The turmoil that has rocked so many programs of The Alliance for Community Transformations is both troubling and disgusting.
Many people in Mariposa County may not even know about the Alliance. Its programs are intended to help people in the community who need it the most.
From battered spouses to the homeless to children needing court services, the programs are vital and assist those who are going through troubling times.
This program has been running steady for years and did so with hard-working administrators who knew how to work the system of state and federal grants in order to get the crucial funding.
That has all changed.
Now, the leadership at Alliance isn’t doing its job, nor are the board members charged with overseeing the program.
That all came to a head recently when the hired gun who is running the place, Gary Damon, and the top two board members, Chris Bobbitt and Kathy Delaney, went on a headhunting mission and began firing 36 people who work in those programs.
Certainly, budget constraints are just that, but the problem is, this board and program simply won’t tell the public any details about what they say are budget woes.
Why is that?
That’s a question those who were fired and those who remain within the programs continue to ask.
Just how did the program get into this shape? Why has the board refused to even listen to its own employees? Why did they bring in Damon to do the chopping? Where is the money? Are there shenanigans going on with the funding?
These are basic questions that need to be answered yet those in charge just don’t seem to care about letting the public know.
It cannot be stressed enough these programs operate on public funds. Many utilize grant funding which is paid by the taxpayers of California and the United States. That’s public money.
So why do these people think they don’t have to be accountable to the public that funds the programs?
That’s the $7 million question because that’s how much money goes into these programs to help those most in need.
I have talked to many people who are associated with Alliance. Some still work there; others have been fired. But all say the same thing: There’s something rotten in Denmark.
There is going to have to come a point where these questions are answered.
This board could make it really easy and simply agree to field the questions and tell the truth to the public. But so far, they have only issued a vague press release and flat-out refused to answer questions.
Whenever that happens, the red flags begin to fly.
What are they hiding? Why won’t they talk? Who is calling the shots? Are there ulterior motives? Are there others involved who are seeking to reap the benefits of programs that are crumbling?
These are not outlandish questions. These are the issues that have impacted the lives of so many people in an economy that is already difficult, at best.
Many of the people who were fired had previously been involved with the programs — as addicts, as battered women and more.
That’s one of the beauties of the Alliance. People’s lives have been changed for the better and they, in turn, went to work within those programs to help others.
I am not sure there is a greater calling for people who themselves wondered if they could survive their circumstances. And who better to help others than those who have been there and done that?
In doing that work, they have helped countless people in this county turn around their lives and find a way to get back on their feet and become productive members of the community.
Now, it appears, those in charge of the programs just don’t seem to care about the people they are supposed to be serving. It seems they are hiding behind the wall of secrecy they have created and don’t really care what the public thinks.
Maybe there needs to be an even more serious accounting of what is taking place. But how can we do that when those who are in charge continue to dodge the questions and answers that are being demanded by the public?
There may be ways; we will have to see how this plays out.
Certainly, state and federal officials must be wondering what the hell is going on with Alliance. We know for a fact some agencies require annual accounting of the funds that are allocated.
Where does that stand? Who does the accounting and to whom are they accountable?
These questions are all legitimate and ones we will continue to pursue for as long as it takes to get answers. If we have to get state and federal lawmakers involved, so be it.
The county, too, has some responsibility in all of this. It is the residents of Mariposa County who are feeling the impacts of these disruptions. The most vulnerable resident, in fact.
It doesn’t matter if you live in a million dollar house or your car, you are still a resident of this county and that means those who run the county own some of the responsibility.
But most important of all, we should never forget those who are the most vulnerable. Those who have been beaten by a spouse or those who are addicts and need help.
We, as humans, must never lose sight of that fact. There are so many of us who are a major medical issue away from bankruptcy. Others are borderline when it comes to addiction.
The real issue here is the humanity that has been cast aside by the management and board of Alliance. They have acted like middle school children when it comes to being accountable.
“Who, me?”
Yes, you.
You are the people who made the decision to either work in this organization or become a member of the board responsible for its operations. You. Not anyone else.
You need to be held accountable. You.
This entire situation could have been made so much easier had these people been upfront and honest when it comes to the true financial picture of Alliance. Yet they chose the other path; the one that keeps the people who fund these programs in the dark and the one that causes harm to the most vulnerable among us.
Shame on you all for being petty and weak. For being bullies and cowards all at the same time. It’s par for the course in this day and age.
People act like they are above it all when, in fact, they are the cause and effect that harms others.
As the editor of this newspaper, you have my word we will not stop until we get honest answers to all of these questions and more. Or until justice is served, no matter in what form.
As human beings, we cannot sit idly by and watch yet another organization destroy something that so many others worked so hard to build. An organization that, when operated correctly, stayed out of the headlines and did what it was supposed to do.
Change lives.
It is still doing that, but in the most sinister way.
Greg Little is editor of the Mariposa Gazette and can be reached at greg@mariposagazette.com
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