HomeMy WebLinkAbout09.04.25 Anne Dawson Public Comment_ FW_ Domestic Well user position on the Vina GSA Board.ATTENTION: This message originated from outside Butte County. Please exercise judgment before opening
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From:Clerk of the Board
To:Clerk of the Board; Connelly, Bill; Cook, Holly; Cook, Robin; Durfee, Peter; Jessee, Meegan; Kimmelshue, Tod;
Kitts, Melissa; Krater, Sharleen; Little, Melissa; Pickett, Andy; Ritter, Tami; Stephens, Brad J.; Sweeney,
Kathleen; Teeter, Doug
Cc:Loeser, Kamie; Nuzum, Danielle
Subject:Public Comment: FW: Domestic Well user position on the Vina GSA Board
Date:Thursday, September 4, 2025 12:10:30 PM
Please see public comment
From: Anne Dawson <aakdawson@aol.com>
Sent: Thursday, September 4, 2025 11:01 AM
To: Clerk of the Board <clerkoftheboard@buttecounty.net>
Subject: Domestic Well user position on the Vina GSA Board
Please forward my letter to the members of the board of supervisors for the September 9
meeting.
Dear Board of Supervisors members,
When Evan Tuchinsky resigned his position as the Domestic Well representative on the
Vina GSA Board, I expected that Dr. Claudia Rawlins would step right into the position.
She has been the alternate for that position for two years and during that time has shown
remarkable diligence and focus on all things water. She has a background in business
communication which she taught at Chico State for 25 years She survived the politics
there. I could not imagine there was anything else that she could do to prove her
suitability for the position. I thought she would be a shoo-in.
I was therefore surprised to learn that the Director of Butte County Water and
Conservation was actively recruiting Jim Graydon for the position. Jim recently joined the
Vina GSA Stakeholder Advisory Comm. He has an extensive professional background in
water and has lots of technical and practical information. He has been a great addition
to the SHAC. As an example of this, he recently pointed out to our consulting firm that
there were freely-available data on a set of wells, which could be incorporated into our
study. This was confirmed, and the data are being absorbed. Data analysis, review and
questioning take place at the SHAC so that the GSA Board receives a recommendation
from multiple stakeholders. Jim’s expertise belongs at the SHAC.
I feel uneasy about how the process of selecting one of these candidates for
recommendation to the Board of Supervisors was undertaken. An ad hoc committee
was assembled with two Vina GSA board members. Unfortunately, on the day of the
interviews, only one was present and she joined the board earlier this year so is the least
experienced member of the Vina GSA Board. The other person in the room was the GSA
program manager. It is unclear to me whether the decision to recommend Jim Graydon
for the position on the Vina GSA board was determined by the one board member who
was present or if there was also input from the program manager. It seems a conflict of
interest that she was sitting in, and possibly influencing, a decision between two
candidates, one of whom had been recruited by her superior.
It disturbs me that staff can have potential influence on choice of candidates for the
board.
In summary
1. Claudia Rawlins is the best candidate for the position of Domestic Well
representative on the Vina GSA Board. She has the ideal background in Business
Communication, she has earned this position through her dedicated work over the last
two years, and both Evan and myself fully support her.
2. Jim Graydon has been a great addition to the SHAC where his technical
knowledge contributes greatly.
3. The interview process seems less than perfect and possibly biased. The
public is distrustful of water policymakers. The board should want to avoid magnifying
this distrust.
To conclude, please approve Dr. Claudia Rawlins appointment to serve in the Domestic
Well user position on the Vina GSA Board.
Anne Dawson
Domestic Well representative
Vina GSA Stakeholder Advisory Comm.
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