Tensions Run High Before Shelter Cove RIDs Itself of General Manager Candidate

Community members gathered at the Shelter Cove Fire Station for a special meeting of the community’s Resort Improvement District (RID) Board of Directors. Tensions ran high as the large room filled, the chairs long occupied, those with an interest in the anticipated hiring of a new general manager for the RID sat on the floor or stood, leaning against the wall, all seemingly too invested to be concerned with comfort.

The packed house, a rarity for RID meetings, had come, in large part, to protest the selected candidate for the vacant General Manager position. Community activist and Shelter Cove resident, Darryl Cherney, at the request of other concerned community members, took to local news outlets and social media to address the myriad of concerns some had about the board’s chosen candidate.

The concerns stemmed from what some consider the candidate’s lack of work history, lack of qualifications, as well as some unusual business ventures, according to Cherney’s recent letter to the editor.

Community members questioned the board’s hiring practices, pointing out the majority of applicants were never interviewed for the position before the board made an offer to the selected candidate.

In recent history, RID has had a high turnover rate of GMs; the two previous GMs having vacated their positions early: the most recent GM was let go, while the previous GM unexpectedly resigned after a physical altercation took place in the parking lot of the RID Office, according to public comment. been let go from their positions. As it stands, the Board President, Jac Hargrave, took a leave of absence from the board to fill the Interim General Manager role while the board sought out a replacement, the same role then Board President, Suzy Fox, filled when the predecessor to the most recent GM resigned. was let go, also.

Complicating an already tumultuous process, Hargrave, as the board president, started the candidate selection process prior to the last GM’s termination. Once he assumed the role of Interim GM, his involvement in the hiring process ended, leaving the board with four members to assess the twenty applicants for the position. Suzy Fox, serving as the board’s Vice President, announced her resignation at the last board meeting after sitting on the board since 2010; reportedly due to stresses including the recent GM candidate selection. After filling in as the Interim GM for a month, Hargrave decided to apply for the GM position.

Hargrave told us in an interview, “I did some soul searching and thought …I’d put in my application for it. I could do it …just with my intimate knowledge of the Cove and my history on the board.”

As an applicant, the knowledge and position Hargrave has as Board President on leave and Interim GM, Hargrave said he has to walk a fine line, both doing what is needed for the RID but also choosing to be respectful, knowing that the role may be filled with another applicant. He’s mindful to not implement changes while in the temporary position. Additionally, he has to leave his board, even in turmoil, to deal with the hiring for the GM position and resignation of Fox, on their own.

As the Interim GM, Hargrave was present at the special meeting, as all GMs are, though without a vote. Prior to the start of the meeting, Hargrave asked the passionate crowd to remember that they were united in their love for the Cove and asked attendees to keep it professional, refraining from personal attacks. “So please keep that in mind when you’re directing your comments, keep them directed at the process at the things going on, not at the individuals,” he asked.

That, however, did not happen. Charged, passionate speakers championed their favorite candidates, celebrated Fox’s resignation, and claimed Hargrave’s wife, a local business owner, was anti-tourism.

Local business owner, Trent Sanders stated, “The kid gloves are fucking off!” during his public comment. Sanders claimed that the issues with the RID extended beyond the candidate selection process but is a culmination of a “lack of transparency [and] inability to operate effectively”. Sanders added, “This is a boiling point of so many things that have happened over the years of bad behavior and incompetence. [The board is] not transparent. They’re not listening. You hire a director that won’t do the job when you’re told not to hire that person. I’m frustrated.”

Sanders pointedly stated that the BOD’s monthly meeting time, the third Thursday at 9 a.m., was not conducive to community participation for those that worked. As a long-time community member, he said he had given up participating in meetings when he and others asked for the meeting time to be changed to accommodate the younger, working, residents of Shelter Cove, to no avail.

Resident Don Sack* voiced his choice for GM, applicant Chris Christiansen, who in Sack’s estimation, is the most qualified for the job. Later in the meeting, he told the board and public that Christiansen held five wastewater certificates before turning to Hargrave and asking the Interim GM how many wastewater certificates he held. Hargrave answered, none.

In our interview, Hargrave confirmed he did not hold any water or wastewater certifications, though as a GM, it is not a requirement for the position. “You’re expected to kind of have an overall understanding of [all the systems], but not the nuts and bolts of it, …that’s why we have an electrical superintendent, who runs the linemen, and the journeyman,” he said, noting that in addition to an electrical superintendent, RID employs superintendents with the necessary qualifications to run the utilities they’re in charge of.

