Sat. Oct 5th, 2024

By Linda Sutter -December 11, 2021

Ignorance runs rampant at board meeting.

The Citizens Oversight Committee (COC) meeting regarding the $25 million school bond met Friday, December 10th at 3:00 pm. Only four Board members showed up out of the 7 members needed for compliance but that is typical. Three of the Board Members quit due to the fact they could see the corruption that exists and didn’t want anything to do with it. The only Board Member who actually is holding the COC accountable is Angelina Countess-Bieber.

Several items were placed on the Agenda and when members of the public approached the podium to ask questions the Chair Steve Lyons sat there in his chair and said nothing. Not one board member would answer any question posed by the public.

One such item that was questioned was regarding the tiny house shop building built behind the high school. When a public member questioned whether this project was included with Measure A, the public member was met with cold silence from the board members. When the public member informed the board members this was a Brown Act Violation, Board Member Karen Sanders, stated, “You are only allowed to comment and cannot ask questions.”

Ms. Sanders then goes on to ask the public member what governmental meetings allow you to ask them questions? The response she got was, “the City Council and the Board of Supervisors.”

Karen Sanders then shakes her head NO to the public member, and the public member placed Ms. Sanders in Check by stating, “You are never at the public meetings so how would you know?”

Later in the meeting, the Chair Steve Lyons became hostile towards the public, got up out of his chair, and took a flex stance toward a tax-paying public member who was criticizing his performance as a board member. One minute after a public member began to speak, Steve Lyons not only took a flex stance but yelled out, “Recess,” cut the microphone, and walked out of the room.

This violated not only the Brown Act but public members’ First Right Amendment rights to speak.

The public should be concerned and this is why. Throughout the meeting when the public is informing the COC there are serious issues with the $25 million dollar school bond in spending double and triple money on the same project, it fell on deaf ears. Steve Lyons, Karen Sanders, and Jessica Curry refuse to acknowledge any problems or issues. The three of them do not have the concept or understanding they are representing the public and the public is supposed to depend on their honesty and integrity of what they write or approve in the COC report.

So the question to ask the public is this, If you were a board member and the public asked about double and triple expenditures on school projects, would you blow them off or would you investigate what they were saying?

5 thoughts on “DNUSD CITIZENS OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE”
  1. Mr Bieber please stop the apologies you have a right to be angry, upset, you’re opinion. You are correct… people get into office & they no longer have respect for our community, & for our country. Thank you for your letter.
    I’m hoping the community will read your letter.

  2. Thank you for commenting VS! Also appreciate you, or the responsible employee who updated the calendar after the fact. Typical, cover-up up of wrong doing. If my disappointment in our local leadership comes across as angry, I apologize. It’s true I’m disappointed and saddened at the lack of respect, and action in our community, and our Country.
    That would be great if you could tell me who is responsible for updating the calendar, and I’ll write them a letter. Not that it really matters! It is disappointing that no one is held accountable anymore.
    If you could also tell me who is responsible for updating the County web site contact list? Only one department has contacts listed. One department out of over 40. Why “NO CONTACTS”? Is my disappointment (or how you like to say “anger”) the reason no one can put their name by their department. Maybe you can tell me? Do employees not want to be contacted? Are they embarrassed of their departments? Is there no one working in the department? Is it One big happy family? Or two, or three? I guess I was disappointed, not angry when I tried to find an e-mail address of anyone that worked at the County.
    If you could also provide the contact responsible for the D. N. Public Health Ordinance that violates citizen’s civil rights, abuses children, and threatens to separate families. This person should definitely be fired, but who’s accountable? This is more disheartening, than anger.
    And, if your able to direct me to the responsible employee who’s deciding to watch Last Chance Grade continue to fall off the cliff. It’s only a matter of time before someone else dies on Last Chance Grade. Or tell me, who is responsible for the inaction of Hwy 199 improvements. Another hazardous stretch of road that sees no progress. Who’s responsible for Dr. Fine Bridge not being started. I’m not angry about this either, just concerned.
    I will say, my disappointment was a little lessened when I learned the County Road Department wanted the county citizen’s feedback on road repairs. Did you see the survey? Seriously, the County doesn’t even know what the problems are? We pay a lot of taxes, why are these projects not being completed? These improvements need action. I apologize again, if these comments seem angry. My intention of commenting here is for Del Norte to utilize it’s untapped potential, and find some accountability within it’s leadership.

  3. Good thing for this Crescent City Times, and community citizens actively engaging the action deficient leadership plaguing our community. I see the DN Board of Supervisors decided there was no business to address and cancelled Tuesday’s Board Meeting without updating their calendar. I wonder if they voted on their day off, or just felt obligated??
    And the DNCUSD continues it’s smoke and mirrors and magical bond funding, tax increases, and legislative dereliction, with a special district board meeting on 12/21/2021. Very inconsiderate and suspicious of our local governing boards.

    1. Just FYI, whoever updates or makes the calendar you are referring to is the one to blame for your anger. Because the board decided over a year ago that 12/14/21 was the last BOS meeting of 2021. It is in the published minutes. And so your overreacting sensitive backside is prepared, during the last meeting they approved the 2022 meeting schedule, and 12/13/22 will be the last BOS meeting of 2022.

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