A clear majority is causing problems on CRW board

By warren mitchell

The Clackamas Review, Jun 4, 2008, Updated Oct 30, 2009

ADVERTISEMENTS

<< Prev. Page 1 | 2

It is inaccurate to say I lost my job as treasurer. I refused the nomination in a bogus election held in October. Now the baord of three has taken over check writing, security, audit and everything else vital to CRW internal controls.

Steve Lidston

The finance manager slot was empty for 18 months or so before Steve Lidston took the job. Lidston may be the best financial manager CRW ever had, and the board put him on administrative leave. I think it was for doing too good a job.

After I took office in July 2007 it only took 16 days for Mr. Lidston to work with me and others to uncover a nearly $60,000 embezzlement. As acting general manager he was working with me to cut off massive waste in fuel costs, improve security and protect CRW property and resources and investigating other problems until the board of three cut off his funding. He took major heat after he followed the attorney’s recommendation to shut down CRW and secure documents needed to investigate major problems with a property leased to Beaver Creek Telephone Cooperative.

All that can be said about Lewis-Wolfram is - read the public record about her real estate dealings, and watch the videos of CRW meetings since she was elected — that says it all. She only told me she moved from Illinois to Oregon.

Public records

In 2007, Cardwell requested and got the e-mails of all the commissioners. When I later made the same request the board of three and staff aligned to delay that until I finally went to the district attorney in January 2008. That was after CRW lawyers and SDAO told the board of three the e-mails are public records and they had to release them. After I finally got the e-mails it was clear why they didn’t want them out. As a result, Steve Lidston discovered that there were no controls on deleting e-mails — a violation of Oregon law — and that got him more heat from the board of three.

They retaliated by trying to pass a very restrictive public records policy, and today even commissioners have to pay for public records. I am still waiting for some of those records.

I have some hope for the future because our attorney is working to persuade board members to stop personal attacks and I believe the general manager we are now trying to hire will be a big help. I hope more ratepayers will attend meetings and step up to take the commissioner seats that come up in the next election if not before.

Warren Mitchell is a Clackamas River Water board member.

<< Prev. Page 1 | 2