The only line in the water board putsch story that makes any dang ol' sense:

The board members ordered Hawaiian and veggie pizza and breadsticks while awaiting a resolution.

The hallmark of all feckless and failed protests, the Tactical Pizza Truce. And c'mon, Hawaiian and veggie? Please. Little wonder these people are ineffective leaders.

And c'mon, Hawaiian and veggie?

It's Clackistan. Throw the pizza away and eat the box.

That Damascus woman was obviously speaking figuratively.
But the city council and manager are trying to taint the uprising against Metro.

On the CRW, there was a previous story a few hours earlier with much discussion where some of the best explanation seems to be in the comments by one of the commissioners.

It's here:

http://www.oregonlive.com/clackamascounty/index.ssf/2012/10/renegade_clackamas_water_distr.html#incart_river_default#incart_m-rpt-2

In the comments, CRW board member Patricia Holloway
explains and justifies the appointments.

"ORS 198.320 (1), which says " Except as otherwise provided by law, a vacancy in an elected office in the membership of the governing body of a district shall be filled by appointment by a MAJORITY (2) of the remaining members of the governing body."
Today Commissioner Grafton L. Sterling and I (the majority of 2) appointed one new commissioner under the terms of ORS 198.320 (1). Following that, three commissioners, Sterling, Holloway and Monroy appointed one more commissioner, Dr. Larry Sowa. "
Sincerely,
Patricia Holloway, Commissioner
Clackamas River Water

More interesting is this one, & where is Kate Brown?

Patricia Holloway
If fighting against the odds for the rate payers is being a renegade, then I'm proud to be a renegade.

Check out this letter from Van Beek & Company, the "former" auditors for the Clackamas River Water district.

Read the letter.

http://xn--cgi.ws/nL

They are the "former" auditors because they were quickly fired for calling for an investigation prior to their completing the district's yearly financial statement audit.

It's all here in the letter.
http://xn--cgi.ws/nL

Excerpts:
1. The Clackamas River Water Board of Commissioners should hire a qualified outside forensic specialist to thoroughly investigate each matter delineated above.

2. At such time as we are satisfied with the results of the forensic investigation we will resume our financial statement audit.

3. If Clackamas River Water does not investigate each matter set out above to our satisfaction within a reasonable time, our professional standards require us to inform the Secretary of State of each of the
matters delineated above.

Kemper and Cardwell who resigned, and Kehoe who secretly moved out of the district are the commissioners who fired the auditors and are opposed to the independent audit and investigation!

Ask yourself why Charlotte Lehan and Jim Bernard praise those three as commissioners to be admired. Ask yourself why The Oregonian didn't consider it worthy of reporting.

Patricia Holloway, Commissioner
Clackamas River Water

That board should be taken over by the state legislature. Maybe Jefferson Smith's net gig?

Maybe Jefferson Smith's net gig?

You Portlanders just can't stop sending your garbage to the 'burbs can you? ;)

No dog in the hunt, but the ORS cited above is not a direct or complete citation. For a five member board, if three are vacant (as appears the case here), then the remaining two have no power to appoint.

Also not in the ORS, but these people appear unhinged. It's a water board, for flying spaghetti monster's sake.

Jonathan's right. A quorum of queegs!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AznmrRZsRQ

Since I couldn't sleep, I decided to watch the Damascus city council testimony. I was hoping for a 'gavel down' kind of exchange, and what prompted a tort claim from someone wanting to cash in on their own bad behavior.

From the 10 minutes I did watch, I was pleasantly surprised to see well informed citizens expressing their concerns about where their money is being spent and how their city is being run. It wouldn't have been out of place for Jimmy Stewart to have shown up.

The Damascus woman did nothing inappropriate. If she is being banned from their city hall because someone didn't like what she said then she deserves to get paid.

The CRW Commissioners Go To Court:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6q37n7GDCY

Yep it's a water district. But just another government agency too.

I don't know that they are all crazy.
The former financial statement auditors Van Peek and Beck were not crazy.

If you read their professional letter to their clients CRW you'll know there were and are indications of serious unresolved problems.

So yes, "Read the letter".

http://xn--cgi.ws/nL

It was submitted in Sept 2010 and details why they recommend an investigative forensic audit.

They were fired in response and the
CRW manager and majority board members have refused to allow the investigation to occur.

IMO the dispute appears to be between those in favor of the audit and those opposed. Those opposed have been trying to remove those in favor.
And it's gotten ugly.

If the same dispute were at the PDC or any number of other agencies there would be outrage over the attempt to squash an audit.

Seems to me the whole bunch should be fired immediately, an emergency management team installed, and an independant audit should be done.
Then after the audit is finished, perhaps a new board should be appointed by a person or persons not connected with Clackistan.
I feel sorry for the poor souls who are dependant on getting water from this current bunch of contensious incompetant individuals.
Are these water commissioners paid? I hope not!

The board members are elected. They cannot be fired.

And why should the ones in favor of the audit step down?

If that happens there will be no audit.

That's the beef.

So if you want to see an audit these "renegade" and "rogue" commissioners must stay.

The effort to remove them is about stopping the audit that will reveal who has been right all along.

It's being led by those who will be shown to be wrong.

Wow, the Oregonian sure allows a lot of defamatory ramblings to be posted in their readers' comments!

Throw the loons out now! They've cost their ratepayers over $1 Million just in legal fees so far with their psycho goose chases and internecine personal vendettas and desperate housewives-ish maliciously pathetic terror tactics, including .

And, Portland Native, you're onto something, but there's been 3 audits including 2 forensic audits done in just the past few years because of those nitwits, and it's literally less than a handful of people who won't accept reality there. It's more likely that Sasquatch shows up at the next meeting than responsible authorities restore law & order there soon, I guess.

How shameful for Oregon.

Those two hangers-on "commissioners" aren't even from Clackamas County. They're renegades from Marion County and the Bay Area, sowing anarchy and disorder in Clackistan.

Mojo,

You've been misled by someone.

It would be helpful to know from whom or where did you get the idea there have been two forensic audits?

There have been none. They do not exist.

The yearly financial statement audits are not investigative or forensic. They are narrow in scope and limited to reviewing accounting compliance.
Moss- Adams (same as TriMet's) is the replacement auditors who have subsequently completed the 2010 & 2011 yearly financial statement audits. 2012 has not been completed yet.

So should the "loons" be removed because there is a non-existent secret audit no one has ever seen?

Most of the nearly $1 million in legal fees so far is a result of actions by the manager and board who are blocking the exposure a forensic investigation would provide.

It's a pretty funny tactic for them to be resisting by claiming the audit already exists but no one can see it.
I'm leaning toward viewing them as the loons, or worse.

If you have some spare time, the first 30 minutes of the Damascus city council meeting is worth the time. Appears to be lots of campaign irregularity there, including sign stealing, lack of campaign disclosure, etc.

http://vimeo.com/51583790

"Riverbed news?" -- You're obviously one of the handful of acolytes to the anti-commissioners @CRW.

Why don't you try to explain how Patricia Holloway can hire her personal lawyer to represent this new pretend CRW "board" when he's spent the last 4 years or more representing Holloway in litigation against the CRW Board members?

Look up Patricia Holloway, Plaintiff, v. Barbara Kemper, et al. [CRW], Defendants. Circuit Court for Clackamas County, Case No.CV07120265 (2007-2008). Attorney for Plaintiff, Patricia Holloway: James D. Huffman, St. Helens, OR.

