Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Editorial
Message to GJ: Get Tough
Today is a political landmark for Modoc County. The grand jury is meeting with our board of supervisors.
Of significance is the fact that three members of this board are responsible, according to the State Controller’s Office, of misappropriating an estimated $20 million from the county’s treasury.
We hope they don’t just talk about the weather.
What’s at stake? Besides our financial future, our reputation to the outside world is at stake, a reputation that can be improved but almost certainly can’t get any worse. What the board did in moving money from the treasury without authority to do so was illegal and as a result we are facing insolvency. You can call it bankruptcy.
For years the board of supervisors has snubbed every attempt by the grand jury to right their wrongs or indiscretions and those of their immediate administrators. All you have to do is read the latest grand jury report to learn that the board of supervisors has been in non-compliance in its response to the grand jury every year since 2003. Will today be any different?
The fact that the grand jury is now interviewing our supervisors is a positive move, but we may not know if it was a productive investigation until next summer when the grand jury’s report is released.
In the meantime, it’s our opinion that following today’s closed session with our supervisors the grand jury should determine if District Attorney Gary Woolverton should start investigative proceedings against at lease three members of the current board.
-- Ray A. March
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10 comments:
HaHAHa do you really believe that charges are ever going to be brought against any member of the BOS.......... think again no one has the guts
I must agree with the first commentor. At best the GJ is a "Paper Tiger"!
Just when you think it can't get worse it does.
Yesterday Modoc Medical Center learned it must pay Medicare back for Critical Access over payment.
I am consistantly amazed at the willingness of
the uninvolved to sit back and throw stones. It is easy to point a finger at those people willing to step forward and commit to public service but where are these folks when the time comes to run for public office? I have listened to those folks that talk about the "pay and benefits" the BOS members receive when in reality it is a pittance for the amount of time they really put in. I agree the county is a mess, but who is stepping up to the plate and helping these people. There is no room for finger pointing. The good people of this county have to put aside their differences, work together and help find a solution. I doubt any individual on the board got up on any given morning and said,"I think I will make decisions today that put the county in jeopardy." Although I am only slightly aquainted with some of the board members they all strike me as folks doing the best they can. If you want a change, vote for one. In the meantime I suggest we offer our solutions and support to the people we elected.
TO:dec15th 9:38 pm...........I have talked to all of the BOS at one time and have offered to help But they could have cared less about any thing I said to them. Offering them solutions does no good they have made there mind up.
By the way the amount of over payment that MMC must pay back to Medicare is over 700,000 Just where will the county come up with that money.
The BOS just hear the good news that MMC was making money when in fact it did not....They never heard Mr. Beck state the bubble is going to break. Mr Beck got out in time so he looks good but he wasn't watching the store nor was the BOS. Looks like the county will have to close MMC or come up money they say they don't have.
Anon 9:38 With all due respect you need to take off the rose colored glasses. The problem with our BOS is partially our own fault as voters. Until we look at a candidates qualifications rather than that "Back slapping" big smile "Good Ol Boy" do everything for show mentality we will get what we deserve for a BOS. You cant for one minute tell me that Shorty Crabtree (as much as I like him personally) is more qualified as a former brand inspector than his opposition in the race Jim Wills a retired CHP Luietenant with a degree in public administration. What qualifications does Pat Cantrall have? Sure she's a great woman that volunteers her time but that dosent make her anymore qualified. One has to make the mental disconnect that just because a person is nice it dosent mean we should vote for them.
As for a solution we are so far in the hole we need to wake up and accept the fact we will most likely be forced into bankruptcy. Short term and long term loans just postpone the inevitable (that is if we can even get them at a reasonable rate, that hasnt even been established yet). MMC must be cut loose and a hospital district established, whats the differance if we pay for the hospital with district tax dollars or general fund dollars, it still comes out of the tax payers pockets.
Finally there must be some accountability for this financial mess. We all complain that our elected officials are not held accountable but the minute it happens in our own back yard we dismiss the problem and say things like "We need to work together"!
Yeh we need to work together, starting with kicking out the responsible BOS members and then prosecuting them for "Misappropriation of public funds"! Then maybe just maybe voters and candidates wont treat elections as "Popularity contests" to gratify their own ego's!
"support the people we have elected".What ignorance.Poor leadership must be challenged and pointed out.Blasphemous attacks serve no purpose.I do not see any of that here.
I don't know that we have a reputation problem with thinking people who notice that there is really not enough information available to be sure just what decision that the Board faced. There has been the assumption that there was a "right" decision to be made that was missed. Often in real life there is no right decision, only what can be done. And often then all choices are somewhat illegal because of the rat's nest of laws that are piling up after each session of the Legislature.
As for the Board and others being non-responsive to the Grand Jury, prior to the 2006-2007 Jury session there was considerable confusion as the just what part of the Final Report that any particular respondent was supposed to answer. In that year the Jury sent out notices specifying exactly what parts of the 2005-2006 Final Report they were to respond to. The response was good. The 2006-2007 Final Report and subsequent reports contained specific response instructions. However the 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 Grand Juries failed to notify the Fort Bidwell Fire Protection District, as required by law, so our response was late. If they failed to notify others, possibly including the Board, that could partially explain the apparent non-responsiveness.
Greg Small, Fort Bidwell
Well I believe Alice Marrs said that it is her office that writes the warrents for the county. That she is an elected officer and she doesn't do what the BOS tells her.So if that is true then the past auditor wrote warrents(checks) to pay to keep MMC open it falls on her why we are in this mess.
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