Turning over rocks at the PAL
We were complaining a couple of weeks ago that the mainstream media wasn't digging into the sudden financial crisis at the Portland Police Activities League:
Where has their funding come from? Why is it drying up? Who are the managers? Didn't they see this coming? Where can the money come from to save the organization?
It took more than a week, but the O has started to supply some answers, here. So far it seems like nothing more than good old-fashioned negligence and bungling, but with law enforcement in these parts, things are not always as they seem.
One of the problems is that the outfit's board of directors has had up to 42 people on it, and most of them apparently were paying no attention. The O story names a few, but it leaves off several prominent names: now-retired Multnomah County district attorney Michael Schrunk, Portland police chief Mike Reese, and Multnomah sheriff Dan Staton. Directors owe a duty of care to their organizations; in the case of the PAL, somebody appears to have failed in that duty.
In any event, given the youth gang problems in Portland, the demise of the PAL is a real shame.
| Posted at 7:44 AM | Permalink |
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Comments (4)
Not all the money went to PAL operations. Under former executive director Maura White, PAL acted as the fiscal agent for some groups with tangential ties to PAL's work. For example: the Rockwood Business Coalition, which represents the neighborhood surrounding PAL's youth center. White said in an interview she believed the business group fit PAL's mission.
Right... and what other ties are there between PAL and these other groups?
Until earlier this month, it was headed by Colene Domenech, the resident agent in charge of the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in Portland.
Another ATF success story!
Posted by Andrew | February 25, 2013 8:48 AM
"42 people on it, and most of them apparently were paying no attention"
That's the same reason so many insane area policies and boondoggles are implemented.
Those in charge, at the helm or elected have abandoned all responsibility to apply any genuine due diligence.
Instead they rely upon "staff" to provide all of it with the false presumption that in the chain of process some mysterious department of worthiness checked everything out.
That way Mr. Nobody is held responsible.
Anyone familiar with "staff" reports knows they are always the sloppy self serving, cooked up, cherry picked, concealing, lop sided, cheer leading promotions used to justify and to recommend approval of whatever benefits staff and promotes the agenda.
Without any boundaries they often reach unbelievable levels of deceit. Invented numbers and falsehoods are commonplace.
In virtually every case there is a total absence of any check and balance applied to challenge any claims made.
Without any authentic scrutiny or consequences over may years the system naturally mushrooms into the cavalier and brazen kind of calculated dishonesty exhibited by TriMet.
Metro, counties and municipalities have long ago plunged into the abyss of wholesale public deceit. It's how they get things done.
Why shouldn't they?
Who's gonna do anything?
Posted by Anon | February 25, 2013 9:05 AM
Anon, you nailed it.
We have so many boards, committees, advisory committees, blue ribbons, coalitions, etc., down to charettes that give the pretense that things are all vetted out. While most of the time it's just furthering an agenda which sometimes that is even missed.
But the bagels and coffee served at all these meetings helps pass the time.
Posted by lw | February 25, 2013 9:25 AM
I believe Dave Barry might have been thinking of our beloved Metro when he wrote, "If you had to identify, in one word, the reason why the human race has not achieved, and never will achieve, it's full potential, that word would be "meetings".
Posted by David E Gilmore | February 25, 2013 10:33 AM