[nfbmi-talk] looks like the war has started

[Marcus Simmons]

Cannon said he's received "outstanding evaluations over
the last 13 years."
Why not, when he wrote the evaluations himself. I Think.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Joe Sontag" <suncat0 at gmail.com>
To: "NFB of Michigan List" <nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Thursday, March 17, 2011 10:57 AM
Subject: [nfbmi-talk] looks like the war has started


> 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.
>
>
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