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Dear Val,
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<div>I just received this email, and wanted to offer my point of view.</div>
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<div>I've had -- zero -- personal and or business dealings with Ms. Courtney, or any of her fellow trustees currently serving on the board of directors at Mendocino County Public Broadcasting. Nor have I had any such dealings with Mr. Sakowicz. I'm a lowly
listener.</div>
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<div>I discovered some financial irregularities on MCPB's Form 990s about three years ago. Including the written of cutting the entire MCPB board out of any review process. I reported it to the General Manager -- John Coate -- who wouldn't return any of my
calls or emails. So I reported the same thing to John Sakowicz. That's when he started asking Mr. Coate questions.</div>
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<div>MCPB policy requires the GM to provide the Treasurer with accurate and complete financial information. Including line item reviews from MCPB financial statements -- 50 of them -- along with a three-year look-back for each line item. Reportedly, Mr. Sakowicz
asked for that information, and Mr. Coate refused. I can confirm that through meeting minutes and GM reports for that time period, along with the Form 990s themselves. But instead of backing MCPB policy, the other trustees backed the GM.</div>
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<div>That decision enabled Mr. Coate to continue hiding Form 990s from MCPB's board. I can tell you with absolute certainty that the practice of hiding Form 990s from MCPB's board of directors went on for six years. During that time, MCPB lost a massive chunk
of its net worth. At least seventy-five percent according to the Form 990s that were being hidden. All of them filed under penalty of perjury by Mr. Coate.</div>
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<div>The meeting minutes, GM reports and financial policies were posted on the KZYX website before this last January. But the new GM -- Jeffrey Parker -- took them all down. Fortunately, I archived a complete set before that happened.</div>
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<div>I've reported my findings to Ms. Courtney and MCPB's board of directors constantly. That includes Jonathan Middlebrook last May. Little did I know that Ms. Courtney and Mr. Middlebrook had already published an op-ed in the Ukiah Daily Journal vilifying
Mr. Sakowicz for acting on what I'd originally found.</div>
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<div>At the last MCPB board meeting, I reported all of this in a 25 page flip-chart. Including the overnight disappearance of -- all -- MCPB's equipment last year. And nearly $200,000 in office expenses compared to $15,000 for KMUD. Ms. Courtney had every opportunity
to challenge my findings, and to come up with facts and figures of her own. But she didn't. She just sat there.</div>
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<div>Before that meeting, I'd shared the Form 990s that Mr. Coate -- and now Mr. Campbell -- have been hiding with Kelly O'Brien. She's the former president of KUSP in Santa Cruze, a public radio station that went out of business last year. Ms. O'Brien holds
two Masters Degrees. One in business from the University of Arizona. And one in sustainability from Harvard University. She characterized MCPB's current financial condition as a 'death spiral'. Something I wrote an article about:</div>
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<div><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bxf2TM2uxGxFMTN2bWdHMG1DMEE/view?usp=sharing" class="OWAAutoLink" id="LPlnk503688" previewremoved="true">https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bxf2TM2uxGxFMTN2bWdHMG1DMEE/view?usp=sharing</a></div>
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Believe whatever you'd like, Ms. Muchowski. But be sure to do your own investigation. Ms. Courtney's claim that Mr. Sakowicz is a nightmare and cost the station thousands of dollars looks like projection to me. In my view, it's the other way around.
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<div>Furthermore, MCPB's leadership -- as enabled by Ms. Courtney -- have endangered other local nonprofits. By insisting that the practice of hiding Form 990s from governing boards is a sound one. When it couldn't be further from the truth. Those who've tried
it have abandoned it. That includes the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens and the Mendocino Coast District Hospital Foundation. You can read more about that in my latest article here:</div>
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<div><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bxf2TM2uxGxFZ2E5TmY3bzZWRDA/view?usp=sharing" class="OWAAutoLink" id="LPlnk164167" previewremoved="true">https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bxf2TM2uxGxFZ2E5TmY3bzZWRDA/view?usp=sharing</a></div>
<div><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bxf2TM2uxGxFZ2E5TmY3bzZWRDA/view?usp=sharing" class="OWAAutoLink"></a><br>
<div><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bxf2TM2uxGxFMTN2bWdHMG1DMEE/view?usp=sharing" class="OWAAutoLink"></a>What Ms. Courtney has done with the public over the last few years of her involvement is akin to what Donald J. Trump is doing in the White
House today. Which is basing all of his decisions on fake news. Jenness Hartley is merely an extension of this attitude. In my article, I called her a 'kumbaya anarchist.' A statement I absolutely stand by. Ms. Hartley was at board meeting where I presented
my flip chart, and she didn't challenge it either. She just sat there.</div>
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<div>The myth that Mr. Sakowicz cost KZYX 'thousands of dollars in legal fees' is just that -- a myth. Promoted by people who either don't know better, or should.</div>
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<div>I'm copying Ms. Courtney on this email so she can have the opportunity to challenge my findings once and for all. If so, it'll be the first time ever. But until then, you're better off regarding it like something you can read in 'Breitbart News' or Alex
Jones' 'Info Wars.'</div>
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<div>Sincerely,</div>
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<div>Scott M. Peterson</div>
<div>Mendocino</div>
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<div>- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - <br>
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<pre>----- Original Message -----
From: "Val Muchowski" <<a href="http://lists.mcn.org/mailman/listinfo/kzyxtalk">vjmuchowski at gmail.com</a>>
To: "Meg Courtney" <<a href="http://lists.mcn.org/mailman/listinfo/kzyxtalk">meg at megcourtney.com</a>>
Sent: Saturday, March 18, 2017 9:45:14 AM
Subject: KZYX Board
Dear Val,
KZYX is in a bit of trouble and I'm turning to you for HELP. KZYX has 9 board member seats. As you are aware we are having an election for 3 seats - dist. 3 & dist 4. and an at large seat. The 2 districts are unopposed but one of the candidates just let us know she will NOT be running (health reasons) so that seat will be open Meanwhile Benj Thomas (from Ukiah) has just stepped down, and furthermore there is another sitting board member who would like to step down if we find someone to fill that seat. So, as you can see this now leaves us with 3 open seats on the board. NOT GOOD!
Was talking to Rachel Binah today and she reminded me that you are the PERFECT person to ask about this. Here is an opportunity to get some women on a board! At this point we can't have another election but we CAN APPOINT people. Appointees do NOT need to come from any particular district so this makes it easy. No campaigning, but of course they would need some kind of BIO. We will be holding an Orientation for new Board Members on APRIL 15 in Ukiah - pretty much an all day affair - but important.
Can you help with this? Send out the word? Encourage folks to join up? Please forward my email if there are any questions about KZYX that I can answer.
Meanwhile please vote for Jenness Hartley. She is an incumbent & has been good for the station. Sakowicz is a nightmare; he has cost the station thousands of dollars in legal fees.
Hope we can conjure up some good sturdy woman who want to help our great little community radio!
Thanks,
Meg
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