Jeff Pelline's Sierra Foothills Report

Spiral Internet emailed me notice of a post called “What killed the NCC wireless broadband infrastructure project.” It is here.

It is highly critical of the ERC’s role in the application. “ERC’s primary goal to preserve its financial existence may have inadvertently killed the federal funding for a much-needed technology project,” the post said.

“Upon investigation, it was found that the application had included $270,000 for ERC office space rental, part-time support staff, and salary for the ERC CEO. The ERC had actually placed 72% of its annual operating budget into Nevada County Connected’s request for federal funding.

“Also, other numbers were inflated to reflect ‘in-kind’ donations. This also, from an organization having no experience or background in providing Internet services or operating telecommunications networks.”

I’ve lived here long enough to be skeptical of finger pointing at the expense of being introspective, because there’s so little of it.

Some of the vitriolic response to my earlier post, “Old guard” in GV just won’t let go,” is a case in point. It still doesn’t change the truth: The Old Guard in Grass Valley won’t let go, and so we never entertain any fresh ideas or approaches. There’s lots of self interest at play too.

Maybe that was at play in the broadband application, too.

We also let politics get in the way of nonpartisan decision-making. Tom McClintock’s letter of “support” for the project, attacking the federal stimulus program, was sophomoric and unproductive. The background is here.

Until more people speak out independently, we can expect more of the same.

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The “old guard” in Grass Valley just won’t let go.

•Nevada Joint Union High School District board president Mark Heauser is being asked to step down by the school’s unions after a sharp verbal exchange, in which he allegedly berated its leader. The friction between the administration and labor groups is increasing. But Heauser is declining to step down.

•Up-and coming City Council Member Yolanda Cookson was in line to become Vice Mayor of Grass Valley this week, but she was passed up, and long-timer Dan Miller was named to the post instead. The vote was 4-1, with Cookson dissenting. I’m not sure Cookson had a chance to nominate herself before the vote was cast. Miller also is immediate past chair of the Economic Resource Council, a group that has its own identity crisis.

•The editor/publisher of The Union, Jeff Ackerman, has come under fire for ongoing, right-leaning bias in the newspaper. The Union has been labeled “The Tea Party Gazette” by some residents. Ackerman’s lawsuit against a grieving father — not publicized in the paper initially — also caused a stir.

Heauser, Miller and Ackerman are all friends and part of what could be described as the “old guard” of political, business and civic leaders in Grass Valley.

Their tenure comes as political and economic change is knocking on the door of our more isolated neck of the woods. Some people are justifiably asking if there’s a better, fresher approach to embracing change. But it’s falling on deaf ears.

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