Trend of buying
out contracts
is just too costly
Our View
The Auburn Journal headline this week screamed, “Buyouts pay execs to leave.” The accompanying article by reporter Gus Thomson detailed how local elected officials handed out close to $1 million of taxpayers’ money to pay four top executives to quit working. Our government — local, national and federal — faces huge budget deficits and debt. Solving our spending problem should start at home. This month the Fair Political Practices Commission issued a ruling saying that after four years, they found no wrongdoing on the part of former Sierra College President Kevin Ramirez. Untrue and unfounded allegations made by Trustee Aaron Klein led to Ramirez’s buyout. That buyout and related expenses cost taxpayers upward of $620,000, according to information provided by the college to the Placer County grand jury. It is a sad joke on taxpayers that Klein portrayed himself as a fiscal conservative, but his ill-advised actions led to shoveling up a wheelbarrow full of taxpayers’ money so that an award-winning college president could go on a permanent vacation. If there is a legitimate cause to fire a CEO, city manager, superintendent or college president, then by all means, fire for cause. But don’t give away truckloads of taxpayers’ cash because your political agenda might differ slightly from those with whom you are contractually obligated to work. Sierra College is far from alone, however. The city of Roseville just bought out Craig Robinson’s contract for $390,000. Councilwoman Paula Roccucci cited a lack of communication between the council and city manager as justification for termination. “It comes to a point where it’s more controlling and manipulative than just a strong manager,” she told reporter Megan Wood. Other council members disagreed, 4-1. Rather than doing their jobs and working with the city manager they hired, or firing for cause, they punted and paid. Using that logic, when the council fails at managing the manager it hired, the taxpayer must pay and pay big. The seemingly unmanageable manager then hits the proverbial lottery. All at taxpayer expense. What a crazy and messed-up system. Neither the manager nor the council takes personal responsibility for the failure that costs taxpayers a bundle. What is even more hypocritical are the press releases or sound bites that some boards give after a payoff. After buying out Superintendent-Principal Jon Ray’s contract, for upward of $70,000, Colfax Elementary School attorney Scot Yarnell was ready with a comment. “The board continues to believe that Mr. Ray is and has been an outstanding employee,” Yarnell told Colfax Record Editor Gloria Beverage. If that were true, why wouldn’t each and every board member stand up behind the embattled superintendent and fight to keep him? Perhaps they are giving Colfax schoolchildren a lesson: Don’t stand up for what’s right. Instead, do what costs the least and is politically expedient? If, on the other hand, the board believes there has been some wrongdoing and unethical behavior, it’s complete hypocrisy to say the departing leader was truly an outstanding employee. Of course the easiest thing for elected officials and CEOs to do is blame the media. Taxpayers’ money, we’re giving it away, and it’s the media’s fault for reporting on this … Buyouts, bailouts, huge checks awarded for not working nor fulfilling your contract — it’s business as usual here in Placer County. But there is a breaking point for taxpayers. And if we’re not there yet, we’re close.
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TAXPAYERS OF PLACER COUNTY AND ESPECAILLY PLACER COUNTY LAWYERS,
Is there a way that the taxpayers can by law force Aaron Klein to return every cent of the taxpayers' money he used in his personal and political vendetta against FORMER Sierra President Kevin Rameriz.
Klein really just misused and exploited his office to defraud the taxpayers to continue his vendetta to increase the power of his political party in Placer County by attempting to take over the politics of Placer County by controlling Sierra College. His political ploy did not work, but he spent the taxpayers' money and he should be FORCED to return the money he exploited because he has made no move to even apologize for his trangress as the Grand Jury ordered him to do. The Placer Grand Jury and the FPPC both found his allegations against Rameriz to be unfounded. Is Klein above justice?
Klein should be charged with fraud, tried and forced to return the over $500,000 of our money he wasted. If we are a nation of laws, Klein must be held accountable. He was and probably is a John Doolittle stooge, and are Doolittle and his stooges above the law for some reason? Are they? Unless the people do something, they will be.
