---

-OPINION-

To: Candidates for RLECWD General Manager

Are you considering accepting the position of General Manager for the Rio Linda/Elverta Community Water District?

If so, The NEWS wishes you well. However, we are concerned. We are concerned about you and we are concerned about our Water District.

We want to welcome the next GM to settle in and become a long-time, supporting member of our community. We don't want a new GM to move his/her family here and then become disenchanted and leave us. We want you to stay.

We feel it is important that any prospective new GM should view the public web pages, such as those we reference, that tell the story of what became the "Reform Board" that has caused an exodus of valued employees, has caused the remaining employees to form a formal bargaining unit to protect themselves from the Board of Directors, and is the direct cause of very low morale of the District staff that the new GM will have to resolve.

We feel it is important that the prospective new GM should be aware of what has been reported about the actions of the remaining "Reform Board" members, Mary Harris and Darrell Nelson.

We are also concerned about the planning and implementation of the upcoming Elverta Specific Plan development that may double the number of District customers. This project alone has the potential to provide large benefits to the District if properly managed. We anticipate that the new GM will effectively pick up the reins of the project and run with them.

We feel that there is potential for the Board, as it is constituted now (July, 2006) to turn the District around, especially if the right person is found and selected to be the next General Manager. However, with the potential for the "Reform Board" to regain seats at the November election and resume its control of the Board, we feel it is important that the next GM not be blindsided because the history of the present situation was not explained. Three of the five Board members will be up for election in November.

We will document the history for you via references to web pages.

Most of the web pages we will cite for you have been on line for several years. We stand ready to support and document what is related in the web pages we reference, as they contain the facts.

Please visit http://rlenews.com/rlecwdgm.html and follow the links.

                        The Rio Linda Elverta NEWS

---

jump to top of page