Point Reyes Light - November 21, 2002

Tomales Bay Association in 'meltdown'

By Ivan Gale

Tomales Bay Association’s secretary Tom Yarish this week claimed the abrasive personality of president Ken Fox has led to the downfall of the environmental group.

Under Fox’s seven years as president, the once mainstream conservation group became the most zealous overseers of West Marin’s environment.

In recent weeks, Fox on behalf of the Tomales Bay Association has:

• Successfully pressured North Marin Water District to temporarily curtail full use its junior water rights owned by the Point Reyes Station, Olema, and Inverness Park water system.

• Expressed skepticism over the motives of the owners of Lawson’s Landing in attempting to comply with county guidelines to rehabilitate its sewage-treatment facilities.

• Unsuccessfully appealed a zoning administrator’s decision to allow Warren Weber to proceed with the operation of his organic farm in Bolinas.

County planning commissioners were, in fact, incredulous at his refusing to drop his opposition to an agreement Weber had tediously worked out with the Army Corps of engineers regarding dikes on his farm.

"This is an issue because...?" asked Commissioner Jo Julin rhetorically following 10 minutes of rambling testimony by Fox. Commissioner Allan Berland said Fox was demanding the county overrule the federal government for unclear reasons.

Hasty actions

Although Yarish himself testified against Weber, the secretary said Fox’s hasty appeal of Weber’s county permit to remove fill "caused a lot of stress with such short notice."

As conflict within the Tomales Bay Association has grown, the number of directors has dropped steadily until there are no longer enough board members to form a voting quorum. Five of the nine directors are now boycotting or have quit the group.

‘Meltdown’

The Tomales Bay Association is in "meltdown," said Yarish, its secretary. The current dissension peaked when a nominating committee picked by Fox failed to convene because of hostility toward him, he added.

With the group from unable to hold elections and restore a quorum, many members are not only boycotting meetings, they’re refusing to enlist new members, the secretary claimed.

"There was no way in hell we were going to recruit new board members into a dysfunctional board," Yarish said.

In his announcement Yarish pinpointed the difficulties of its internal dynamics.

"Fox’s intransigence is utterly toxic to the organization," he wrote after telling Fox and the rest of the board that his last act as secretary would be attempting to bring about Fox’s impeachment.

Because Yarish’s announcement came right at presstime, The Light was unable to get reactions from the public while Fox himself did not return numerous calls.

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