[nfbmi-talk] looks like the war has started

[Joe Sontag]

And the first shot was not fired by us

>From today's edition of the Detroit News:

Last Updated: March 17. 2011 1:00AM

Snyder appointee to agency for blind risks conflict

New commissioner, director have been at odds for years

Paul Egan / Detroit News Lansing Bureau

Lansing

 - Gov. Rick Snyder's appointment to the Michigan Commission for the Blind of a vocal

critic has set the stage for increased turmoil at the agency that serves the state's

estimated 45,000 blind people.

Snyder's press secretary, Sara Wurfel, says the governor wasn't aware of the bad

blood between his newly appointed commissioner, Larry Posont, and longtime agency

director Pat Cannon when he appointed Posont earlier this month.

Posont, who is blind and serves as Michigan president of the National Federation

of the Blind, says Cannon has fostered "an atmosphere of cover-up, secrecy and intimidation,"

and he wants him to step down. Cannon, who is also blind and has held his state post

since 1998, denies the allegations and says he has no intention of leaving.

"This is not good," said Richard Bernstein, a prominent blind attorney from Farmington

Hills who last year sought the Democratic nomination for attorney general. "At a

time when you're going through critical budget cuts . you really need to have more

cohesion."

The heads of two agencies that advocate for the blind have written Snyder asking

him to reconsider the appointment to the five-member commission charged with helping

blind people live and work independently. It holds its quarterly meeting in Lansing

today and Friday.

"I would like to see them withdraw the appointment," said Gwen Botting of Ionia,

president of Michigan Parents of Children with Visual Impairments. "It is a mistake,

in my opinion."

Joe Sibley, president of the Michigan Council of the Blind, said he's "concerned

this could be damaging in the long run, especially if (Posont) is made chairman."

As federation president, Posont, 59, has organized a public demonstration against

Cannon for about the past two years has criticized his handling of personnel issues,

his dealings with blind entrepreneurs who operate shops or vending machines in state

buildings, and his handling of a federal audit, among other issues. Posont said his

main priority as a commissioner is to do a better job of helping blind people get

jobs.

"Mr. Cannon's recent actions are an unwarranted abuse of power and amount to intimidation

and bullying of blind citizens of Michigan who dare to speak for themselves and question

his policies," Posont said after Cannon's 2010 firing of Christine Boone, who is

blind, as director of the commission's Blind Training Center in Kalamazoo.

Wurfel said Snyder's children know Posont's children but the governor wasn't "aware

of the extent of the commission's history" when he appointed Posont on March 2. Snyder

expects "both appointees and staff to work together in a collaborative, constructive

fashion," she said. "Moving forward to best serve the blind and visually impaired

community is imperative."

Posont of Dearborn Heights did not sound conciliatory this week. "He (Cannon) could

go between now and June and we wouldn't have to figure out a way to push him out,"

he said. Otherwise, "this could get very dirty."

Cannon, 68, whose $125,000-a-year post is civil service, not a political appointment,

said Posont's comments are surprising and unfortunate.

"We are both dedicated to working in the best interests of blind people in Michigan,"

he said. "I am optimistic that we will work well together."

The commission, which is not paid, must have at least three members who are blind.

It can't dismiss Cannon but annually reviews his performance and recommends a replacement

if the post becomes vacant. Cannon said he's received "outstanding evaluations over

the last 13 years."

Though both advocate for the blind, Posont's federation and Sibley's council have

different philosophies on issues such as whether special accommodations should be

made for blind people, with the federation less supportive of such measures.

Sibley said the council takes a nonconfrontational approach while Posont prefers

the "pit bull" method. Posont agreed the federation is more aggressive than the council

and said it is less supportive of special measures, such as currency implants to

help blind people distinguish one denomination of bill from another.

Boone was fired for allegedly violating rules about workplace safety and firearms

on state property after she used pellet guns to offer marksmanship training to blind

students.

Cannon said he can't comment on a personnel matter.

Posont said Boone had been doing an "exemplary job" of instilling students with "a

positive philosophy of blindness" and Cannon had verbally signed off on the marksmanship

training. There was no safety issue and the small-caliber pellet guns used are not

even considered firearms under Michigan law, he said.

Posont put out a news release announcing his appointment before the governor's office

did. Posont's release said Snyder had named him chairman; Snyder's release only named

Posont a member. Posont conceded his release was premature.