Fort Ord RAB

[Cathy <cduncan@slonet.org>]

The Fort Ord RAB has been mired in internal functional problems since
its inception. Part of the problem has been due to lack of early public
invlovement in the decision phase of cleanup procedures, lack of
effective input into the cleanup discussions, and unclear and
documented public risk of cleanup procedures, but by and large the
majority of Fort Ord RAB distress is rooted in over exemplified
mistrust, staged and uncontrolled mudslinging, ego embellished needs for
complete control of the RAB floor at all costs by a certain RAB member
who while his causes should be well examined he frequently succeeds in
alienating the Army and most of the other RAB members. At the Fort Ord
RAB this individual and the few who are sucked in by his "good " causes
(which he prevents from successfully going anywhwere productive with by
his behavior) are under the spell of a gross misunderstanding of what a
RAB is capable of doing.

I have attended many a meeting where information, facts, and vital
public interest presentations where thwarted due to monoply of the
meeting by this individual professing to represent the community. The
Fort Ord RAB has been a warground to play out the outrage and the
injustice that the cleanup problems instill and not a meeting of the
minds or an exchange of influential information. How can this problem be
addressed? Several solutions have resulted in the recommendation to
disband the RAB.

This problem has become deeply ingrained and while Gail Youngblood and
Jim Willison of the Army have contributed to the problem so has Scott
Gandy... whoops I mean Scott Allen and Curt Gandy. I say remove all four
of them. Find strong fair -minded leadership
to replace them, insist on early involvement in the cleanup decisions,
have clear and productive use of a budget for effective work and make
sure there is a reliable location for meetings and research. Some RABs
do work and the Fort Ord RAB has a great need to be one of them.

I'm sure the Army can find an effective replacement position for the two
members of the army who will be displaced and as for Curt Gandy and
Scott Allen they must  come to the meetings only as an audience with
limited floor time.  Lawsuits are important when they will protect
people in the community from the failure of the existiing system to
protect the people. Lawsuits don't need the structure of a RAB to be
filed. The RAB needs to create equal time for presentations that
represent Army doings and community presentations to address Army
doings. It can't be one-sided. At the Fort Ord RAB it often is one-sided
on both ends.