Hargrave, now having sat in the GM’s seat, said, “There’s a lot more that [the] general manager has to do, you’re dealing with all the government agencies, …you need to know …the regulations, when the reporting needs to come through, make sure that we don’t become arrears of any reporting, and make sure that our systems are stable, to where we don’t have losses on our sewage and such as that that would get us any kind of fines or violations, that kind of thing. I think that’s more important than the actual certificates.”

The public comments slightly off-agenda, the meeting, chaired by board member Mike Soluri, tackled the first order of business, selecting a new vice president since Fox’s resignation. Acting chair, Soluri, was nominated, seconded, and unanimously voted in as VP by the three-person board.

Soluri’s first order of business as VP was to accept Fox’s resignation from the board. Each board member took the time to thank Fox for her years of service and many accomplishments, though Fox was not in attendance at the meeting. Board member David Sommers stated, “I can tell you that the quality of our fire department, CERT organization, and the six emergency alarms we have are [in] …large part, due to Susie. Whether you like her or not – she’s a friend of mine – I do like her, she has really given a lot of this community.”

Soluri and Janet Evans, echoed Sommers’ comments, crediting Fox with being an integral part of many of RID’s successes.

The next item of business was to discuss the GM candidate’s contract, compensation, and benefits. Soluri asked to skip agenda item two and address item three: considering the appointment of the selected candidate. Soluri stated that due to the Brown Act, the board had not had a chance to discuss recent revelations about the selected candidate.

Speaking to the charged public, Soluri stated, “In regard to [the selected candidate’s] appointment offer: we have made multiple requests to contact his current employer to verify his employment status. He has declined us the opportunity to do that pending a contract, we cannot send a contract without verifying his employer, so currently we’re at an impasse.” The VP made a motion to revoke the offer, stating that further inconsistencies were found in the candidate’s application after the offer was made. Soluri has been in contact with the RID’s HR attorney regarding the matter, including the district’s hiring practices. Additionally, he suggested, “We …want to update [our hiring practices] …in conjunction with our HR attorney, [and] take a full halt on the hiring of the new general manager until we restart the process with all these safety nets in place to ensure the district the best possible outcome.”

The public audience erupted in applause. The charged air seemed to fizzle from the crowd, a breath of relief.

After public comment, the board voted unanimously to rescind the offer to the GM candidate and update the RID hiring practices.

Sanders once again spoke before the board, thanking them for their decision but reiterating the ongoing issues he sees within the RID, stating that similar to the rescinding of the candidate offer, the board has made other decisions then changed course, costing the district money. He also said that the board operated with no transparency and repeated the need for a more tenable meeting time.

Hargrave noted that the board meeting is set for business hours and like the county’s Board of Supervisors meeting, those that want to come must make the effort. He also noted that the meetings are available online for those not able to attend in person. Hargrave explained that though some items had to be discussed in closed meetings as per the Brown Act, the agenda items of the closed sessions were public record, as were the decisions made within closed session when the board reported out at the beginning of the open session.

As the meeting was wrapped up, resident and former RID board member, Jason Andrews spoke, asking the board to choose a candidate that was local to the area. He said, “All the general managers have been, pretty much, outsiders.** There’s a very interesting dynamic that is in this community. It’s when people come from the outside, they just don’t get it.” Andrews went on to thank the board for their service saying that he understood firsthand how difficult the role was and the thankless nature of serving as a board member could be.

The energy promising to be a bang fizzled as the satiated crowd made their way for the door, neighbors chatting, as another apparent “crisis” seemed to have been averted.

For now, Hargrave will stay in the GM’s chair, the interim position a volunteer gig as the on-leave board president fills in until the hiring practices can be revamped and a suitable candidate selected.

When asked why he would volunteer to serve in a position others were paid for, Hargrave said, “It’s my home. It’s the Cove. This is the place I love – this is where I’ve lived for almost 20 years, I’ve raised two kids here. I hope to retire here. You know, I love the Cove. [It’s the] same reason I’m on the board. I was critical of some of the decisions and some people who were on the board before, and I[thought] if I’m going to be that critical, I better put up or shut up.”

*Note: We incorrectly spelled Mr. Sack’s last name. We’ve fixed it and apologize for the error.

**Note: Philip Young, a former GM, states that he owned a home in Shelter Cove from 2001 and was a full-time resident in the Cove since January 2012 prior to starting as GM on 1 July 2013.