Then consider this piece of work, dated Oct. 29, 2012 --

Two renegade board members staged a six-hour takeover of the Clackamas River Water District Tuesday, appointing two new board members, firing the district's attorney and placing the general manager on administrative leave. They also retained a board member's personal attorney to enforce the administrative leave, expecting the water district to pay his fees. [and] Holloway's personal attorney contended that a quorum is not required to appoint new members.
http://media.oregonlive.com/milwaukie_news/other/Huffman%20opinion.pdf

From http://www.oregonlive.com/milwaukie/index.ssf/2012/10/two_rogue_board_members_stage.html

Obviously Holloway, Sterling, and Huffman aren't familiar with ethics and conflict of interest. Ironic, since it's the imaginary hurdy-gurdy they've been cranking all along, trying to manufacture controversy and chaos -- which is about the only thing they've ever been successful at their pathetic lives. Holloway, Sterling, and Huffman need to go back to where they came from and leave the good people of Clackamas alone.

And consider this case against Grafton Sterling ongoing in Marion County, where Sterling's been sued by his business partner for breach of fiduciary duty, failure to account for the business assets, conversion of business assets, to expel him from the LLC, and to dissolve the LLC, to the tune of over $100,000:

Kauffman Construction Inc. v. Sterling Western, Inc., Grafton Sterling, Ski Development, LLC, Marion County Circuit Court Case No. 11-C-17048 (Complaint filed June 10, 2011).

Even his lawyers in that case have run from him!

Another irony with that angry old man yelling about fiscal responsibility this, and accountability that, at CRW.

"Hey you, get off my board!"

"A moulage? Yeah, that's right, we decided not to make a moulage. Oh, we told a few people, but we decided it didn't make sense upsetting folks, running around blabbing, making a big moulage." ~ Deputy Barney Fife, Mayberry

Mojo

Easy there fella. Your imagination seems to be running amok. Starting with the non-existent forensic audits you mistakenly believe have occurred.

That's a pretty big error you haven't explained.

I have no "acolyte" or any other relationship with any CRW commissioners. I just research.

How about you?

What's wrong with Holloway hiring her trusted personal lawyer to advise the new CRW board?

Sterling's ongoing beef with a business partner is irrelevant.

You quote the Oregonian stories trying to disparage Holloway, Sterling, and Huffman and claim they have manufactured the controversy and chaos. Not hardly.

1)The Van Peek and Beck letter make it clear there are serious irregularities. Do you want them revealed or covered up?

2) Former finance department employees raised many of the irregularities themselves. Not Holloway and Sterling.

3)You also made a false claim about forensic audits having been completed. They have not.

4)I have learned that CRW manager Lee Moore has been falsely claiming the forensic audit and other special audits have occurred. They have not.

5)Moore has also fired multiple CRW finance department staff.

6) Moore is opposed to any genuine independent forensic audit.

So why are you opposed to getting to the bottom of everything with an audit recommended not by those you criticize but by the former auditors you are ignoring?

Jack wrote: It's Clackistan. Throw the pizza away and eat the box.

Ha! I LOLed... but you would benefit from an intel briefing on the roaming clans of that Southern Fiefdom. As it turns out, they nurture a rich and colorful tradition of tasty, tasty pizza. They are so generous and hospitable as to share it with outsiders:

http://bellagiospizza.com/

Ratepayer mounts campaign to recall remaining two Clackamas River Water board members
By Molly Harbarger, The Oregonian | November 02, 2012

Naomi Angiers has had enough. On Friday, she started a recall campaign to oust Clackamas River Water board members Patricia Holloway and Grafton Sterling.
http://www.oregonlive.com/milwaukie/index.ssf/2012/11/ratepayer_mounts_campaign_to_r.html

Riverbed news? maybe should change moniker to Around The Bend News!

Or maybe the riverbed is where he dredged up those old red herrings. For the facts, see:

Comprehensive Annual Financial Report
For the fiscal years ended June 30, 2011 and 2010
http://www.crwater.com/wp-content/uploads/FY11-CRWFinancialStatements.pdf

The conclusion of the auditing firm, Moss Adams, in their Dec. 30, 2011 Audit Report was:

"We did not identify any deficiencies in internal control over financial reporting that we consider to be material weaknesses, as defined above."

The Moss Adams report is at the end of the Financial Report above.

