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Herald Fire District board adds a new director, loses two others [Lodi News-Sentinel, Calif. :: ](Lodi News-Sentinel (CA) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Aug. 22--Herald Fire Protection District has appointed De Carson to its board of directors after the resignation of Kevin Austin last month. However, last week directors Dell Primasing and Dennis Johnson also resigned. The changes come mere months after the release of a Sacramento County Grand Jury report questioning both the department's and the board's management, and following the resignation of Fire Chief Chris McGranahan. He was reportedly asked by the board in a closed session last Thursday to either leave or be fired. McGranahan had been placed on paid leave by the board following accusations by the grand jury that he had viewed sexually explicit photos and distributed them to other employees via department email, according to the report. Jurors also requested an immediate audit of the fire district, claiming officials used an unauthorized bank account and failed to report it to the state. In its report, the grand jury questioned the mismanagement and said mistrust could endanger the fabric of the tight-knit community. The former board members' resignation letters portray infighting and miscommunication. "After continued harassment from Director (Stephen) Stigelmayer and filing formal complaints that go not only unacknowledged but brushed under the carpet, continued harassment of the administrative assistant Michelle Patwell by directors Stigelmayer and (Lance) Newhall, I am done," Primasing wrote. "I am also very disappointed in your lack of compromise when it comes to the position of Chief McGranahan. The board, including myself, has never given him a management plan, no expectations of performance and no disciplinary action that I have been made aware of. I feel he should have been given a performance review and six-month probation." Earlier in the year, Primasing had filed a grievance with the board claiming that Newhall and Stigelmayer intentionally confused and bullied him into decisions he would not have made otherwise. "Both of you need to be held accountable for your personal agendas and the above actions," Primasing's wrote. "You two do not have the best interest of the HFPD at heart." Neither Stigelmayer nor Newhall could be reached for comment on Thursday. At last week's meeting, Patwell said she believed she was the next target of the three remaining board members, and resigned shortly after McGranahan. In her resignation letter, she blamed Newhall for "underhanding the district ... discrediting the administrative staff in public, micromanaging, single-handedly tearing the district apart." Patwell had worked for the district since 2009. Meanwhile, five candidates have filed to fill two open seats on the board. They include firefighter Brian Hurlbut, rancher Don Siegalkoff, attorney Timothy Reinharts, engineering project manager Don Claunch and Terry Lee, who lists his occupation as retired. Neither Primasing nor Stigelmayer are seeking re-election. Carson was appointed to Austin's seat after the board took applications from interested community members. It is unclear whether the same process will be used to replace Primasing and Johnson. Contact reporter Jennifer Bonnett at [email protected]. ___ (c)2014 the Lodi News-Sentinel (Lodi, Calif.) Visit the Lodi News-Sentinel (Lodi, Calif.) at www.lodinews.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |