Potter Assigned Watchdog Role: April Fools

Or to put it accurately “The Fox has Been Voted into ChickenHouse.” The only person less appropriate than Potter would be Collins himself, but he’s um… under a bit of a cloud lately (had to hire a criminal defense lawyer).

County Supervisor Potter has specifically and regularly met with Collins on the Regional Desal project since at least a year ago. Ed Mitchell’s documentation shows in 2010 Potter and Collins met specifically on this project on Feb 25, March 23, March 25, April 14, May 27, and June 14. (re: Collins’ invoices)

Remember how I applauded the Supervisors for ordering a report on Collins and then releasing it to the public – in spite of their being the most corrupt agency in our area ?

Well, with this decision — the Monterey County Supervisors are back to “normal” – if normal is corrupt politics (violating ethics and public interest laws) as a standard business practice.

Do the culpable supervisors know how deep Potter is in this mess?

Of course they do.

And they also know Potter is an accomplished Public Relations wizard along with David Armanasco (our local Public Relations guy of choice for DREGs). So if it is at all possible to cover everything up and keep their guilty accomplices out of jail — Potter and Armanasco will do the best they can.

The second cover up tactic is the official decision to make staff meetings secret:

“County Counsel Charles McKee said all parties have signed a confidentiality agreement regarding the staff-level discussions.”

This means that meeting times, places and agendas will be secret, (agendas are not allowed to be secret, but I bet they try), all documents used in the meeting are secret (what documents they do use they are going to falsely call “draft” so they don’t have to turn them over as Public Records), there won’t be any minutes and they’ll only give verbal reports to Supervisors. Except Dave Potter who (surprise !) will be attending those secret meetings as well.

One way to stop this is if the Supervisor’s Chair Jane Parker requires :

1. Meetings: All staff meetings on this subject are publicly noticed in advance and agendas and documents are publicly available on the County website.

2. Documents: Minutes will be required, all documents will be public and all briefs to Supervisors will be in writing.

The reason she could do this is that any Supervisor trying to stop her would be exposed as trying to cover up the potentially criminal issues surrounding this subject.

Another major wrong with this Herald article is Jim Johnsen’s “reporting” once again wholly failed to get comments from informed people from the other side; in this case those who find Potter’s appointment to cover this up — wrong.

(Then again it is possible Johnson’s original article did include comments from the other side – but City and Executive Editor Livernois chopped it off – because Livernois hates having to endure the public’s concerns.)

One question we have to ask – Why does the Herald persist in defending and covering up Potter’s misdeeds?

References:
“Monterey County Supervisor Dave Potter named desal ‘watchdog.'”

County Supervisor Dave Potter’s Anti-Environmental Voting Record

Herald’s News Story Gatekeeper Livernois Disgusted with Public Commenting at Government Meetings