Manila CSD divided over new director By Matt Kapko Eye Reporter The Arcata Eye May 20, 2003 Bureaucracy in Manila has come to a grinding halt with two voting blocs butting heads over the appointment of a replacement director for the Manila Community Services District (MCSD) Board of Directors. The vote for Michael Hollrigel’s replacement, who resigned as the board’s president on April 10, has now been delayed for a second time. At last month’s meeting on April 17, the board tabled the item because one of the two applications received was not included in their packet. General Manager Wiley Buck chose not to forward the application to the board after Richard Platz, the attorney for the MCSD, cited some concerns about a conflict of offices. Dellas contends that the applicant in question, Violet Glass, is employed by Calworks under the supervision of a MCSD employee and not the general manager, which is what Platz cited as the source of conflict. Glass has the support of Dellas and Director Daniel Edrich. Of Glass, Dellas said, “I feel she represents a large part of the community that is largely underrepresented.” The other applicant, Nancy Ihara, is facing much less opposition at staff level, but equivalent opposition from the board. Ihara has the support of Director Helene Barney and the board’s president, Linda Lee. Barney explained her position and said, “There is an innate conflict” in the job that Glass currently holds and the position she’s seeking on the board. In the end, each apparent voting bloc offered motions for their respective applicants, with the other bloc steadfastly voting against. Barney and Lee both contend that they are not part of a collected and determined agenda or voting bloc. Barney maintains that her largest concern with appointing Glass to the board is the potential conflict of interest it could produce. Dellas fired back and said that Glass’s appointment wouldn’t “be any different than the OLA (Oscar, Larson and Associates) contract approval that happened with Michael Hollrigel on the board.” During Hollrigel’s term on the board he worked as an engineer for OLA, and although he didn’t vote or partake in any discussions regarding the project, he did receive payments from the board in his capacity as an employee of OLA. Some have cited Hollrigel’s work on the contract as a conflict of interest. He has since moved outside of Manila and resigned from the board. Trying to conjure up a quick remedy, Dellas suggested that Barney (who submitted her letter of resignation at the meeting) step down immediately and allow both applicants to step in, but he was told that would go against the established process. As it turns out, the next director could very well be appointed by the county Board of Supervisors. MCSD Administrative Assistant Judy Hollifield explained that the board is given 60 days to resolve the appointment. That deadline is fast approaching with an expiration date of June 9. With that thought fresh in mind, the board purposefully called for a break during the early minutes of the lunar eclipse on May 15. Although the process seems heated enough on its own, the decision on a new board member will have other immediate ramifications. The fifth board member is also expected to be the tie-breaking vote in the decision for a new general manager. The conflict over choosing a new director reverberates in the decision on a new general manager. The voting blocs are the same, with each pair maintaining their split-down-the-middle approach. The MCSD board has expended every bit of Buck’s energy in its transition to a new general manager. Buck said his time is up in Manila as his new job as city manager in Blue Lake is expectedly pressing for his undivided attention. Dellas returned from the attempted viewing of the eclipse with determination and comments that stirred the debate to a boiling point. He feels that Barney, who’s resignation is effective June 17, should defer the decision on a new general manager to the directors that are staying on board. Some have suggested that Barney is holding on to her position to weigh in her intent for the next general manager before she leaves. Barney, however, maintains that she wants to be included in the decision making because she has been involved in the entire process and feels it would be a cop out to leave before making that judgment. Manila resident Jerry Martien found Dellas’ comments unreasonable, saying that all members are making decisions for the best of the community. “You’re having a little power struggle,” he said. “We should just get along with this stuff.” Dellas is “politicizing this too much,” Martien added. Dellas responded, “This is a very political process. I don’t think you can avoid that.” To which Martien replied, “I think that is unfortunate,” adding that he doesn’t want to see Supervisor John Woolley make the decision. Lee and Barney said they were “appalled” by Dellas remarks, as they tried to push onward. And onward the meeting went, with no resolution on a new director and no resolution on a new general manager. But, Buck could no longer wait for the conflict to be resolved and following his urging, the board appointed Hollifield as the interim general manager. Hollifield said she is fine with making the extra time and feels familiar enough to provide a smooth transition. Nonetheless, she will be juggling multiple jobs now at the MCSD – at least until the board finds a common ground to stand on. Home