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We have said it umpteen times the Presidio of San Francisco belongs to all the people. We have also stated that is belongs to the Ohlone - who settled on the Presidio and lived there for thousands of years. James Meadows once tried to convince some of us that the Ohlone use to visit the Presidio to have picnic or two. That is until I addressed the issue in public at the Golden Gate Club in his presence and that of hundreds.
The history of the Presidio did not begin about 1776. The Ohlone were there thousands of years ago! Corrupt men and women cannot exists unless they are backed by others. At the Presidio we have had our share of CORRUPT officials: B.J. Griffin, Mai Liis Bartling, Brian O'Neill, Susan Hurst, James Meadows, Bruce Anderson, Steve Hood and the list goes on and on. Why corrupt? They have their own selfish interests in mind and are there to line their pockets. They do not contribute anything positive to the organization, the employees, the community or to the Park. So recently Kerry Tremain from the San Francisco magazine a trendy magazine mostly read by the filthy rich - found his article very enticing. Matier and Ross from the Chronicle followed up and before you knew it - the power house from the "filthy rich" was generating power - and James Meadows was history. This web site was the first to report the ouster of James Meadows. In some circles there is rejoicing about the ouster of James Meadows. I say it is the tip of the iceberg. If any one loves the Presidio and what it stands for - we should NOT be hiring CROOKS. But that is exactly what the Trust Board did - they hired a seasoned crook. The crook brought in his other cronies mostly from Colorado and Correctional Officers at that - and before you knew it the Presidio which paradoxically means "jail house" or "fortress" in Spanish - was converted into another San Quentin! When the National Park Service (NPS) had control of the whole Presidio they wasted millions of tax payers money. They spent over 1.4 million on building 10. Over 8 million on the Letterman Hospital which is now being torn down - just on consulting fees. Wasted millions on a consulting firm called Macini and Mills. Millions on a proxy inept organization within the NPS - called Denver Service Center. Millions on Bay Area Economics. The list goes on and on. No one paid attention. However if one reads some of the earlier articles on this web site - we saw the writing on the wall. Today, we have the John Stewart Company managing all the housing and collecting all the rents at the Presidio. No one knows how much rent is exactly collected and how much rent is accounted for by the Trust. No one knows. Today, we have the Trust who does NOT want to bargain with the Union. As a quasi-governmental organization the Trust says it does not need a Union. It says the Trust Legislation backs it up - and as a matter of fact may be - that it does. So does one think that Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi and the Burton machinery really stuck it up to the Union when the created the Trust Bill? Our so called Representatives screwing us the people in broad day light? When the Trust first came to be - I personally knew the hand full of employees. Among them James Meadows, Joe Perelli, and Craig Middleton. Crag Middleton is now the Interim Trust Director. I have access to him as I do Joe Perelli who works on matters - Real Estate and a former employee of Bay Area Economics. Back to James Meadows. The Trust Board could not have hired him without "detail knowledge" about his experience and his fiscal and managerial problems. Why did it take Kerry Tremain after years to reveal some facts that led to the ouster of this man - James Meadows? A Trust Board that does not know how to discern has to go. But, in our society we reward inept people. Three Trust Board members were given an extension on the Trust Board - Mary Murphy, Toby, and Don Fisher. I always thought in every day life if you do not perform well you get the boot. So these 3 Trust Board members will stick together until 2005! So much for credibility, ethics, morals, high standards and all those good things we all talk about. How about besides talking the talk - walking the walk! Today, the Trust does not have a Safety Officer. It does not have a Housing Inspection Officer. The first one resigned the second one they fired. What a shame. The Housing Inspector Officer was told to his face that the Trust does not have to follow any rules and regulations. That the Trust can do as it pleases! With the ouster of James Meadows there has been a "blame game" going on. This is wrong. Those that aided and abetted James Meadows have to go. Simply put they need to take a hike to high heaven! I spoke at the Officers' Club and addressed among others James Meadows. I told him that the Presidio Trust Implementation Plan (PTIP) was a farce. That it had NO merit. Millions of dollars were spent to enforce this draft plan. It is time that this plan be flushed down the commode! Life is a bitch! But at the Presidio the "filthy rich" have had it good for too long. Time for the people to take the Presidio over. The City and County of San Francisco has appointed a Citizens' Committee and they are well versed with some of the nuances at the Presidio. Neighborhood Groups are doing well. Please visit: friendsofthepresidionationalpark.org. The exposed "corruption" is just a tip of the iceberg. James Meadows is history - who is next?
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