Heated exchanges at sewer board meeting

According to Webster’s New World dictionary, dysfunction (not to be confused with “dat-function”) is quite simply “abnormal or impaired functioning.”

Or, to residents of Paradise, it would be the same as the beleaguered Paradise Sewer Board 2.0, whose continued existence could fit the definition.

In what nearly became an outright fight between former board member Janis Barber and local activist Lee Ann Overman, the board’s special meeting last week disintegrating into a profane-laced, top-of-the-lungs screaming festival reminiscent of a Bulgarian parliamentary session.

The meeting began on a calm note, before Barber settled into her customary seat at the board table. She had resigned from the board at least twice before, including one week earlier when she told fellow board members she would be submitting an email resignation and informed the citizens on hand of those plans out loud as she left the building.

This past Tuesday, as she took a seat at the table, Barber was informed by current board member Terry Caldwell that she was no longer welcome at the table and that she needed to remove herself, despite her saying she was rescinding the resignation yet again.

After a series of debates about the validity of those resignations without the board formally accepting the offer to quit, Barber begrudgingly got up and took a seat in the back of the meeting hall, which for the past few weeks has been in the outbuilding of a Paradise church that is also a sewing club room.

Prior to being convinced she had in fact met the criteria for resignations, the outgoing board chairperson heard from a written opinion that submitting the resignation to the board and declaring it aloud to a public meeting negated the need for a board vote on the matter.

“Janis has neither the authority or the ability to re-seat herself,” read the written opinion by Dan Clark, Executive Director of the Montana State University Small Government Center. “She resigned in an open public meeting both verbally and in writing. The board cannot seat her, the seat with be ‘declared open.’”

So, following what had become a short time as defacto president of the embattled board, Barber got up from her chair and took a seat in the rear of the hall.

At that point, verbal gasoline began to be scattered across the head table and its now vacant chair.

Board member Don Stamm, who owns property and resides in Paradise, immediately presented a motion that the Robert’s Rules of Order be suspended to allow for an override of the resignation decision so the group could move ahead and vote on a recently submitted set of terms concerning land acquisition and construction plans.

Caldwill and board member Dewey Arnold, also a property owner in the unincorporated town, fought off several attempts to change standard operating procedures rules by steadfastly voting “no” on those motions.

With Stamm and Janie McFadden, both of whom had been appointed to the sewer board by outgoing Sanders County Commissioner Carol Brooker, and who have publicly expressed their support for the proposed $4.5 million sewer project, voting “yes” those motions and others failed to pass due to a 2-2 tie which means the motion failed in typically accepted meeting standards.

Coupled with the board’s recent woes associated with a $53,000 bill owed to the town’s Water District for as yet undefined costs associated with the proposed project, the direction and perhaps need for the dysfunctional board became a matter to consider.

“We are not going to get anything done,” McFadden said after one of the 2-2 stalemate’s went down in the drain.

The project has been opposed by approximately two-thirds of the town’s residents and/or property owners as proposed by land-owner/developer Bridger Bischoff. Bischoff has been pushing for special concessions and considerations to build anywhere from 19 to 40 housing units on property he owns along the north side of the town. He intends to call the development “Bridger’s Paradise,” a moniker that has further ruffled opponents feathers.

Those against the project say it is too costly and that the whole process has been done without allowing for public comment or transparency.

Shortly after it became apparent the remaining Board members could not even agree on a date for the next meeting, Barber marched toward the head table and let loose an angry verbal barrage directed first at Caldwell, then at Arnold and finally several members of the audience, including Overman.

“You are a misogynist [expletive],” she screamed at a stunned Caldwell.

Turning to Arnold she shouted “and you are nothing but a drunk.”

A mystified Caldwell later admitted he didn’t even know what a misogynist is until being informed it is a person who is prejudiced against women.

Barber then turned her verbal tirade on Overman and fellow sewer opponent Katy French, accusing them of falsely representing facts and figures in an attempt to stop the project.

A relative managed to step between Barber and Overman as rising tempers nearly brought the two to blows.

When order was restored a few minutes later, the board continued the debate on the resignation and what to do next.

“We have to get back to what’s legal and stable,” Caldwell said. “This agenda is all messed up, I don’t know how we can move forward.”

The group finally agreed to meet again Tuesday after debating the process for appointing a new member. Caldwell said the group must legally advertise for the opening and allow three to four weeks to see who responds. After that they could go through any resumes submitted and begin debating then voting on a replacement for Barber.

However, with a board election coming up in a few weeks, it appears as though much of the grant money allocated for the sewer project will not overcome government deadlines for submitting a plan of action to allow the funds to remain available.

That sparked Overman to renew her verbal arguments that any and all such proceedings must be transparent and the public must be allowed to have a say.

“The public needs to be in the loop on all of this,” she said. “The old board did everything behind the town’s back and you guys (current Board) are trying to do the same thing.”

When the dust settled, the meeting for March 29 was agreed upon and the meeting was adjourned.