Clean Water Services Meeting Shows CEO Crisis Not The Real Show As Board Leaders Show Themselves

Yesterday morning at the Public Services Building in Hillsboro, the Clean Water Services Board of Directors (Washington County Commissioners) met to read a Proclamation praising embroiled CEO Diane Taniguchi-Dennis.  The embroiled sewerage and stormwater agency and its disgraced CEO have made front-page news for the past 3 months.  A scandal has erupted over unauthorized and questionable spending of ratepayers’ money by the CEO, her inner circle of executives, and others.  And as the Board convened today, you could sense the planned farewell proclamation was just the last straw in this debacle.

Observations from sitting in on the meeting:

1.  Commissioner and beleaguered Chair Kathryn Harrington was a no-show at this Board Meeting. Funny, as soon as this session was over with some real fireworks, which indeed were aimed at her as a confidant and supporter of the CWS CEO, she showed up at the County work session in the other room. She may have been “excused,” but she no longer has any excuse for being a no-show on this CWS crisis. We think she no-showed because she knew we would call for her to go on the record about how many trips, meals, and lavish hotels she has enjoyed worldwide on the CWS nickel.  She will- now or later- that is going to happen.  The person famous for a heavy hand, going after staff with verbal assaults, and who called for transparency of the CEO last week, now needs to step up and put her sizable mouth where her money is.   For Context – enjoy this. https://www.hillsboronewstimes.com/news/report-describes-fear-of-harrington-among-washco-employees/article_7f632f70-350a-5a18-9894-67929dfa4e32.html

2. Local Realtor Barbara Nelson took advantage of her 2 minutes of public comment to tell the 4 commissioners in the room (Fai, Snider, Willery, Treece).  This is someone I know but more from afar, but I respect her intellect and common-sense approach to community issues. “Having sat on ethics committees in my own industry, I find it counterproductive that Clean Water Services is conducting its own audit. I believe an outside auditor needs to come in to ensure the public that there is independent oversight. You, as the board, have a fiduciary obligation to the customers of Clean Water Services and the residents. I feel this has been slow-walked, and I understand that policing your own industry and those you cooperate with daily is difficult. However, currently in our country and our local community, there is a lack of trust in leadership, which I think we can all agree on. We need more leadership from you to stand up and show us that you care about the fiscal responsibility of the people who elected you. Secondly, I believe there needs to be an outside audit, and third, I believe this person who resigned should not receive any benefits, particularly from PERS, which is currently underfunded in our state. That is all I have to say, and thank you very much for your time; I appreciate it.”  Great words indeed

3. Next Up was Michelle Standridge of Beaverton– “I am very concerned about the lack of transparency from Clean Water Services in producing documents and information related to public information requests. I had prepared different remarks, but upon seeing the resolution to be adopted regarding the resignation, I found it embarrassing that you would adopt such a resolution and praise this person. While we are still waiting for all the facts to emerge, it is clear that public trust and our dollars, which have gone to Clean Water Services, have been taken advantage of. As commissioners on the board, you have also lacked in providing correct oversight. This travel budget and all the additional funding expenses that have been either glossed over or not really recognized are on you, and it’s also on me as well. I am embarrassed by myself for not taking the time to attend these meetings and give more attention to this as a citizen. Unfortunately, we all have different priorities and limited time. However, in electing you, I expected you to do your job. ….. I would like to see a state audit done by the Attorney General’s office, not just an independent auditor…”  Late to the party or not- well spoken and sharp!

4.     The BIG MONEY IS NOT MEALS AND AIRPLANES TICKETS:  Let me introduce you all to Mr. Tom Busse. This guy has a serious background in health, waterborne pathogens, and the like. “Part of my job involved closing out grants for infectious disease wastewater testing”.  Tom has a background with the OHA and closing out Grants- big grants.  Now, this is the first time I have begun to release information about what the CWS staffers and insiders call RIPL.  RIPL (Research + Innovation + Partners + Labs) is a Clean Water Services (CWS) facility in Forest Grove, Oregon. It represents “CWS’s commitment to advancing water resource management through research, innovation, and collaboration.”  Tom is the 5th person to whistleblow this massive boondoggle that he claims is not going to provide any value to the ratepayers, and is WAY outside the mission of CWS.  The 2024-25 budget for CWS, and that rate increase you just got in your mailbox, are being used to pay upwards of $100,000,000 for a water lab in Forest Grove.  Whistleblowers have told me this project is filled with special deals, way overpaid consultants, and little oversight.   Here is what Tom said:  “It (the lab) created an unreliable, unacceptable rate of false positives, and they could create a central testing laboratory for the state instead of creating a network. But upper staff told us they had so much money they had to get rid of it. In light of this scandal in the news, it indicates that there is a culture at Clean Water Services among upper-level management that is covering up the fact that the internal controls have broken down and that the oversight has completely broken down, and that they saw a revenue opportunity that is a distraction. Because when you’re talking about, you know, a $10,000 junket to Hawaii, you’re missing a $100 million potential contracting fraud and kickback scheme. You need to look at where the big money is.”  Watch Tom’s entire 3 minutes here:    https://youtu.be/G2HETAeJ5dc

   

Ok 2 down, 3 to Go!

