Back when I was still working as a lowly HR Administrator for NCCFD and the elections in 2012 were rolling around, NCCFD had three board seats up and two incumbents re-filed (Rhodes and Leonard) and one (Hitchcock) did not. At that moment in time, if only one interested party chose to run, then there would not have been an “election” as all candidates would have been appointed in lieu, saving the District $25,000.
The first person to file for the seat was Linda Chaplin. Again, if no one else chose to run then all incumbents and Ms. Chaplin would have been appointed in lieu, thus saving the District $25,000 in election costs.
Now here is where the plot thickened. In my office, Director Hanson, in front of the Division Chief and the District/Board Secretary told this interesting story, Sorry Dave, but this has to be told:
grueneberg had asked his buddy o’pal Hablett to run for the seat Hitchcock was giving up. But, lo and behold, when Hablett arrived to file his paperwork, he asked if anyone else had filed. The Elections Office stated that indeed someone had filed the previous day. So, Hablett called and informed his buddy that if he, Hablett, files it will force an election to the tune of $25,000 bucks. The buddy asks who has put in their paperwork, Hablett replied, Linda Chaplin. His good ‘ol buddy said file, we can’t work with her. Boom! $25,000 on the hook.
Then, I had an NCCFD employee state grueneberg told him how he was also recruiting Carrington to run for the Board as we can’t let that “crazy woman” on the Board.
Last, but not least, Pennington was a neighbor and is still a personal friend of Dave Hanson. Hanson recruited him to run.
So there ya have it, the circle is now complete. The good ol’ boy network still is in play.
Regarding the illegal appointment of Pennington on 9/19/13, the Calif. Secretary of State’s Office states the do not have the authority to enforce the government codes, see the below email:
Thank you for contacting the Secretary of State regarding a special district.
While the Secretary of State oversees elections in California and files and maintains certain government and business entity documents, our office does not have the oversight or authority to investigate this matter. If you haven’t done so already, you may wish to forward your concerns to your county’s Board of Supervisors.
You may also wish to consult with private legal counsel. A private attorney could directly represent your interests and provide advice most helpful to you. Lawyer referral services are available through the State Bar of California.
And then they clarified:
When we receive correspondence about a matter that does not fall under the oversight of the Secretary of State’s office, we try to refer the individual to an agency that may be able to assist. In our previous response to your email, we suggested sharing your concerns with the Nevada County Board of Supervisors. We have since confirmed the Board of Supervisors does not have the authority to intervene in this matter.
We apologize for any confusion that may have arisen from our previous response. If you need advice related to concerns you have about a special district, you may wish to contact private legal counsel.
So, the County BOS and the County Election Dept has no authority to enforce the Calif. Gov’t Codes…I guess neither does the State….the only avenue is for citizens of the District to file a claim with the NCDA. Really? I should go out and pay for any attorney to pursue violations the NCCFD made?
And this is why it is all so corrupt, even at this puny level of government.
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