Accountability and advocacy needed - Pohlman and McLean are my vote

Dear Seeley Lake - I have lived here for 28 years. First, I want to thank the Fire Department volunteers past and especially present for their continued service. It is sincerely appreciated! I am asking you to consider that myself and others believe that the Fire Board is in desperate need of a change.

Since August 2020 I have attended the Fire Board meetings. The average meeting lasts about eight minutes. The budget is approved first thing without discussing any numbers or information provided to the public attending. Fiscally responsible? We would have no way to know.

Questions asked get ignored or pawned off to others. I still have no answers to my questions asked at the September 2020 meeting regarding why a District employee was allowed to call and leave messages for people’s employers in attempts to have them disciplined or fired for speaking up about concerns they express at the fire meetings or why this individual was allowed to show up at the person’s place of work making idle threats. I just can’t believe the board would be okay with this behavior.

Following the March 23 meeting, I asked incumbent Gary Lewis what had been done to address this behavior. He informed me that it was up to Chief Lane to get the answers.

I find it curious that Lane called out candidates Kristy Pohlman and Alyssa McLean in his letter to the editor last week regarding advertising an email to contact them. I would think that people would want to ask questions through email because it is easy and convenient. I thought it was an amazing idea.

Lane then goes on to say the current Fire Board and administration encourages the community to speak up. I CAN TELL YOU FIRST HAND THIS IS COMPLETELY UNTRUE. If you speak up at these meetings using your “community voice” you aren’t made to feel comfortable.

Then Lane goes on, once again, about social media and uses the word “attacked” and “bullied,” his constant go-to in an attempt to deflect the real issues of concerns from the community. He reads letters at the meetings and writes in the Pathfinder about a group of “mean people” and how they are undermining the department. The amount of energy and drama about social media instead of addressing real concerns from the community is childish and a waste of taxpayers’ time.

Lane makes a comment about McLean out of context. He claims Pohlman had a bitter departure, even though he wasn’t there. Why wouldn’t he want to know firsthand as a leader?

If the current fire board has worked so hard to promote a positive image, why would there be alcohol involved bar fights involving the chairman, embezzled money, unanswered concerns, denial of requested board packets and intimidation tactics. There is no accountability. What we have is an ego and arrogance problem within this department.

We need community advocacy. Apparently the 55 years combined experience has become too comfortable and they are easily intimidated.

Let’s hold the Fire Board accountable with two new invested board members.