Three outspoken women took to the Supervisors’ public speakers podium during public expression on Tuesday to bluntly denounce County CEO Darcie Antle and the Supervisors for their roles in the Cubbison/Kennedy criminal case. The first woman, Teresa McNerlin, is a long-time board member and former chair of the Ukiah Valley Sanitation District. The other two women gave their names, but in one case, the mic had been turned off by the time she said it, and in the other case the name given was not fully legible; it sounded like Sullenberger. (Mark Scaramella)
McNerlin:
I am a County resident. I sit on an elected board. I sit on two other boards. I am a combat veteran. I am a wife and a mom. Mendocino County CEO Darcie Antle has taken a leading role in unnecessarily costing our county hundreds of thousands and possibly millions of dollars. She has demonstrated poor judgment, lacks discernment, and an absence of integrity and honesty. An example of this is the many times she lied while under oath in court committing perjury. I witnessed this first-hand when she lied about when a contract was executed. When faced with the fact that it was actually signed two years after she said it was signed, she sat there and pretended that she didn’t know what it meant to execute a contract. And it was her signature. We have also learned that she committed perjury at least four more times regarding the knowledge of the disputed 470 pay code. Making poor decisions is nothing new for the CEO. Let’s not forget how she single-handedly, without consulting the VA staff, moved the Veterans Office, only to have it moved back again after public outrage. Or the insistence on consolidating the Auditor Controller and Treasurer Tax Collector Office to one department under her control. This is clearly a lack of checks and balances. The people of this County want an elected Auditor Controller and a separate elected Treasurer Tax Collector. I have to assume that this stupid decision to consolidate made by the board and the CEO was so that the DA’s office parties at the steakhouse can continue without being questioned. Darcie Antle continues to make poor decisions. She has ordered our elected Auditor Controller to not speak to the person who held her job for the last 17 months! And she has unnecessarily put hoops in front of the Auditor Controller to do her job for this County. This is not how you do business in this County, nor does it benefit the people who live here. Darcie Antle has brought her high school mean girl drama to this County and it is embarrassing. You cannot trust the CEO. She has proven to be untrustworthy, unprofessional, and a liar. Her poor decisions, her ease in committing perjury, and her misappropriation of public funds in approving a broiler steakhouse dinner for the DA’s office party is grounds for immediate termination without any pay or benefits. When is this board going to shake yourselves out of your stupor and do something? Our Auditor Controller was found guilty of NOTHING! In fact, the judge called her a whistleblower. In return, you removed her from office without pay or benefits, and now you are refusing to make her whole. The CEO’s advice is just that: it’s advice. You do not have to follow it. You can have an independent thought and make independent decisions. Clearly the advice to remove Ms. Cubbison was total rubbish. I urge you to do the right thing now. Fire the CEO, pay our Auditor Controller her backpay and benefits and support her in the work she is doing for this county.
Board Chair John Haschak: Thank you.
McNerlin: No. 30 more seconds.
Haschak: You have had three minutes.
McNerlin continues talking off-mic.
Haschak: Thank you. Cut her off, please. Ok.
McNerlin: Continues talking off-mic.
Haschak: Thank you.
Woman #2:
I am a 51 year resident of Mendocino County I am here to express my thoughts regarding the Cubbison-Kennedy case. I am shocked that there is a board direction to refuse payment to Chamise and Paula for all their related expenses of the criminal case. The Board decision to pursue them in the first place was clearly wrong from the beginning. There has been an abundance of suffering, lies, hidden facts, much lost time and waste of money, mistrust and so much more that the public will never know about. For decades, there have been serious financial issues in Mendocino County, and you choose to fire an elected, honest, very qualified person? Big mistake. Why it would make sense to fire the one person in the county who knows more about accounts receivable, and accounts payable doesn’t make sense. For $68,000m the county has lost $1 to $2 million or possibly north of that in the criminal case. Now you want to pile on more expense? The same qualified and honest judge will hear the civil case. This was started by an attorney and continues with more attorneys who are looking for work. We the people of Mendocino County will lose again. This time, even more money as the civil case gets pushed behind the criminal cases. Time is money. These cases will mean an even larger loss to discretionary spending at a difficult time in our economic history. Years ago, when combining the Auditor Controller, Treasurer Tax Collector was considered, those who spoke had little or no support, and this decision was opposed by county employees, and the public. The board went forward as employees said they would quit and they did. At that time there was a difficult new computer system which was hard to work with. Yet these offices were reshuffled, with different bosses for one and a half years, and then the new boss was fired by the board members, and the new boss was fired over a court case. That case was thrown out. Ms. Cubbison is back with her employees, and you have decided that she should not be compensated. And you have refused a lot other expenses as well. That leaves us wondering about your concern for responsible spending and your concern for county employees. I am asking you to admit the mistake, pay for it and move on with business at this time.
