Director: WASI woes spurred by Elder Watch

WASILLA — Wasilla Area Seniors Inc. Executive Director Sondra Kaplan told members at Thursday’s board of directors meeting she considers the Mat-Su Elder Watch group to be hostile and damaging to WASI’s efforts to serve its “fragile” population.

During the board meeting, Kaplan made it clear she did not consider Mat-Su Elder Watch a legitimate group and that it has done nothing but cause problems and make false accusations against WASI and its leaders.

“They’re rude and completely disrespectful of staff and members with their constant interruptions and condescending tones,” Kaplan said, adding the group has created undue stress on the center’s seniors and staff has the right to remove anyone from the premises deemed disruptive. “WASI reserves the right to refuse service to anyone. I’m not looking to bully anyone, but this is causing excessive stress to our elderly, who are fragile.”

Kaplan and board member Stan Mitchell blamed Mat-Su Elder Watch and negative press WASI has received in the last couple of months for the organization being $104,000 in the red.

“Elder Watch has lost us some money,” Mitchell said, pointing to the loss of grants from the community and the inability to raise the $50,000 expected through the Feed-a-Senior-for-a-Day phone-a-thon event.

Kaplan said only about $5,000 was raised during this year’s phone-a-thon because members didn’t participate in the event as much as they had last year.

“This year, members decided to take an attitude and hurt themselves,” Kaplan said of the failed fund-raiser, adding that Wasilla City Council’s denial of a $36,000 grant for the food program also hurt the center’s bottom line. “Two council members got involved emotionally.”

Mitchell said he plans to ask the council at its meeting Monday why it won’t now discuss future grant options with WASI.

“I don’t have a problem asking them why,” Mitchell said. “We are trying to make a difference here.”

Undaunted by criticisms of Mat-Su Elder Watch, group founder and WASI member Anne Kilkenny told the board during the public comment period of Thursday’s meeting that she doesn’t appreciate being labeled “fragile” and “hostile.”

“Both labels are inappropriate,” Kilkenny said. “I would not be here if I had not been lied to (about having to become a WASI member to attend a board meeting). I would not be so interested in the bylaws if a falsified set of bylaws had not been distributed to members at the last board meeting. It’s very, very distressing.”

Member Patt Aldous pointed out to the board a poorly written fire inspection notice she found on a wall at the center Wednesday that had an incorrect date of August 2010.

“This fragile senior feels calling us ‘fragile’ is demeaning to us,” Aldous said. “Someone on the staff needs to proofread these notices. We fragile children knew when the fire alarms were being tested.”

WASI member Lois Wier, who’s also been active with Mat-Su Elder Watch, told the board she’s concerned with two major changes made to the WASI bylaws between 2009 and 2010 without members’ consent. One reduced the number of regular membership meetings and the other allows the board to alter bylaws with only two days’ notice of its intention to consider such a change.

When Wier asked the board if it wanted copies of her documents showing these changes, board members abruptly told her “no.” She passed them out to the 15 members in attendance, however.

Board member Katie Carney asked Wier if she’s charging the board with improper bylaw changes.

“We just started looking at all this, guys,” Carney reminded her and the other members. “I don’t even recall the board voting on any bylaw changes. But this needs to be properly addressed in the bylaws committee.”

Carney said she’d be willing to look at the items Wier is concerned about.

Board member Mitchell, however, made it clear he has grown weary of all the accusations.

“You know, this isn’t fun anymore,” Mitchell said, adding he has a law enforcement and medical background. “I am trying to help the senior center. My mother’s here. You think I’m going to do something that’s going to tear this place down?”

Mitchell told the members that if they have issues, they should first talk to board members before going to the press.

Wier and others in the room told him that they have tried repeatedly to contact board members over the past couple of months without much luck.

Sears recently sent Kilkenny an e-mail requesting she stop “bothering my board members” by phone and e-mail.

“You are becoming the problem and not the solution,” Sears states in her Jan. 24 e-mail to Kilkenny.

Retired Palmer District Court judge Beverly Cutler had stepped down from the board after only a few months of service when she was bombarded with calls and e-mails from frustrated WASI members hoping she could help them.

Cutler explained to member Elsie O’Bryan in a Dec. 20 e-mail that since she is still busy doing some part-time judicial work, she didn’t have the time to assist members in the manner they expected.

Kilkenny said later she had not been one of the members who had frequently contacted board members.

Carney reminded those in attendance that there are three vacancies on the board that need to be filled if any of them know of anyone interested in serving in that capacity.

Wier said after the meeting that although she picked up a board application, she doubts she’ll turn it in because of the confidentiality clause all WASI employees and board members have to sign.

“I value my freedom of speech too much,” Wier said. “It’s a very strict gag order.”

Contact K.T. McKee at kate.mckee@frontiersman.com or 352-2252.