Judgement of a non-decision by the O’Brien County Supervisors was recently penned and published in the Northwest Iowa Reveiw. Shame on them. Every publication should first be concerned about truth. Statements in this editorial came so close to false, those statements may have actually crossed the line. The issue discussed is the REappointment of Tom Konz to the O’Brien County Conservation Board of Directors (OCCB).
Tom Konz was named to the O’Brien County Conservation Board in May 2021. The claim is that since his appointment OCCB “has been racked with divisiveness and turmoil”. The editorial gives a lame attempt to give a pass that it’s not all his fault, then goes on to blame the chair, Tom Konz.
To understand the “turmoil and angry meetings”, one had to be there. We’ve been there. Since a meeting in September 2020 when county employees/rangers displayed themselves in full gear and posted themselves at exits. Mari was there. Such an action was described to me personally by a retired military and law enforcement officer as intimidation. The “angry” at public meetings was generally displayed by those who don’t want change. Some of those individuals went so far as to claim public land as their own. The anger comes from a few individuals because they no longer have a puppet board and director. Having been in the room for almost every meeting during this – the room includes both conseravation as well as supervisor meetings, we can tell you, removing the puppet style of decision-making was one goal of Konz’ appointment.
His appointment, a 4-1 decision with former supervisor and former OCCB member Sherri Bootsma dissenting, has indeed created a firestorm. In 2012, Konz outbid at auction OCCB to acquire property adjacent on the east to Conservation property in the southeast corner of O’Brien County. This set the stage for the angry attitudes of now. And the angry is definitely NOT Tom Konz. Following the property sale, the then rangers deployed a series of actions that were certainly intended to be intimidating. Those actions may also have been illegal. But those actions failed, and the mob is mad.
The editorial talks about a complaint to Iowa Public Information Board (IPIB). One fact not shared in that editorial is at least 1 “inaccurate” statement made in the original complaint. Yep, the complaint is a public record. The complaint says no other people were allowed in the “meeting.” The editorial characterizes the gathering as a “secret” meeting. That’s so laughable. The only thing secret about the events following a regular OCCB meeting was the audio and video recording of seven individuals at Prairie Heritage Center. What is even more funny about the statements in the complaint is that two – 2 – OCCB employees and two – 2 – volunteers were all part of the gathering. There were multiple conversations going on during the video. As far as any discussion about potential purchase of property, that conversation was primarily between Konz and former director Travis Scott. That discussion is neither a meeting nor is it illegal. By the way, Scott is the odds-on favorite by those taking bets as being “Concerned Citizen” the anonymous individual who submitted the deceitful IPIB complaint. In an effort to quickly move on from the distraction the board voted 3-2 in favor of accepting an informal agreement. It includes training – not a bad idea for members of a public board.
I have seen a copy of the video. Yep, you got it, a public record. I would argue that the gathering was not a meeting as defined by Iowa Code Chapter 21. But good on the board for taking action to just do away with the distraction.
Oh, remember you’ve been told we’ve been in the room for almost all meetings? The supervisors, after adjournment and still a quorum, have continued discussion of county business. Upon recognition, they quit.
Now, if only opinions are developed by those actually in the room or from first-hand documents or experience. To date, our closest count due to recent turnover, is 6 reporters covering the supervisors and 5 covering OCCB during this same timeframe. Do leaders and managers at the Northwest Iowa Review really think they should be pointing fingers about turnover?