Improve Employee Morale and User Relations

By Lisa C. Fernandez

We need to listen to the complaints and problems of the employees and tenants and correct them.

You never know what a place is like until you work there. Of all the candidates running, I am the only one who used to be an employee of the SMCHD. I know how this harbor is really run.

Why haven't you seen more employees running for the Office of Harbor Commissioner? It is because the Commission passed a resolution to prevent them from running for office while they are current employees. Here you have the very people who are most qualified to run the district being prohibited from doing so. This needs to be changed.

One of the biggest problems at the Harbor is that when an employee has a problem with Management, the solution is determined by Management. We used to have a Personnel Manager, but she was let go (she was also our Grant Writer, which explains why our grant revenue has declined so much) and the General Manager appointed himself the Personnel Manager.

If complaints and grievances are not taken seriously and corrected, the employees have no other option than to sue the District. This is a waste of funds and a preventable situation. Think of all the time and money wasted on litigation that could be used to fix up the harbors. There have been instances where Management has elected to spend thousands more in defending a claim than the claimant was seeking in the first place. This is not wise usage of public funds.

Our fishermen and live-aboards are becoming frustrated with Management. They feel that rules are selectively enforced. Certain people are being singled out for disparate treatment. More than one fisherman has said that Pillar Point is getting a bad reputation as a harbor. Complaints are falling on deaf ears.

The Commission meetings are offsite at both facilities. I would advocate changing the physical location to each harbor. Very few people want to go out after work on a weeknight to speak to the Commission for a few minutes. I would like to see a meeting which is less formal, and make those attending feel more comfortable. It is rather intimidating for a lot of people to get up and speak using a microphone in a large room.

Another problem we have is that the Minutes of the Meetings do not accurately reflect what happens at the Meetings. The General Manager has been known to put his own "spin" on events so as to paint the District in a favorable light. One of our Commissioners has to bring his own tape recorder in order to preserve a factual account of the proceedings.

This is supposed to be a Public Agency, but, it is very difficult to obtain information that is in the Public domain.

If elected, I will help return the District to what it was intended to be, a Public Agency.

Please vote for Lisa Fernandez and Ken Lundie. We will televise District Meetings and try to make the Meetings as exciting as Survivor on Thursday nights. Can I vote off the General Manager?