To attempt to lump all of these terminations together is just too convenient. Further the Journal is not privy to closed session discussions which contain recommendations and direction from agency lawyers to board members, nor does it have access to confidential personnell information that lead to decisions. What are the costs of buyout vs lawsuit? While the FPPC may have found positively for Ramirez, it also found Guilt and Conflict of Interest for a former ARD Board Member who was the personal lawyer of former ARD Administrator Grenier, who also happened to be involved in negotiations for his contract buyout! (they FPPC did not review her paticipation and vote on the buyout, they probably should have - all things equal and based on their findings on issues regarding her other client she likely would have been fined) I find it funny, editorialists will bash one board member in print, yet never hold another accountable in their roll in costing taxpayers 100's of thousands of dollars! Had that director voted differently a year or so earlier, there would have been no need for a buyout at all! What is the full story on these other cases? I don't think it is fair to base decisions only on what we read in the local paper, what often is most important is what is found between the lines.
If the Auburn Journal still thinks that the five year old change in leadership at Sierra College was only about $100K in improperly reported campaign donations -- however important public disclosure laws are -- they simply aren't qualified to publish a newspaper. They've never been interested in reporting the full story. I've long since moved on from hoping they would, and I get my news from the New York Times and Wall Street Journal instead.
The good news is, we built $5 million in new surpluses that started with turning around the 2004-05 budget. Five straight years of surplus later, we now have the resources we need to preserve access to college for our students during these dramatic budget cuts. (Cuts precipitated by a state legislature that can't seem to figure out how to build a working budget. Perhaps they should come up here and learn from our staff at Sierra College.)
We're lucky to have a principled, visionary leader with high ethical standards and a strong sense of integrity in Dr. Leo Chavez, and my vote to appoint him as President is still the best I've cast in five years as a trustee.
By the way, Leo's contract doesn't have the famed "termination by mutual consent only" clause in it. I was one of the trustees who insisted on the ability of a future board to make changes in leadership whenever they are necessary, and he wouldn't have it any other way, because he's never been afraid of accountability for results.
Aaron Klein …
It cut off the end.
Aaron Klein
530-830-2040
ak@aaronklein.com
Klein acted stupidly and without any wisdom at all. He joined a long line of ill prepared and poorly advised board members put in a position of authority but having NO ability to fulfill the duties of a trustee. He believes that just because he is a tax payer, that make him qualified. WRONG! Any dufus with an agenda can get elected to a board, then we're stuck with that dufus. Especially in a county with a preponderance of voters that vote by party only. Klein's position is suppose to be non-partisan, yet that isn't the case for Klein. In his self-defense post above, he stated that he has "moved on", yet as much as he tries, this will be an albatros that will hang about his head for many years to come. I don't believe that he would ever objective in his "non-partisan" position as trustee and should be removed from office at the earliest possible date, with a heap of shame to go with the removal.
I have personally met Klein and found him to be delusional to his ability as a trustee and to his importance at Sierra College. He just doesn't get it! Instead of getting the best qualified person as a trustee, we have received far less than what is acceptable. And the tragedy is, he is clueless about that.
Sincerely,
Robert Capp
Aaron, you're a poison pill now. The RCC supporters are kind of not supporting. You're guilty of thrashing a good man for political reasons. You flaunt the Grand Jury and make up excuses for the FPPC findings against you. Kevin Ramiriz was EXONERATED. He resigned for the good of Sierra College. You should follow suit.
Recall anyone?
Now I know that the apocalypse is upon us - I agree with Ismael and Chuxx. I need to have my head examined.
Robert Capp
If all you current and former educators could take your blinders off, you would understand that the public did not approve of Ramiriz's management actions. Using part of the new library as his taj was not appreciated. He also had employee issues and financial issues. Ramiriz resigned because he lost the confidence of the board and got a big pay off.
PS: I am a former teacher and was a school board member.