, Bud Laurent.
According to Laurent, Nash-Karner, a marketing specialist, worked as his "campaign materials manager" for his campaign throughout 1990.
###
posted by Ron at
11:59 AM
4 Comments:
Interesting. What about Term Limits? How many meetings since 1991 has she missed? A year or two of meetings? Who is being represented by her 'participation' in the parks commission? If the rep. is not bothering to represent the area they are supposed to, wouldn't it be better to have someone on the commission who actually is going to do the work required? Why does Supervisor Gibson uphold chronic absenteeism? I guess the parks commission must not be anything 'real', some kinda of token deal.
By
Commentary, at 3:44 PM, July 07, 2009
Commentary wrote:
"What about Term Limits?"
Res. 88-366 doesn't mention it. Just that they can be "reappointed," over and over and over...
"How many meetings since 1991 has she missed?"
Are you kiddin'? It was like pulling teeth (phone calls, and e-mails, and Internet research) just trying to find out how many meetings she's missed over the past year!
"Who is being represented by her 'participation' in the parks commission?"
Doncha mean "MISrepresented?"
Well, it's SUPPOSED to be the people of the 2nd District, like Los Osos, but, so far as I know, the only park-like thingee she's produced in Los Osos during her more than 18 years as 2nd District Parks Commissioner, is a controversial skate park... and that's it.
"If the rep. is not bothering to represent the area they are supposed to, wouldn't it be better to have someone on the commission who actually is going to do the work required?"
You'd think.
"Why does Supervisor Gibson uphold chronic absenteeism?"
Well, like I reported, not only did she financially donate to Gibson's campaign (in those sneaky [of course] $99 increments), but she also publicly endorsed "Gibson for Supervisor."
"I guess the parks commission must not be anything 'real', some kinda of token deal."
Some kinda of token deal that grants the "Commissioners" access to influential county (and state) officials that none of us get, AND, surprisingly, I will add, allows them to hire "top level staff" people, and, likely, even more perks than that, that we don't even know about.
Apparently, its not so much 'parks' that's important to Nash-Karner (obviously, because, if it was, she'd actually show up for her job), as much as the influence her seat on the Parks Commission grants her.
THAT's the interesting part.
How 'bout that whole, "without the Commission's approval," thing?
With language like that, sometimes I wonder why there are even laws at all.
And, oh yea... here it is, Tuesday, July 7, and no word yet from Jensen on my public records request.
By
Ron, at 4:34 PM, July 07, 2009
Apparently, its not so much 'parks' that's important to Nash-Karner (obviously, because, if it was, she'd actually show up for her job), as much as the influence her seat on the Parks Commission grants her.
THAT's the interesting part.
Wow, it's all becoming clear. Outrageous. Campaign contributions, influence, cover up, the whole gamut of political corruption and a made for TV docu-drama.
By
Commentary, at 7:23 AM, July 08, 2009
Commentary wrote:
"Wow, it's all becoming clear. Outrageous. Campaign contributions, influence, cover up, the whole gamut of political corruption and a made for TV docu-drama."
Preeeeee-cisely.
What an amazing, amazing story -- and it's cost county and state taxpayers MILLIONS upon MILLIONS of dollars over the past 10-years-and-counting -- and look at all the coverage it's receiving: Me.
Good questions, by the way, Commentary.
By
Ron, at 10:30 AM, July 08, 2009
Post a Comment
<< Home