Editor’s note: The following letter was written last month by former Shasta County Elections Commissioner Mike Michalak to new District 4 Supervisor Matt Plummer prior to Plummer taking office. Michalak granted A News Cafe permission to edit and publish the letter. Michalak, who recently resigned from his Elections Commission position, was appointed by former District 2 Supervisor Tim Garman.
The current Shasta County Elections Commission consists of two remaining commissioners; chair Ronnean Lund — appointed by Supervisor Chris Kelstrom — and vice-chair Margaret Hansen — appointed by Supervisor Kevin Crye. There are three vacancies. The Commission’s future rests in the hands of incoming new supervisors Corkey Harmon, Allen Long and Plummer.
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Mike Michalak owns The Fly Shop in Redding. Photo courtesy of Mike Michalak.
I wanted to take this opportunity to respond to your most recent missive, let you know about both my experience as a commissioner on the Shasta County Elections Commission, and offer my recommendations for the New Year.
Begin with the fact that I share the opinion of (former) Commissioner Brad Garbutt with regard to the value of the committee, and the comments he made publicly in his dramatic resignation.
Nothing productive gets done in committee session. In fact, nothing at all has been accomplished during my brief tenure with the exception of three ( District 5 Supervisor Chris Kelstrom, District 1 Supervisor Kevin Crye, and (former) District 4 Supervisor Patrick Jones) appointees volunteering for the formation of one pointless ad hoc study group after another to investigate and advance their conspiracy theories and sow seeds of mistrust and dissent in the community with regard to our local election process.
The Commission is unnecessary, repetitive, and a waste of time, money, and county resources.
The scheduled public meetings serve as nothing more than a forum for a small group of locals who predictably vent their deep-seated, sincere anxieties regarding the ills of our election system.
Common-sense solutions and objectives are ignored by the quorum of like-minded commission members who pander to populist issues and questions rather than devote time to solutions and substantive Board of Supervisor recommendations.
The meeting themselves are attended by the very same people who then often attend the next scheduled Board of Supervisors meeting and regurgitate, verbatim, their then-rehearsed concerns to the Board.
Several of the Commission’s few recommendations have been muted by County Counsel as illegal, and most of what has gone on in session has been a waste of time, money, and valuable staff resources.
To that end I suggest you solicit the opinion of County Counsel regarding their candid opinions’ worth, value, and contribution of the Commission.
The meetings have been disruptive, poorly managed, and public participants have been allowed to use foul language and veer off agenda items in their comments. It is often only when Counsel interrupts, that decorum, propriety, and direction are re-established.
My own recommendation would be to disband the Commission in the New Year, as it has accomplished nothing other than to serve as little more than a propaganda tool for conspiracy theorists and a source of weekly entertainment for a small crowd of attendees whose motives are questionable.
There appears to be no effort on the part of the Jones -Kelstrom-Crye appointees to further the purpose of the Commission (“restoration of community trust in our election process”). In fact, the opposite goal appears to be their mission, and problem solving is not on their agenda.
I would hope you, and the new Board of Supervisors, re-install the time-tested vote-counting apparatus that would have avoided the problems that plagued our recent election, invest in better ROV visual monitoring tools to address legitimate public concern about facility inadequacies, and select seasoned professionals to manage and better train that office staff in the future.
I plan on offering my own resignation at the conclusion of my term, in January, when the new Board of Supervisors are sworn in.
I intend to share this exact opinion with the other new supervisors in the hope that your new Board will be more substantive, productive, and less divisive than the retiring Board of Supervisors.
Very sincerely,
Mike Michalak
Former Shasta County Elections Commissioner
