<html>
<head>
<style><!--
.hmmessage P
{
margin:0px;
padding:0px
}
body.hmmessage
{
font-size: 12pt;
font-family:Calibri
}
--></style></head>
<body class='hmmessage'><div dir='ltr'><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Dear Mr. Hopmann,</span><br><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>I understand that you presided over the MCPB Board of Directors that</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>hired John Coate as General Manager / Executive Director of MCPB. </div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>That's recorded in the meeting minutes here:</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><a href="http://www.kzyx.org/images/pdf/mtg_minutes/Minutes%20of%20KZYX%20Board%20mtg%208-08.pdf" target="_blank">http://www.kzyx.org/images/pdf/mtg_minutes/Minutes%20of%20KZYX%20Board%20mtg%208-08.pdf</a></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>It has just come to my attention that Mr. Coate has a disability serious</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>enough to have been disqualified from military service. You can read</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>about that in Mr. Coate's memoir here:</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><a href="http://johncoate.com/porchlight_story.html" target="_blank">http://johncoate.com/porchlight_story.html</a> </div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>As you can see, the nature of Mr. Coate's disability is psychological.</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>This undoubtedly had a negative impact on his ability to operate the</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>only high-power public radio station in Mendocino County. And given</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>MCPB's serious financial decline during his -- and your -- leadership,</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>it was a bad choice. Certainly for MCPB and KZYX. And for Mr. Coate</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>as well.</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>I'm sure you must realize what a challenging position that is. Even for</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>healthy individuals. I can't imagine how difficult it'd be for someone</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>in Mr. Coate's condition. And for anyone working with him. In fact, it</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>seems like a recipe for disaster to me.</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>Mr. Coate's memoir is on his website. It was published in January of</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>2008. Seven months before you hired him. It's next to his resume.</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>According to the meeting minutes, you had "50-60" job applicants.</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>And that you <span style="font-size:12pt;">went through "all the right </span><span style="font-size:12pt;">formal processes" in hiring </span></div><div><span style="font-size:12pt;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-size:12pt;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-size:12pt;">Mr. Coate. Did that include screening for psychological disabilities?</span></div><div><span style="font-size:12pt;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-size:12pt;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-size:12pt;">Also, Mr. Coate's background seems problematic as well. His only</span></div><div><span style="font-size:12pt;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-size:12pt;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-size:12pt;">management experience was virtual, i.e., in chat rooms. In particular,</span></div><div><span style="font-size:12pt;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-size:12pt;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-size:12pt;">one called 'Habbo Hotel'. A place with a reputation for pedophiles, </span></div><div><span style="font-size:12pt;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-size:12pt;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-size:12pt;">hate speech and cyber bullies. You can read about that here:</span></div><div><span style="font-size:12pt;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-size:12pt;"><br></span></div><div><a href="https://www.commonsensemedia.org/website-reviews/habbo/user-reviews/adult" target="_blank">https://www.commonsensemedia.org/website-reviews/habbo/user-reviews/adult</a></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>In fact, Mr. Coate worked there for two years as a cartoon character </div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>named 'brojo'. Who gained a reputation for stealing cabbages and</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>farting in teleporters. You can read about that here:</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><a href="http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=brojo&defid=1117424" target="_blank">http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=brojo&defid=1117424</a></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>Does that seem like the appropriate experience for the someone to</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>run Mendocino County's only high-power public radio station? Were</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>the other job applicants _less_ qualified than Mr. Coate? That's hard</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>to imagine.</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>I know that you have experience in psychological operations. And that</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>you even got a medal for it. What impact would hiring someone like</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>Mr. Coate have on other board members? Or employees<span style="font-size:12pt;">? How would </span></div><div><span style="font-size:12pt;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-size:12pt;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-size:12pt;">that tend to affect morale? Or membership? What </span><span style="font-size:12pt;">impact would that </span></div><div><span style="font-size:12pt;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-size:12pt;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-size:12pt;">tend to have on major donors? Like the CPB?</span></div><div><span style="font-size:12pt;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-size:12pt;"><br></span></div><div>Did you ever see 'The Producers', Mr. Hopmann? It was a story about</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>a couple of Broadway producers who made the worst hiring decisions</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>imaginable. To undermine their own musical -- 'Springtime for Hitler'.</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>Now for one last question. In retrospect. Is there any possible way that </div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>you <span style="font-size:12pt;">could have made a _worse_ hiring decision than John Coate?</span></div><div><span style="font-size:12pt;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-size:12pt;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-size:12pt;">Sincerely,</span></div><div><span style="font-size:12pt;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-size:12pt;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-size:12pt;">Scott M. Peterson</span></div><div><span style="font-size:12pt;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-size:12pt;"><br></span></div><div>Mendocino</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>cc: Meg Courtney -- mcourtney1 (at) mcn.org</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div> John Coate -- tex (at) well.com</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div> Jonathan Middlebrook -- suspiry (at) gmail.com</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div> Stuart Campbell -- scamp1104 (at) comcast.net</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div> Benj Thomas -- ukiahguy (at) yahoo.com</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div> Jenness Hartley -- bronzegold (at) gmail.com</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div> Jane Futcher -- janefutcher (at) me.com</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div> Clay Eubank -- clayeubank (at) gmail.com</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div> KZYX Talk -- kzyxtalk (at) lists.mcn.org</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div> David Hopmann -- david.hopmann (at) pillsburylaw.com</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - </div><div><span style="font-size:12pt;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-size:12pt;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-size:12pt;"><br></span></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div></div>
</div>
</div></div><style><!--
.ExternalClass .ecxhmmessage P {
padding:0px;
}
.ExternalClass body.ecxhmmessage {
font-size:12pt;
font-family:Calibri;
}
--></style> </div></body>
</html>