Supervisors remain split over workforce housing joint session minutes

The internal dispute over how the June 6 joint board of supervisors-economic development association work session has been recorded in the board minutes continued on July 18.  A motion to approve augmented minutes provided by Board Clerk Emily Mounce was approved by a 3-2 vote, with Archie Fox and Tom Sayre dissenting.

The vote of Tony Carter, Dan Murray and Linda Glavis for, Fox and Sayre against continues the split that surfaced during that board-EDA work session review of the now controversial EDA’s workforce housing project.

At issue for Sayre and Fox are specific answers of then EDA Vice-Chairman (now Chairman) Greg Drescher, most specifically to Sayre on questions about his recollection of being informed about the March 1, 2017 deadline cited by the EDA as the reason the workforce housing parcel should now be purchased at an “agreed-upon” price of $445,000 (the EDA has admitted they have no legal obligation to buy or return the gifted 3-1/2 acre parcel).

Archie Fox, left, and Tom Sayre, center, appeared skeptical at what they were hearing about a long-undisclosed March 1, 2017 deadline at a joint June 6 supervisors-EDA work session. To right, Tony Carter may also appear skeptical but his comments did not reflect that. However, Sayre and Fox remained so during July 18 vote on the minutes from that work session. Photos/Roger Bianchini

Asked about his “no” vote during the break between the regular meeting and a closed session, Sayre verified that it was because not all of his exchange with Drescher over the now-EDA board chair’s direct memory of being informed about the deadline was included in Mounce’s adjusted minutes presented on July 18.

In the agenda packet, Mounce notes she made “no changes to the response written in the minutes for question 8 on page two” but had amended “both the question and answer to number 10 on page three.”

That latter exchange as presented for a vote reads:

• Tom Sayre: Going back to the knowledge of the EDA Board members, are there any EDA Board members that say they were aware of the March 1^st, 2017 deadline—
• Jennifer McDonald: I would hope so
• Tom Sayre: – before the April 28^th (2017) meeting?
• Greg Drescher: I haven’t talked to them about it other than at the meetings, so …
• Linda Glavis (chair): Okay, where are we, number 11 now?

The earlier exchange which went unchanged from the initial minutes Mounce prepared, reads:

• Archie Fox: When was the EDA Board told about the March 1^st deadline in 2017 by the Campbells to start the project, and who on the EDA Board was aware of the March 1^st deadline, or was anyone aware of it as far as the directors?
• Greg Drescher: September 2014, I think.
• Jennifer McDonald: Because it’s been almost three years, you can go back through your notes and find when you discussed this, but in the September 2014 meeting, all of the Board members were made aware of that
• Archie Fox: Of the March 1^st deadline of 2016?
• Jennifer McDonald: Of 2017, correct.

However, as we initially reported of that joint work session, at one point Sayre put on his attorney’s hat in a give and take reminiscent of a courtroom cross examination as he pressed Drescher to elaborate on what Sayre indicated Drescher told him during an earlier phone conversation – that Drescher did not specifically recall being told of the deadline.

From Royal Examiner’s coverage:

Noting their earlier discussion, Sayre said to Drescher, “You said that Jennifer mentioned something about way back in 2014 but you didn’t have any recollection of that; that the minutes were checked and there was nothing in the minutes … and you said that you did not recall anything but you had no reason to doubt that Jennifer told you but you didn’t recall anything.  That’s still accurate today, isn’t it, that you didn’t recall a March 1, 2017 deadline ever being discussed?”

Greg Drescher was somewhat elusive in responding to questions about his recollection of being informed about a pivotal March 1, 2017 deadline on the workforce housing project. Tom Sayre and Archie Fox want the June 6, 2017 work session minutes to reflect that.

“I’m sure it was,” Drescher responded.

“But you don’t recall it?” Sayre pressed.

“I’m sure it was,” Drescher repeated.

Later asked when other EDA board members became aware of the confidential agreement and its deadline, Drescher responded, “You’ll have to ask them.”

It appears the exclusion of this exchange led Sayre and Fox to vote against approval of the June 6 work session minutes on July 18.