JLPUD Board meeting gets personal
A former Mono County Supervisor is trying to save the June Lake Public Utility District (JLPUD) from the current Board President. If the petitioners get enough signatures, the recall will be on the June Primary ballot.
Vikki Bauer has petitioned to recall Patti Heinrich. Recalling a PUD Board member is as rare as spotting Hailey’s Comet. According to one JLPUD Secretary Juli Baldwin, “Things have to get pretty bad to go to these extremes.”
Heinrich’s term as President ended on Dec. 31, 2015. Bauer, along with 21 other signees, contend that Heinrich has mismanaged the Board and put the District in jeopardy of lawsuits.
The recall has stirred the pot in the small community of June Lake. The Board’s decision to raise employees’ contribution to their retirement without consulting the employees has also created controversy. The labor negotiations were held in public session in November 2015. Employees are now trying to unionize.
A jack-hammer couldn’t have cut the tension at the standing room only, JLPUD board meeting Wednesday. It started with a celebration for Juli Baldwin, JLPUD Secretary and June Lake Fire Chief, for her 20 years of service. Then things turned ugly.
It began with a debate over approval of the minutes from a December 3 Special Meeting. Cheri Bromberger, Board President, said that the minutes were not accurately transcribed. She said “it was an extremely important meeting,” and that the detail was insufficient and not in line with the accurate record keeping that keeps the district transparent. Dorothy Burdette had been asked to take notes for that meeting.
Burdette asked Bromberger if she was speaking to her directly.
“I don’t work for you,” Burdette said.
“I don’t accept the minutes,” Bromberger replied.
“I don’t accept your reasoning,” Burdette fired back.
Burdette said she had to sit next to a noisy heater for that meeting. “I told you not to sit at the staff desk,” Bromberger told her.
Burdette said she had a hard time hearing what was being said. “That’s no excuse,” Bromberger said, stone faced.
A Board member added that there is not a good audio recording of the meeting. Then a cry from the audience, “You don’t have any good records!”
“There will be no comments from the public or I’ll close this meeting right now,” Bromberger said.
The discussion turned to the recall. Burdette asked why Bromberger, one of the signees of the petition, didn’t go through the proper channels instead of going Full Monty on Heinrich. Bromberger just smiled.
Some say that Heinrich has accused employees of embezzlement and has disdain for the Board and the workers. Heinrich is blamed for running the last General Manager out because of her disrespect. But Board member Larry Hughes said the GM left for family reasons and he has the letter of resignation to prove it.
Heinrich is also known in the community as an avid volunteer, donating her time to the June Lake Community Action Commission, the June Lake Historical Society, and manning the June Lake Loop Women’s Club Thrift Store. None of the other members of these groups signed the recall petition.
Heinrich said that many who signed the petition have never been to a meeting. She added that the recall is nothing more than a smear campaign. Heinrich is a potential contender for Supervisor, and one theory is that the petition will discredit her as a candidate.
Bauer said she is not running for County Supervisor and the recall is not tactic to give Heinrich a bad name.
Bob Musil, Mono County Clerk and Registrar of Voters, said the recall cost would not be close to the $50,000 for the special Measure Z ballot. The cost is determined by how many other items are on the ballot and will be prorated for the registered voters in the JLPUD only.
The petitioners need signatures from 30 percent of the voters, 102 out of the 339, to get the measure on the ballot. Musil explained that a replacement candidate can be on the measure, if the petitioners want. The sample ballot will contain arguments from both sides of this issue.
