McLean Board Acts in Secret

By Bobbi Bowman

The board of the McLean Community Center, which is publicly elected and spends millions of our tax dollars, chose George Sachs as acting executive director of the center, Board Chair David Sanders told The Ear today after the board acted in a closed meeting Tuesday night.

Sachs, Intergenerational Program Coordinator, now runs the center’s popular Old Firehouse Teen Center in downtown.

The board held a 75-minute executive session Tuesday night to discuss a “personnel” matter. Neither community center staff members nor the public could attend.

When the six board members returned from behind closed doors, one made a motion to adopt the actions taken in executive session. The vote to approve was unanimous. The board did not divulge what those actions were. After the meeting, The Ear asked what the vote was about. Board Chair  Sanders said it was a personnel matter.

Sanders finally divulged Sachs’ selection late Wednesday morning.

Why we care: A publicly elected board with power over millions in our tax dollars basically acted in secret. This 11-member board is one of the most powerful boards in McLean. It oversees the popular McLean Community Center and its $17 million budget comes largely from our tax dollars.  It is planning a new building in downtown to replace the Old Firehouse Teen Center to spur McLean’s long-delayed redevelopment plans.

The Virginia Freedom of Information law gives public bodies the right to meet in private to discuss personnel matters.

That law also requires that votes by public bodies be taken in public meetings. The law further requires that “minutes shall be recorded at all open meetings” and that those minutes “shall include . .  a summary of the discussion on matters proposed. . . “

Megan Rhyne, executive director, of the Virginia Coalition for Open Government, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to making sure that Virginians have the best access to public meeting, records and proceedings, said, “This seems to be a case of where though toeing the technical line, it does the public a disservice to gloss over the substance of what those actions being taken are.

“It might all be completely above board but when they dismiss an inquiry into what was voted on, it immediately breeds suspicion and brings into question their motives, their actions. It just raises more questions than answers,” she said.

In addition to Sanders, board members present and voting were Kevin Dent, Sean A. Dunn, Susan Bourgeois, Lee DiCenso, and Edward Shahin.
Absent: Risa Sanders, Drew Clark, who now lives in Chicago, Jennifer Dunn (daughter of Sean), Lori Wertz and her daughter Angela.

When The Ear called David Sanders this morning for a comment for this story he first said, he had no comment.

A few minutes later,  he said, “The action that we took last night which I think could be reported fairly and accurately without jeopardizing privacy rights would be the board voted to make George Sachs, the acting executive director” of the community center.

An acting director is needed because Executive director Julie Rasmussen surprised the board at its March meeting by announcing her resignation after less than two years in her $115,000 a year job.

Sanders gave no other details including the salary, other actions taken by the board  or the board’s plans for finding a permanent director.

Family concerns Lead to McLean Community Center Resignation

Julie Rasmussen

MCLEAN, VA – Julie Rasmussen, executive director of the McLean Community Center, said Thursday  afternoon that increasing family responsibilities led her to resign her high-paying post.

She gave the board no advance warning before her public announcement Wednesday night, she said, because, “Several board members were aware of the family situation.  I thought it most appropriate to try to tell everyone of my decision at one time, so the full monthly board meeting seemed the logical choice. ”

At that meeting, Rasmussen gave no reason for the surprise resignation from her $115,000- a-year post. David Sanders, the board chair,  adjourned the meeting. The board then met with Rasmussen in executive session.

It is highly unusual for an executive director to announce their resignation in public and surprise their board.

“I knew that Julie had been going through some family issues. I did not know that it had reached the point that she wanted to resign,” Sanders said Thursday morning. “Family always comes first.”

Some board members have been critical of the staff that Rasmussen directs at recent board and committee meetings. They have raised questions about filling positions,  why the recent center catalog was late, and why minutes were not given to members before meetings.