Waldport resident urges a close look at COCF&R recall petition — and to not sign it

To the editor:

Peter Carlich has filed a recall petition for two members of the Central Oregon Coast Fire & Rescue District. Before you sign the recall petition, please look into the facts.

Carlich has accused the board of having illegal executive sessions. However, according to a Newport News-Times story published Jan. 28, “Carlich noted he cannot know for sure if these matters were discussed during an executive session but said he believes it would be a violation of state law if they were.”

What? He is willing to try to eviscerate our votes without any evidence of his accusation?

Carlich lost the election to Todd Holt in our last Central Coast board election. These false allegations appear to be an attempt to trash the people we voted in, people who are working to protect us taxpayers.

Let’s remember why Carlich and other board members lost the election. The previous board, including Carlich, failed to stop years of mismanagement by an out-of-control employee.

According to YachatsNews, May 6, 2021 “After three years of Woodson sending pornography and racist jokes to employees from his home computer or cell phone, one employee finally had enough. On Dec. 18 the employee sent the pictures to board members along with a formal sexual harassment workplace complaint. Among other things, the photos showed a graphic, fully naked woman, a video of woman baring her chest with the words “Wear your mask” across it, jokes about prison sex, and bikinis as face masks. But that didn’t get the 60-year-old Woodson fired. Instead, a day after receiving the complaint, the board put Woodson on paid leave. On Feb. 5 the board wrote Woodson a check for three months salary – $16,408 after state and federal taxes — to quietly leave if he promised not to sue for wrongful dismissal.

Peter Carlich was a member of that board.

We elected new fire board members to prevent a repeat of bad management and to provide needed oversight. Finding a rat-infested, filthy Five Rivers shed containing rigs in appalling condition and fielding citizens’ complaints about fire department employees running their business at our fire department are serious reasons why we need Kathryn Menefee, Todd Holt and Buster Pankey Jr. on the COCF&R board.

Please don’t sign Carlich’s admittedly false recall petition.

— Bernice Barnett, Waldport