Two renegade members of the troubled Clackamas River Water District board today called a meeting, appointed two new members, fired the district's attorney and placed the general manager on administrative leave.
It takes three members of the board to form a quorum, and none of the actions taken by Patricia Holloway and Grafton Sterling appear to be legal. Holloway said her attorney advised that a quorum is not required to appoint new members.
Holloway's an idiot, but overall seems more or less harmless, unlike her cohort, Graftman Steely. The Grafter, spry for a guy around 60 years old, seems intent upon turning the water board meeting room into a MMA fighting arena, hoping to thrash all dissent into submission. And when Patsy and the Grafter show up, it's a sure bet that Clackamas County Sheriff's deputies won't be far behind.
Aside from engaging in outright assault, the Grafter has enlisted Patsy in litigation efforts that have cost ratepayers some $1 million, and insurance coverage for the agency has been dropped because those two put the "diss" in "dysfunctional". And thus far, no insurance providers are willing to cover the agency; opening them to further liability.
The Clackamas River Water Board has struggled for years with infighting and dysfunction. In the past decade, the board has burned through six general and interim managers and, because of recurring accusations of mismanagement, submitted to three expensive special audits and a half-dozen ethics and workplace complaints. The district racked up about $1 million in legal fees in the past four years, mostly from infighting among board members.
The Special Districts Association of Oregon recently informed the water district that it would cancel the agency's property and liability coverage in January, saying it has a "fiduciary responsibility" to protect other members from costs and liability generated by the district's contentious and dysfunctional board.
Portland's talking about adding fluoride to the water supply - but over in Clackamas County, they need something a lot stronger.
In the meantime, if you happen to be driving near Hwy 224 and see a mini-car pull over as a bunch of clowns jump out and start chasing one another around with seltzer bottles, relax - it's just another "meeting" of the Clackamas River Water Board. Buy some popcorn and a soda, and wait for the inevitable arrival of police. If you're not a ratepayer, it's cheap entertainment.