The question is, Why was it necessary to add the title Executive Director to Coate's contract? <br> Coate told me at a Board meeting last March that it was in the contract of Belinda Rawlins. Someone who on the Board at that time said the position of Executive Director was a "non issue" which implies it was never discussed or implemented. <br> Additionally, if a new position is created, it must be defined in the public file. If there are no added obligations or responsibilities, why the need for an empty title?<br> As was shown at the community meeting of Dec. 2012 when I asked the Board whether they had read the letter I had written to them and got silence for my answer, Coate answered that he had 'assumed ' responsibility for replying since it dealt with administrative matters. ( I asked, as a member with rights to review the corporation's documents, to look at the NPR contract). <br> Coate denied me the information and claimed it was protected under The Uniform Trade Secrets state code. Someone at KMUD later told me that was the prices given stations was not competitive as Coate claimed but standardized. <br> So, in my opinion, for reasons of his own, Coate is not being forthright and transparent. His actions have decreased his credibility. He still claims he does not have to break down the salaries of employees in the yearly budget report. I have found that his version of what the current law requires is not in sync with what other non profits are doing. I have asked the Board to investigate this matter several times without any action or response by them. <br> If these issues get resolved, it would help to dissolve the barriers that are keeping the station from being an all inclusive team working to bring a wider support from its listening base.<br> Sheila Dawn<br><br><br>Toni Rizzo <toni@mcn.org> wrote:<br><br>I'm posting this for Bob Bushansky. Please respond to him if you have comments (email at bottom).<div><br></div><div>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in"> WHERE THE TRUTH LIES</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in">When I see non-profit boards of
directors try hard to improve their organizations, I cheer for them.
Serving on a non-profit board is often difficult, time consuming,
almost always unpaid and emotionally unrewarding. When one person or
a group of people, on the board or off, decide that they don't like
what is being done or how it is being done and take a thoughtful,
informed, knowledgeable, and honest approach to changing things it
could be positive for that organization.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in">KZYX, our Mendocino County Public
Broadcasting radio station, on the other hand, is being attacked and
individuals are having their reputations impugned by a board member
who is thoughtless, uninformed, unknowledgeable, dishonest and
conducting a campaign of malicious intent. I am going to list only a
few of the oh so many statements and false accusations made by John
Sakowicz, current KZYX board member. I will refute the falsities and
submit documentation that disproves Mr. Sakowicz's alternate reality.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in">In his letter to the FCC, dated
January 27, 2014, [ Exhibit # 4] John Sakowicz alledged a number of
things:</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in">* Former KZYX reporter “Christina
Aanestad was fired without cause”.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><i>Response: Attached is an e-mail
from Christina, dated June 21, 2009. In that e-mail she clearly</i></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in"> <i>states”I was laid off
not fired. John{Coate} has done right the right thing in this
process.</i></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in"> Exhibit
# 1</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><br></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in">* JS goes on to
say: “It should be noted that Mr. Coate unilaterally added both the
title of Executive</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; "> Director and
its powers, to his former title and powers of General Manager. This
expansion of Mr.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; "> Coate's
powers means that he does not have to consult the Board on most
decisions regarding the</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; "> operations
of the station.”</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><i><br></i></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><i>Response:
In John Coate's Employment Agreement, dated August 18, 2008 and
signed by</i></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in"> <i>David E. Hopmann, Board
President, Item 1 states that “The Station shall employ the </i>
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in"> <i>Employee and the
Employee shall serve the Station as its Executive Director and
General</i></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in"> <i>Manager.” The
Employment Agreement further states: “The Executive
Director/General</i></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><i> Manager reports to the Board. Paid
and unpaid Staff report to the Executive Director/</i></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><i> General Manager.” The Employment
Agreement also says that the ED/GM will “manage</i></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><i> hiring, dismissal and recognition
of employees, assuring compliance with authorized</i></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><i> personnel policies and applicable
laws.” </i>Exhibit # 2 <i>
</i>In other words John Coate is
doing what</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; "> he was hired to do
– manage the day to day operations of the Station.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><br>
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; ">* Another JS
accusation was that John Coate was not following EEO (Equal Economic
Opportunity)</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; "> rules, which
require the posting and advertising for staff positions under FCC
regulations.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; "> The specific
instance was the opening of News Director in 2011. JS states “Another
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; "> employee, David
Brookshire, was hired without posting or advertising the job.”</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><br>
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in"> <i>Response:
When the number of full time staff exceeds 5, the Station must file
an Annual EEO</i></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><i> Public Report. The report filed for
the year ending July 21, 2011 clearly shows that four</i></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><i> recruitment/advertising sources
were used to fill the position of News Director. They were:</i></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><i> the Ukiah Daily Journal,
<a href="http://Monster.com">Monster.com</a>, Mendocino Beacon-Fort Bragg Advocate-News and</i></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><i> the KZYX Website. There were a
total of 8 persons interviewed from those sources.</i></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><i> </i>The
2011 Annual EEO Public File Report is Exhibit # 3.
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><br>
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; ">For the time being
I am only putting forth these items with which I have copies of
documents that belie John Sacowicz's false claims.</p><div><br></div><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; ">The puzzling thing
to me is, what is the motivation for this bad behavior? If it is, as
is claimed, to improve the station then why did he not bring his
grievances to the board before jeopardizing the station by
independently submitting a letter to the FCC asking for the denial of
the station's license renewal. If he is successful, it could be the
demise of the station. At best he has delayed the normally quick
process.
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; ">At one time in his
life John Sacowicz may have had stature. Currently if his name is
mentioned people roll their eyes and one person has said to me that
the way to tell if John Sacowicz is lying is to wait for his lips to
move.
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><br>
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in">KZYX &
Z just had a board election and two people running for open seats
that supported John Sacowicz's view of things were defeated. The
members seem to have more sense than to believe anything that John
Sacowicz and his acolytes have to say. If you want a copy of the 4
exhibits please contact me and I will show them to you.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; "><br>
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; ">Bob Bushansky</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><a href="mailto:erb@mcn.org">erb@mcn.org</a></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; "><br>
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; ">May 15, 2013</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><br>
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