CITIZENS GROUP KICKS OFF RECALL PETITION CAMPAIGN: RESIDENTS TO RALLY AT LAKESIDE COMMUNITY CENTER

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LAKESIDE, Ca. – Lakeside citizens who are concerned by the recent firing of their Fire Chief, Mark Baker are taking to the streets, Saturday, April 10, 2010 in their effort to get a recall election put on November’s ballot.

 

The citizens group, Lakeside First to Recall Director Nicholas Johnson and Director Jim Bingham, will hold a rally at 9 a.m. at the LakesideCommunity Center in Lindo Lake Park and will then walk precincts within the Lakeside Fire District in order to gather the 7,900 signatures required for the recall measure to pass.

 

We have been receiving a tremendous outpouring of community support in this effort”, said Milt Cyphert, Chair of Lakeside First. “It is amazing to see how our community has banded together in such short notice and with such passion at what certainly appears to be the wrongful termination of our Fire Chief. The people will have the last say on this one”.

 

The County Registrar of Voters approved the recall petition March 18, 2010.

 

Lakeside residents are up in arms about an obscurely posted, “special meeting” held on Saturday, January 16, 2010, with only 24 hours notice, where three of five Lakeside Fire Protection District board members voted to oust popular fire chief, Mark Baker, despite overwhelming objections from citizens who had happened upon the notification. (The third member, Pete Liebig, is not targeted in the recall because he is up for reelection in November)
 

Fueled by the board’s refusal to offer any tangible explanation for the firing, except a “loss of confidence and incompatibility of management style,” and bolstered by the fact that that Baker had never had a negative performance review during his years of service,  concerned citizens have taken matters into their own hands. Board members facing recall have said they can't discuss reasons behind the firing because the Board's legal counsel as advised them not to discuss confidential personnel issues.
 

Information about the recall campaign can be found at www.LakesideFirst.org.

 


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Comments

Comments from Milt Cyphert (Copied from another posting)

Wow, what a bunch of misinformation and obfuscation one can spout when not using one's true name.

Well I'm done listening to the pathetic union rhetoric, let's get to the facts.

As an officer in my local union, I stood up and asked a few questions when I thought I noticed some things that weren't being done quite like the the bylaws and the LMRDA (Labor-Management Disclosure Act) of 1959 called for.

I also fought to keep the Financial Secretary Treasurer and the Business Manager position separate so that there would be some semblance of internal controls over the member's money, as per the Sarbanes-Oxly Act.

Silly me. I thought they just didn't understand about internal controls.

But, Oh, then I found out the hard way...they understood just fine.

In fact, when it was all said and done, there was found $11 BILLION dollars of the MEMBERS' pension money had gone bye-bye.

Of course only the international president and a few of the international E-board members took the fall. But I stood up for the MEMBERS when all the rest of them bashed me, removed me from teaching, talked to my employer behind my back and ran a smear campaign against me.

If I and people like me had not stood against the grain, not spoken up and just did what my union bosses told me to do, it could have been calamitous for the general membership. to this day lots of them despise me because they were told that I was a "bad union member" who went against the bosses. They don't have a clue.

That was six years ago. They still haven't caught up.

Now, just as then, I WILL NOT step down in the face of adversity when I feel there is a wrong being committed in my field of view. I will do the right thing even when it's hard.

And the wrong I see here is that the UNION PAID to get UNION members on the VERY SAME board that votes for the UNION'S Pay and benefits. HOW COZY IS THAT? $21,000+ for a position that has never cost more than $1,000 in its history for a campaign? Then another (judging by the quality, union print shops aren't cheap) $30,000 - perhaps up to $50,000 for 8-1/2x11 color, glossy heavy stock mailers for a propaganda campaign. All paid for by the UNION.

What we have here it seems to me,is a legal form of quasi-money laundering and influence peddling.

The taxpayers of Lakeside pay their firefighters very well; second highest rates in the county by some reports. The firefighters then give their money to the union who in turn uses that same money to fund other union firefighters to come sit on the very board that is supposed to be the bargaining unit for the taxpaying citizens. Hmmmmmm?

And because a large group of citizens want some oversight to this situation, we are, according to the UNION, against our heroic firefighters?

Sorry, pal, we're against a "conflict of interest" on our fire board and that is where it stops.

Now you can squander the heroism and goodwill of the firefighters all you want in your smear campaign. But the fact remains that these board members in question appear to be backed, funded and run by the UNION.

And I have a pretty good feeling what the union's goal is. It seems to be to garner the most pay, the biggest benefit packages, the most retirement and the perpetuity of ITSELF over the best interests of the taxpaying citizens of Lakeside. I know, I've been there.