Woman #3:
Fortunately, I had the time to sit in on every single word of testimony in the Cubbison-Kennedy case and the hearings. The issue of credibility came up. CEO Antle, and other County employees — the judge stated they were not credible. I have heard a lot of things that were very disappointing. I have been a lifelong citizen of this county. I am amazed at how many hundreds of thousands of dollars have been spent in this case. It is a witch hunt. I kept asking, where is the evidence? Where is the evidence?! I kept waiting for some evidence. And there was nothing! Zero! It was shameful! The entire County was shameful. I am very disappointed by the actions of the Board of Supervisors, not for the new ones, but by the actions taken on this terrible advice. But I really want to address CEO Antle’s leadership decisions. Under oath she stated she personally checks all 1200 or 1400 employee paychecks. She said 1200. She personally checks their time cards. Personally! And her deputy CEO. So there’s two eyes on it. That is a terrible leadership decision by the executive, for the executive office officer to be doing this work. If she would like to be payroll manager, she should apply for the job. The perjury? I was there when she said it. She said she had not heard about 470, she didn’t talk to anybody about 470, she never knew about 470 and other County employees said the exact same thing. And now it has come out that she knew about it six months before Ms. Cubbison brought it to her attention. But she didn’t bring it up then. Think about how many thousands of dollars. It could have stopped then. Well, Miss Kennedy did the work. But it went on. Every six months. Why would she not bring that to anyone’s attention if that was the case? And she did not. And she lied about it on the stand. I recently read on the agenda that she has asked for some of her CEO duties, her workload, to be reduced. Apparently you have already done it a month ago. Perhaps that did not need to be. Instead, she is still choosing to check everybody’s time cards which she specifically said. This perjury issue really needs to be investigated. I think you should look into that. And I do believe it needs to be from an independent investigator. I do not believe that it can happen in this county without bias. Lastly, I think it’s time for you get back to work and stop the bleeding. This case is ridiculous. Pay the lady her money and—
Haschak: Thank you.
Woman: …lost pay.
LAZ OF WILLITS REPORTING:
Ms, Cubbison today…at the BOS
Not being schooled in the finery of County Econ 101, I can only speak to what I saw. Ms. Cubbison’s report to the Board was professional, polite, and seemingly precise. However, during the prelim to Ms. Cubbison’s reports several supporters of Ms. Cubbison’s were eloquently skilled in painting the CEO and others, in summary as, awful people, professionally and personally. Who conspired to ruin a fellow worker who refused to play their game.
9:17 into the meeting…
What now?
Laz
EVERY person deserves due process IN the courts. Brick: you all are amusing, talk spank and never show up or put in any positive Energy. The idea of a native position on all boards was the only thing said that wasn’t the dribbling’s of an angry children. And, they are not likely to stick us with Sara, but Cheri…
Apparently a wine bar is not the best place to recruit county officials. A large public demonstration is being promoted here to protest the antics of the current federal administration. Meanwhile, Mendo’s own house is obviously in serious disorder, with paralysis in place of needed introspection and corrective action. The irony just gets thicker. Like they say, “Think globally, act locally”.
When is Mat LaFever going to write about the Cubbison case for SF Gate?
When are the Supervisors going to “denounce” Darcie and ask for her resignation? If she doesn’t resign, when will they terminate her? Three of them seem complicit but at least they can claim they were following advice that turned out to be bad. Now that they have the facts, including the damning findings of Judge Moorman, they can’t hide behind that excuse.