First Board Meeting – Part IV Fraud and Possible Federal Crime? Meh….

I spoke at the end of the meeting and brought up three items. First, I presented the summary results of the informal survey I ran on social media (https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/D55JYX6) that showed two things: 1) to achieve greater public participation in surveys, multiple methods of outreach are needed (relying solely on social media will not work) and 2) the public (78%) is extremely unhappy and dissatisfied with NYWD on all counts (transparency, accountability, performance, communication, service, and respect). Again, I suggested an ad hoc committee to work on concrete approaches to these problems, to no avail.

Secondly, I presented snowpack data obtained from a 30-year resident of Challenge who has made a lifelong hobby of recording all data every day for the last 30 years. She has also tracked the release of irrigation water daily. According to her meticulously documented data, there has never been a substantial snowpack in Challenge in the last 30 years and – with the exception of the two drought years – irrigation water was always provided – except in 2018 which was not a drought year.

Third, I presented information on a rogue website that had appropriated NYWD web pages as their own and was presenting NYWD as if it is part of the rogue operation. In particular, NYWD directors appear on their page as Directors, as though we are Directors of that rogue organization.

Further and much more disturbing, this same rogue organization sent out a letter the first week of January 2019 to domestic customers only. How did this rogue organization obtain this confidential information? Only three people have access to that information – the GM and the two folks who work in the office. This letter was extremely divisive and filled with untruths. Could the sending of such a letter using illegally obtained confidential customer information be a federal crime? The letters were sent via the USPS – a federal agency – which could potentially place that under federal jurisdiction. Certainly the leaking of confidential customer data is of utmost concern.

Also disturbing was the lack of concern over the potential crimes that had been committed – not even NYWD legal counsel appeared concerned and did not ask for details which I had to give her. Someone leaked highly confidential customer data. Someone is fraudulently misrepresenting NYWD directors. No concern was expressed and no action was proposed. Meh?

In fact, one director used my brief report to state that they (NYWD) often had people going around misrepresenting the District. To my knowledge that is not true and further, the issue at hand is potential fraud and a potential crime that may veer off into federal territory. Meh.