But, all that aside, one thing Lakeside First has done is, once realizing that this was probably going to go into a special election, which could have cost the Lakeside Fire District more than $360,000.00 by some counts, we have put our egos and personal feelings aside and suspended the recall for the best interests of the taxpaying citizens of Lakeside.

Now that, in no way, relieves the burden upon our board members to act responsibly with the taxpayer's money and to behave in a manner so as not to generate a conflict of interest.

This district will suffer an $800,000 shortfall this year.

Baker's plan was to ask for a measly 5% pay decrease across the board. In three years, we would have all been fine.

Baker's plan would have not reduced the service level of any part of the fire district in any way.

The new regime's plan appears to decimate or even get rid of the fire prevention department.

Ya, that's what we need in Lakeside, less fire prevention.

Oh, and correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't the fire prevention personnel Baker installed actually firefighters too?

I wish we had as much of the, "by proxy", taxpayer's money as the UNION does. Then we, the taxpayers, might have a fighting chance.

As far as us being a bunch of Mark Baker cronies? The first time I ever talked to him was AFTER I'd been asked to be the chairman of the board, and have only spoken with him a few times since.

This recall was about the improper handling of personnel who were in the employ of the fire district of Lakeside.

And looking forward, it is not unreasonable to predict that the actions of these board members could possibly cost the district hundreds of thousands if not millions of dollars in wrongful termination suits if this "management style" continues.

Now, don't get me wrong, here, I think unions are a good thing for the working class. I support them. I use union labor in my business. I believe in fair pay and benefits for a fair days work. And I believe in supporting the education and training of my workforce.

But sometimes the union pushes its way into areas it does not belong.

I know they are only doing what they think is right in order to garner the best for their members. But sometimes I think that they are also trying really hard for themselves. You, know, the "Brass" or "White hats" within the union.

Don't tell me they don't drive some nice cars, too.

And by the way, at least I can sign my own name to my comments and not "hide behind the skirts" of a pseudonym.

I'm not saying I'm perfect, here. No one is. But I'm not what you say.

Good day.

Milt

LAKESIDE FIRST OVERSIGHT

LAKESIDE FIRST OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE

MISSION STATEMENT

Lakeside First Oversight Committee was founded by the citizens, for the citizens and is comprised of volunteer members from the community of Lakeside, California.
Our mission is to foster transparency, create accountability and preserve the integrity of our governing boards, its members and our community leaders and officials.
We are an all-inclusive and self-sustaining group whose goal is to create and maintain an open forum where the voices of each and every member of the community can be heard and affect the subjects and decisions which impact their lives locally on a social, legislative and economic level.

Would Milt lose a minute's

Would Milt lose a minute's sleep over firing an employee of his for "loss of confidence and incompatibility of management style" or would he call it his right as an employer?
What a hypocrite.
Milt issues unsubstantiated falsehoods at will and spends zero time on fact checking.
Milt is a pariah within his own union and has only his personal interests at heart.
I know the citizens of Lakeside see through his self-serving diatribes within seconds of him opening his mouth.

Time to change your name?

Clearly you are the one not interested in the facts! (Or you would go do your own research at the FPPC it's all right there in black and white)You also clearly don't know Milt! He would definately "lose sleep" over firing any employee (even if they had done more than just "lose his confidence or had an incompatible management style") More importantly is the fact that Milt would have more sense than to fire anyone without DUE PROCESS! He is a business man and understands that by not giving an employee regular performance reviews and documenting his or her shortcomings before letting that person go he would be opening himself and his company up to a wrongful termination lawsuit. Lakeside citizens DO see through something... and Milt radiates transparency.THAT'S WHY THEY ARE SIGNING THE PETITIONS!!!!Because they are fed up with our Boards being puppets to special interests and their self serving agendas!

Transparency? Very funny.

I, for one, am still waiting for the statements made by Milt and his sycophants to be backed up with some facts. I know it will be a long and fruitless wait, though.
Lakeside First professing transparency is hilarious when, having viewed their Facebook page, seeing that they have deleted any posts that question their misguided beliefs.
I guess you better march lockstep if you are in that group because if you question their statements or provide proof to the contrary you get deleted.
Is that what you refer to as transparency?

You know where to look

If you're still looking you must not be able to read... You were told where to find the facts. That is fine. I wouldn't expect you to look for what you don't want to find. I'm sure the other people reading will check for themselves and your rants will be exposed for exactly what they are :-)

As for the facebook, I'm not in charge of that so I don't know. However, if you acted anything like you do here, I can certainly understand why YOU would be blocked!

Mama always said you can't tell an ignorant person that they are ignorant... They are too ignorant to get it! I wonder if Mama knew you!