Published: Friday, February 8, 2008
Seniors wrest vote pledge from center
By Chris Fyall
Enterprise editor
After a number of hiccups and a series of canceled meetings, agreement -- if not harmony -- seems now to loom on the horizon for seniors at the South County Senior Center.
A membership vote has tentatively been scheduled for 1-4 p.m., Wednesday, March 12, officials said.
The settlement hadn't been signed by press time, but both parties expected it would be signed soon, said attorney Ben Goodwin, who represents seven members in their lawsuit against the center's board of directors.
The members filed a lawsuit Dec. 17 demanding the right to vote for the board's four officer positions, a move which the current officers had blocked. The members have named the four people they would like to replace the board's current officers.
The center hasn't conducted a board meeting since November, and that one was tabled mid-meeting by the membership's demand for a vote.
The 1,500-member center has been in turmoil since the board decided to fire popular executive director Farrell Fleming against the membership's stated wishes.
A signed settlement would finally break the impasse, and it could bring peace, board vice president Mel Steinke said.
But, A settlement was reportedly at hand in early January, until talks broke down regarding language in the agreement.
According to both Steinke and Goodwin, the trickiest language didn't concern the appropriateness of a vote, but the logistics of one -- who will be eligible for office, who will count the ballots, and the like.
The parties agreed to ask officials from the League of Women Voters to officiate, the agreement states. Any dues-paying member of the center is eligible for office, but must submit an application by Feb. 22.
To vote, members must be present at the March 12 election.
Before the settlement was announced Feb. 6, board president John Wagner said there was "light at the end of the tunnel" with the negotiations. He refused further comment regarding the negotiations.
Until a settlement is actually signed, though, members remain skeptical, they said.
"It makes you lose faith in them and in their word because they have changed their minds so many times," said Rose Cantwell, who has helped lead the membership's effort.
The members recently launched a Web site – www.centervoters.com – that will detail the struggle from the membership's prospective, but which also attempts to raise money for legal fees.
The most important thing for the center is preparing to move ahead, Steinke said.
"As hard as this has been, there is still a lot of desire on both sides for this to end up the right way and for the center to go forward in a positive way," he said.
Now that the center has hired a new executive director, Hallie Olson, operations at the center are up and running again, he said.
Membership is up, business is running as usual, and the center is viable and moving forward, Steinke said.
While Olson is now on board, the members aren't giving up their push for the vote, board member Liz Windgate said.
While former director Fleming has been hired elsewhere, the membership is pressing harder than ever for change, she said.
"Nobody has given up the cause," Windgate said. "They are fed up. They wish Farrell well, and they are glad he has a new job, but they want the vote.
"They do not want this board," she said.
A signed settlement agreement could be detailed at one of a series of membership meetings scheduled for February. The first was held Feb. 7, after the Enterprise deadline. The second is scheduled for Feb. 20.
Reporter Chris Fyall: 425-673-6525 or cfyall@heraldnet.com
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