See also, CLACKAMAS RIVER WATER BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS REGULAR BOARD MEETING, BOARD INDEX OF AUDIOTAPE, January 12, 2012
http://www.crwater.com/wp-content/uploads/01-12-2012_RgBdMt_Sum-2_.pdf

Relevant excerpt below:

COMMISSIONERS PRESENT:
President Kami Kehoe Secretary Barbara Kemper Treasurer Mike Cardwell Commissioner Patricia Holloway Commissioner Grafton Sterling

CRW LEGAL COUNSEL:
Dan Olsen, Attorney (filling in for Dean Phillips) Agenda Item 1.0: Call to Order

STAFF PRESENT:
Lee Moore, General Manager Adam Bjornstedt, Engineering Manager Carol Bryck, Chief Financial Officer Donn Bunyard, Operations Manager Adora Campbell, Executive Assistant to the Board Suzanne DeLorenzo, Water Quality Manager Karin Holzgang, Executive Assistant to the GM Bob George, District Engineer Kham Keobounnam, Information Systems Manager Tracy Triplett, Water Quality/Lab Analyst

VISITORS PRESENT:
Bob Garbarino (SWA); Al Jones; Joe Karas; (Moss Adams); Gary Kerr; Cyndi Lewis-Wolfram; Warren Mitchell; George Payne (OLWD); Bill Schulenberg

****

Agenda Item 3.0: Financial Report

(a) Audit Update: Presentation by Moss Adams and Distribution of the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report CAFR) - This was the second year Moss Adams’ audited CRW financials.

CRW had again received a clean audit opinion. According to the Oregon Minimum Standards, there were no findings or issues of non-compliance; the District received a clean report. CRW had addressed the audit findings from last year and all documents requested had been quickly provided by staff.

Examples of non-compliance could be: expenditures over appropriations (the most common); contracts that did not follow fair, competitive bidding; the lack of having insurance in place; or an appropriate accounting system with reasonable internal controls.

Auditor’s responsibilities were to conduct the audit according to General Accepted Accounting Standards (GAAS) and report the audit to the Board. This included expressing an opinion about whether the financial statements prepared by management and with Board oversight are fairly presented in all material respects and in conformance with GAAP. The auditors had expanded their testing in certain areas as discussed with the Board. There were no significant, new accounting policies or changes to existing policies.

− Accounting estimates: Estimates included in the audit were items like unbilled revenue, allowance for doubtful accounts and recovery periods for the cost of the plant.

− Unanticipated Audit Adjustments: There were no posted or passed adjustments.

− Disagreements with Management: There were no disagreements with management.

− Consultation with Other Accountants: There was no consultation with other accountants (opinion shopping) or difficulties encountered in performing the audit.

− Material Weaknesses: There was no material weaknesses - meaning there were no material adjustments consequential to the financial statements.

− Significant Control Deficiency: There were no significant control deficiencies.

There were no significant audit findings this year....

Moss Adams
http://www.mossadams.com/Home

http://www.mossadams.com/Industries/Utilities/Overview-(1)

http://www.mossadams.com/Industries/Not-For-Profit-Government/Overview-(1)

Story just won't die. I watched the video, and it was obvious they were not actually being violent. Now, the charges were "dropped"

http://portlandtribune.com/pt/9-news/122577-citizen-comments-result-in-ban-from-damascus-city-hall

Landis on Thursday, Nov. 1, filed a tort claim against the city and its city manager, calling the exclusion unconstitutional.

Later that evening, Landis’s attorney, Bruce McCain, received word that the notice was no longer in effect.

“This letter is to inform you that the no trespass notice ... has been lifted effective immediately,” according to a letter from Baker. “We apologize for any inconvenience.”

Fewkes said he received the same letter saying the no-trespass order was no longer in effect.

“It’s too little, too late,” said Fewkes, a preacher for a home-based Damascus church. He was home with a member of his church when a sheriff’s deputy delivered the no-trespass order.

Anyone who was alarmed by those comments is an idiot. I'm thinking specifically of the 'artist' who regrets purchasing her house there.

Let's hope she never finds out about Patrick Henry.