Sigh… The RLE Water Board meetings are getting spicy again. That doesn’t shock me… It’s the same people sitting in the same chairs. What’s the definition of insanity? Electing the same people over and over and expecting a different outcome, right?
Mary Harris (Garrison) has been on the water board for most of the past 20 years or more, but we keep electing her.
This time, the board is holding a disciplinary hearing for Mrs. Garrison, because she allegedly violated the Brown Act by discussing a quid pro quo arrangement with an employee in the District office, whereby the employee would provide the work schedules of other district employees in exchange for a promotion to a position that doesn’t exist.
(RLECWD Board of Directors Meeting Packet – Hearing information begins on page 38)
During last Monday’s meeting, Garrison shows that she’s no stranger to quid pro quo arrangements, when she asks her husband to deliver a lengthy document of support from former RLECWD General Manager Mychael Cardenas. As it happens, Garrison was the sole vote of dissent when the board terminated Cardenas’ contract in 2010.
Garrison was also a member of the board who hired attorney Ravi Mehta as District Council, and later as interim GM, paying him $305 per hour, and 30 percent commission for any grants or loans he helped secure. On a loan of $1,000,000, Mehta would earn $300,000.
In October of 2010, the board moved to hire the district’s newest GM, replacing Mehta. Harris dissented, and in a letter to the Regional Water Authority board member Cathy Nelson-Hood wrote “…we removed Mary Harris as board President. We could no longer do business with her at the helm as she kept too many secrets and manipulated every move the board made. Violated brown act rules, disclosed many closed session items, etc.”
Garrison was planning on retiring from public life before the 2024 general election in November, but it now sounds like she will stick around and run again “so that she may see to it that the General Manager is terminated.”
Doesn’t our community deserve better than this? Why do we keep shooting ourselves in the foot? It’s been shown that this water district and the board operate better without Garrison involved.
The disciplinary hearing scheduled for last Monday (4/15/24) was tabled, to seat a complete board, and while the Board gathers more information. The next meeting is scheduled for May 20th, 2024, 6:30pm at the Depot Building in Rio Linda.
