Lee's shenanigans pile up
By JOE GAMM -The Daily Astorian
Clatsop County Commissioner Richard Lee finds himself in murky water today.
He's the focus of a petition for a recall election, and last week he filed a tort claim against the county - in essence, threatening to sue.
And, as the recall comes closer to fruition, other details have emerged about the way his business practices and government rules have clashed.
No fewer than five men have accepted the role of director of the county's home inspectors over the past few years ... and soon left.
Many are frustrated that Lee has not followed the rules, especially by not getting conditional use permits, known among planners as "CUPs."
As 2007 came to a close, a county employee filed a complaint against him.
In the complaint, Jennifer Bunch said that if the developer were anyone other than Lee, the county would not have allowed situations involved with his developments to "become such a mess, and would have put a stop to it long ago.
We would have demanded final design plans for each development (as required by both conditional use permits) and then, if any changes were made, we would have required that new conditional use permits be submitted.
"Lee and his wife, Lynda, operate a nursery, RV park and golf course in the Lewis and Clark area.
The complaint said that a problem exists when employees have concerns that their jobs are in jeopardy if they require a developer to adhere to the conditions of permits.
It asked for support requiring the couple to provide official and final design plans for their RV park and golf course.
The county has asked for those plans since Lee began developing the golf course - in 2001.
In 2003, Veronica Smith, who was Clatsop County's senior planner (and now works for NorthernStar Natural Gas Co.), refunded $2,300 of $3,150 Lee had paid for rezoning and a goal exception.
She instead allowed him to proceed with his development under a conditional use permit.
The goal exception would normally be required because the property is within three miles of an urban growth zone.But even then, she asked that he provide "a good site plan map to scale."Although time has passed, little seems to have changed.
On Oct. 17, 2007, Clatsop County sent Lee a letter stating that he must follow the state laws and county building codes, policies and procedures which are in place.
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5 comments:
Thanks goodness the poor Lee family (only the richest landowners in the whole freaking county) have Tryan Harthill and his trusty staff of Carrie Bartoldus to tell us the rest of the story. Maybe NCO is being funded by Nancy Harbour?
Then we have KLEE aka KAST which will give the Great Man another opportunity to field softball questions from an adoring Tom Freel!
I posted on Freel's Blog this morning, which will likely never see the light of day, that it would be prudent on his/NNB's part to extend the courtesy of an invitation to the appropriate departments and staff at County so that both sides of the story can be heard.
You think that will happen?
Anon
Someone has to do it.
PM
As I said in the last story..... I asked Derickson about the Staff talking and he has ordered them to not discuss anything.
Patrick, if you believe everything that you read in the Daily A, then I feel very sorry for you indeed.
I would think you'd know by now that they are an irresponsible and unethical newspaper - they write stories about people without bothering to check with the people they're writing about for their side of the story.
I can pull out any major story they've ever written and find flaws - and I include "omitted" information as a flaw when it comes to reporting a story. They are notorious for reporting only one side of almost any story.
The Daily A is probably the most unethical newspaper (that actually calls itself a newspaper), that I've ever seen.
So, who are you to pass judgement on the ethics of that particular that publication?
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