[nfbmi-talk] Jo Ann Pilarski Resignation

Thu Jul 14 16:59:16 UTC 2011

You are wrong Mr. Harsh, It is not speculation that Joanne is a wonderful 
and caring person. It was my hope knowing your past performances that you 
would not once again use our list to trash and thrash a person who has been 
a credit to humanity and helped untold numbers of blind people. You seem to 
give grace to payed public employees who may have burned out while they were 
being compensated ffinancially, while wanting to give no mercy to a public 
servant who may have suffered from burn out. I have no idea whether that is 
why she resigned, but I for one take exception to you providing a laundry 
list of her wrongs unless you are also willing to provide the even longer 
list of good things that she has done for the blind citizens of Michigan. I 
consider it a terrible shame that once more a person of such high ethical 
and moral cha racter is leaving a position that enabled her to use her gifts 
to improve life for blind people. Donna Posont
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "joe harcz Comcast" <joeharcz at comcast.net>
To: "NFB of Michigan Internet Mailing List" <nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Thursday, July 14, 2011 9:17 AM
Subject: Re: [nfbmi-talk] Jo Ann Pilarski Resignation


> Dear Fred,
>
> I hold no personal anomosity towards Pilarski. But, I totally disagree in 
> regards to competence and pperformance. For she stated once again only a 
> few weeks ago that she really didn't know what a state plan was for more 
> than eight years after being the chair. She actually has been in office 
> longer than the two three year terms denoted in the Rehab Act that she 
> apparently has not read in spite of me personally sending it to her. (By 
> the way the general rehab agency in Massachusetts got cited for the same 
> issue in their 2009 monitoring report).
>
> Pilarski has ignored for years the severe violations of the rehab act, the 
> ADA and section 504.
>
> And the worst thing is she allowed the perception and the accomplished 
> deed to be that the "chair" was the commission. And she let cannon run 
> affairs from writing his own "report card" to setting meeting agendas.
>
> Moreover Pilarski ignored the pleas of consumers over years to clean 
> things up. She ignored the protests of advocates for the blind who had to 
> go to the streets to point out insane service delivery in Detroit. In fact 
> she caved into or was a direct part in the "bullet proof" drape paranoia 
> in that regard.
>
> She allowed Cannon to run rough shod over personnell and not only Dave and 
> Christine over trumped up garbage but over many others in the past 
> including John McMahan, Bob Arnold, and many others who slowly simply 
> burned out under his reign of terror internal to the daily operations of 
> MCB. That includes excellent and caring staff and administrators like Toni 
> VanStabern, Bernie Kramer, the aforementioned McMahan (now running the 
> blindnessagency in Maine by the way) and countless BEP operators that we 
> all know about from Fellows to Brooks and back again.
>
> She signed off on the 2004 single audit as if again she were the 
> commission and other documents in the past as well, again, including state 
> plan updates.
>
> These are facts and there are more. They aren't a matter of conjecture but 
> purely objective reality about a public official.
>
> Now, I certainly agree with you on some other past and potential future 
> commissioners here Fred.
>
> And much goes to commissioner orientation.
>
> I think that at a minimum commissioners should go through the SRC modules 
> on the RSA web site. Or for those who cannot access the web then these 
> modules should be provided. By the way when all the issues of the role of 
> the commission were going on I sent the links to those to each and every 
> commissioner including Pilarski at the time.
>
> On your final point however Fred I agree wholeheartedly. Cannon has been 
> Director during the sad demise of MCB and he has, in countless most 
> mavelent and most documented actions accelerated the push of MCB right to 
> the proverbial, metaphorical cliff.
>
> I cannot know what is in people's hearts, or what intents are. I can and 
> do know however, actions and deeds.
>
> The former is speculative, the latter is fact based and document.
>
> In other words Jo Anne may have a great heart and warmth. I will not 
> dispute that. It is irrelevant to her actions and in actions over the 
> years. In other words her tenure as with all public officials and 
> fiduciaries of the public trust is to be judged based upon the actual 
> record.
>
> ...As is Cannon's for that matter...
>
> Peace with Justice,
>
> Joe
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Fred Wurtzel" <f.wurtzel at att.net>
> To: "'NFB of Michigan Internet Mailing List'" <nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: <arwoods at michigan.gov>; "Norm saari" <saarin at michigan.gov>; "Jo Ann 
> Pilarski" <pilarskij at charter.net>; "Geri Taeckens" 
> <geri.taeckens at isahealthfund.org>; "Joe Sibley" <joe.sibley at comcast.net>; 
> <GWunder at earthlink.net>
> Sent: Thursday, July 14, 2011 1:38 AM
> Subject: [nfbmi-talk] Jo Ann Pilarski Resignation
>
>
>> Hello,
>>
>>
>>
>> I try to be out front about my thinking.  With regard to Chairman 
>> Pilarski's
>> resignation, I am sorry.  I understand and agree with some of the issues
>> that some people, some of my closest friends,  have made.  I have seen 
>> many
>> Commissioners come and go.  Jo Ann has a heart and cares about people.  I
>> have seen some sleep through meetings, I have seen some who were ignorant
>> about blindness and the Commission, I have seen at least 1 Commissioner 
>> who
>> wondered aloud in public why the Governor appointed him.  Jo Ann took an
>> active role in her service and did her best at the job.  She made many 
>> good
>> and difficult decisions on behalf of blind vendors and college students.
>>
>>
>>
>> I don't even argue that my friends and colleagues are necessarily wrong 
>> in
>> their feelings.  I simply say that I do not share these feelings toward 
>> Jo
>> Ann.
>>
>>
>>
>> The MCB Director is a manipulative, mean-spirited, ruthless 
>> administrator.
>> he bullies and intimidates anyone who challenges him or is better than he 
>> is
>> at what they do.  He will throw anyone under the bus.  Remember the
>> departures of Mark Eagle and Don Bowman?  he is using the Commission 
>> board
>> to drive a wedge between blind people and the Governor.  it is a shame 
>> that
>> decent people cannot abide the kind of ruthlessness involved in serving 
>> on
>> the Michigan Commission Board.  Jo Ann is a decent person.
>>
>>
>>
>> I am sorry to see Jo Ann leave.  Blind vendors are losing a friend and 
>> ally.
>> All I have to say is watch out for her replacement. I am sure they will 
>> not
>> have the kind heart and care for individuals that Jo Ann Pilarski has.
>>
>>
>>
>> Warmest Regards,
>>
>>
>>
>> Fred
>>
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>
>
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