Washington County Commissioners CWS-Read

This is my call for complete honesty and transparency from the five board members. They demanded complete transparency and an audit of CWS executives and staff relevant to all spending on travel and lavish meals, among other things, which created this scandal in the first place.  Now it is their turn.  I have information that some have traveled to Scandinavia, Laos, Singapore, all over the US, Hawaii, or anywhere.  And meals, gifts, junkets, outings- it’s all on the table and all in play.  I demanded an answer in writing last week- I have done so over multiple weeks in writing—no answers to date.

After giving my testimony, the meeting was supposed to turn to the glowing send-off proclamation for the CEO.  But before that happened, some statements were made and exchanged between the Board Members. Absent Harrington, who typically screws her face in disdain or inserts herself verbally taking all the air in the room up. This meeting had a chance to breathe.  Pam Treece played the Harrington role, and watching her try to manage the meeting was painful.  She plans to run for the Washington County Chair’s role next year?  Based on her performances here, voters will want to take a serious pause on that.

What did happen is that two of the 5 stepped up and answered the call.  The Adults in the room showed up.  Those worthy and capable of leading Washington County have revealed themselves in this crisis.  Nafisa Fai and Jason Snider made affirmative statements regarding their involvement with travel, meals, gifts, etc.   Those statements were clearly in response to the request because they wanted this out in the open.  The duo indicated little involvement in anything beyond food at Board meetings.  Fai is releasing her travel calendar as well.  Snider said that Clean Water Services would provide anything else in response to the Herald’s Public Information Request.  That is great, except we get no responses.  Just dead air.  Same as the Oregonian.  Nonetheless, these two stepped up and showed that they wanted to be on the record, accountable, and to stand up for transparency and the public’s best interests.

Here is Nafisa Fai

Here is Board Member and County Commissioner Jason Snider- Watch Councilor Treece’s reaction to her fellow commissioner’s truthful handling of a simple request, one she has not responded to so far

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That leaves 3- Jerry Willey, Kathryn Harrington, and Pam Treece.  Accountability and transparency.  Not complex concepts to understand or comply with.  The Herald has information that ties Harrington to multiple trips abroad, and Treece, perhaps, at least one paid-for excursion to Denmark.  Statements from whistleblowers indicate that the number of trips and money spent on these board members are vast.  And we don’t know because there are NO RECORDS requests or Public Information requests on this matter being responded to.  It is a Void.  As far as Director Willey, we have no idea.   And at no point has the Herald alleged any wrongdoing by any of these three.  But the focus is now on them.  The CEO is gone, and her right-hand and anointed successor, Jack Liang, who has also been under scrutiny, may be the next to go if our information request.  Rats jump off burning ships first.

As for Commissioner Willey, who was my accountant for years and someone I have enjoyed knowing, his response was to pull out the Bible. I am clear that he aimed his comments at me and the Herald.

I reflected on this. I am surely not free from Sin.  Have all sorts of issues in my life that clearly I could have done better.  But I am man enough to own my stuff on the record.  His statement is more to paint himself as the victim or to deflect blame to others.  I turned to Gemini and asked the AI superpower why a politician would pull out John 8:7.  Here is what this non-human judge has to say:

“A politician using the biblical verse about casting the first stone is likely attempting to deflect blame, play the victim, or minimize the seriousness of the allegations against them. It can suggest a lack of accountability, potential hypocrisy, and a strategic, possibly manipulative, approach to managing a crisis. While the verse speaks to the importance of self-reflection and avoiding hypocrisy in judgment, its use by an accused / embroiled official often appears as a tactic to evade responsibility rather than a genuine appeal for understanding or forgiveness.”

I will let that sit right there. We are waiting for Jerry, Pam, and Kathryn. If you genuinely hope to end this crisis and carry out your fiduciary duties to the people of Washington County, you will take this more seriously. This CEO scandal is the tip of an absolutely massive iceberg of issues.

Bonus Videos- Fai is showing her leadership – we encourage more of this and commend her:

Her words almost seemed to sear Pam Treece

Barbara Nelson’s words rang true!

A Call for a serious look at the BIG ITEM- Where the tens of Millions are going

The stories are everywhere. The money is gone and going fast, and all of us customers just got a CWS rate increase!  So settle in. This is beyond a crooked CEO; for the good employees of CWS, the 98%, there must be a reckoning.

More on the way.  Enjoy your day, everyone!

WHISTLEBLOWERS WANTED: Thanks to the 13 brave souls who have risked their careers to talk with or contact the Herald.  Given no fair way to blow a whistle, we need you!  Things will change! HELP US!

Many of you at CWS know more than anyone and have nothing to do with this. I offer you total anonymity and protection if you want to talk, meet up, or email me anonymously. I can be reached on Facebook and Instagram at hillsboroherald@gmail.com or at 503-799-8383.

The CWS Legacy is proud, and the 98% have built a great organization. The 2% has failed us all. Please help us stop them, expose them, and remove them!

Your help helped get Diane out of the building.  Let’s turn this up to DefCon 4- Help Us!  I just burned all the boats, and the bridges are already in ashes

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