August 26, 2022 Swansboro, CA
Connections, Perspective and Opinion by Tom Harris, Associate Editor
Karen Habib Pullin is the president of Swansboro Country Property Owners Association (SCPOA), controls the “Mosquito Fire Safe Council” (MFSC), and dissolved the firefighter organization MS75/MFA, which she established in 2015. As the Sentinel has shown, these three organizations under Ms. Pullin’s control have shown little fiscal accountability under her watch.
To begin with, the “initial cost” for an “event center” according to Ms. Pullin, that was approved by the SCPOA board at the August 16th meeting, was $50,000. As anyone who has sought a building permit lately has discovered, that amount will likely be tripled if the building is permitted and constructed as an “event center” instead of a “storage shed”. Things like running water, sewer, heat, bathrooms, electricity, sprinklers, etc., would have to be added. In addition, the use of this building would be limited to only SCPOA members.
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Certain SCPOA directors have repeatedly claimed that there is overwhelming community support for the Community Hall i.e. Community Center, Community Event building, etc. How they came to that conclusion is not known. As a result, at least one SCPOA member took it upon herself to conduct a little straw poll to see what support for this new building there is among SCPOA members.
Right now, those SCPOA residents who participated in the survey on the question of a new building, voted 66% against it, and 89% want a vote on it.
August 2022 SCPOA Survey
This poll is in no way scientific, has a small sample size. Yet it is better than a proclamation by the board. Some conclusions, al be they, minor, can be drawn from it. Right now, those SCPOA residents who participated in the survey on the question of a new building, voted 66% against it, and 89% want a vote on it.
See more details at: https://sentinelblog.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/scpoa-survey-on-new-building.pdf. In spite of the fact there has been a formal request to table the “event center” decision, the board appears to have made up its mind. Bottom line, I doubt any survey or straw poll will make any difference to the board. The board has the power to do this. The ultimate poll will be at the upcoming election.
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Recently, Ms. Pullin has assured the membership the board would provide more detailed information on it’s web site. We hope the “information will be sufficient to allow the membership to form an informed opinion as to the value and benefits of the “event center”.
It’s not like there isn’t a logical alternative to this huge amount of spending for such little use. An alternative has existed in our community for years. It has been used for many community events: weddings, Christmas parties, birthday parties, retirement parties, Veteran’s Day reunions, business meetings, organization meetings, and more: Frank’s Diner on Finnon Lake!
Frank and Heidi have been serving our community for over 20 years. The diner has an 18 x 30-foot dining room, a kitchen, two bathrooms, EID water, septic system, generator and fire system. There is a 16 x 24-foot covered pavilion and two outdoor patios – all with views overlooking Finnon Lake! Plus, there is a campground, a Day Use area with sandy beach and a 27-hole disc golf course!
Best of all, this beautiful venue is open and available to ALL community members – SCPOA and Mosquito residents alike. So, spending dues money on a SCPOA “Event Center” would be redundant and limited in use. The Sentinel believes the SCPOA board should stop spending thousands of dollars, and shelve the “event center” idea. Instead, give resident members a justified dues rebate, and allow the people to spend their own money the way they see fit.
What about the need for a meeting room? Consider, only a tiny fraction of SCPOA members attend monthly board meetings. It just doesn’t make financial sense to spend $50,000 or more for that small number of people, particularly when there is an alternative meeting place at the fire station that’s been used for decades. The fact is, more members will benefit from a dues rebate than from spending $50,000 on an event center benefitting a few.
It has now come to the attention of the Sentinel that the “Mosquito Fire Safe Council” (MFSC) had a public meeting (first one?) on August 11th. At this meeting, MFSC chairperson Karen Pullin explained how the MFSC has taken over the remaining assets of the former 501(c)(3) – and now-dissolved – Mosquito Fire Fighters Association (MS75, aka MFA).
Under what authority did Ms. Pullin assign the remaining MFA/MS75 assets to the MFSC? IRS regulations and the form used to request the dissolution of the organization indicate that the remaining assets of a dissolved 501(c)(3) can only be distributed to ANOTHER 501(c)(3)! The primary reason for such rules is that they provide donors and supporters with official accountability.
The MFSC is NOT registered as a 501(c)(3). At the August 11th meeting, Ms. Pullin tried to explain this issue by claiming that the MFSC can legitimately borrow the EIN and tax-exempt authority of the El Dorado County Fire Safe Council (EDCFSC). While it might be technically doable, where’s the record keeping and accountability?
The mission of the El Dorado County Fire Safe Council (EDCFSC) is “to protect the people of El Dorado County and their property from the effects of catastrophic wildfires”. Please go to www.edcfiresafe.org and visit any of the 27 associate council’s websites. Most have plans to spend EDCFSC grants for vegetation clearance, community cleanup days, dumpsters for yard waste, evacuation planning and signage, etc.
The bottom line is this: based on previous experience the prior assets of MFA/MS75 “Mosquito Fire Safe Council” will probably remain in the possession of Karen Habib Pullin.
Too long to decode all the secrets,
Gotta’ get some elbow room.
Most people think that everything,
Is just what they assume.
Van Morrison: Singer, Songwriter
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