It is time to Recall Eastsound Water Directors
by EWUA Directors Ron Claus, Carol Ann Anderson and Jim Cook
We regretfully announce the impending recall of Eastsound Water Users Association Board members Teri Nigretto, Jim Nelson, Mike Cleveland and Leith Templin, who have failed to fulfill their fiduciary responsibilities to EWUA Members and blocked our own efforts to do so.
It feels unsettling and seems unsavory to ask for the recall of well-known and respected fellow islanders who have volunteered their time and energy to serve on an important local Board of Directors. But that’s precisely where the three of us – EWUA Directors Ron Claus, Carol Ann Anderson, and Jim Cook – find ourselves.
Over the last six months, the three of us have tried to engage with Teri Nigretto, Jim Nelson, Mike Cleveland, and Leith Templin through private conversation, email exchanges, special and regular monthly Board meetings — offering motions and communicating our deep-felt concerns regarding the Board’s egregious failures to exercise its fiduciary responsibilities to represent the Members’ interests. Unfortunately, our concerns have repeatedly been dismissed or ignored.
The three of us — along with former EWUA Board members Fred Klein, Tenar Hall and Steve Smith, plus EWUA members Michael Riordan, Elisabeth Britt, Robert Austin, and others — have collectively done our due diligence. We have exhausted all options available to remedy this pervasive Board dysfunction. At this point, due to the seriousness of the problems and the intractability of the dominant Board faction, we feel compelled to act on behalf of the EWUA Members and call for the Recall of Jim Nelson, Teri Nigretto, Mike Cleveland, and Leith Templin.
These four Board members have:
- Refused to allow the Secretary/Treasurer full, unfettered access to the financial records of EWUA, preventing the Board from properly executing its fiduciary responsibilities to the Members.
- Manipulated the 2023 Director election in violation of Member rights delineated in the bylaws. (Farm to Market LLC has initiated a legal action challenging these 2023 irregularities).
- Spent or lost large sums of Member money on:
- Paying attorney fees for the General Manager;
- Giving the General Manager more than a 25% pay raise in 2024;
- Failing to recover lost money, as recommended in the Acuity Forensics report;
- Paying attorney fees over $100,000 in 2023;
- Paying attorney fees in 2024 of a projected $50,000 or more;
- Repeatedly acted without full Board knowledge or authorization; and,
- Repeatedly took important Board actions in closed session, violating EWUA bylaws.
The dominant Board faction has enabled this behavior, excused it, and covered it up.
We are requesting a Recall of Nelson, Nigretto, Cleveland, and Templin for failure to perform their fiduciary responsibility, blocking others from doing their fiduciary duty, and acting in bad faith. We invite you to review the evidence presented at RecallWater.com
Regrettably, the only way to resolve these violations of the Member rights is to replace Nelson, Nigretto, Cleveland, and Templin with Directors who will rigorously follow state laws, EWUA bylaws, and customary Board ethics. To make this happen, we ask EWUA Members to:
- Sign a petition calling for a meeting of the Members.
- Attend the special meeting of Members that will then occur, in person or via proxy, to vote on the Recall. Your participation is crucial in this process.
Together, we can make a difference for the better. Let’s work together to bring about positive change in our EWUA community.