Really...I Don't Get It

The discussion of the Fire Commissioners goes on at the APB to not much purpose. However, one commenter (the fake names stay for most of them and certainly for this one) announced that the Commissioners were taking into account the community's objections/uncertainties over Carleton's contract and were going to change things.  In fact, the commenter said that they had already changed them.  But, since that is patently not anything they can do outside of a public meeting, the commenter changed from they have done it to they will do it.  I fear that is what is ahead of us this coming Wednesday which is, I think, just a regular meeting night and not a special meeting night, but I don't know that that makes any difference.

The thing is this:  do they know anything about contracts and the writing thereof?  Do they have any experience in their lives that would suggest that people don't usually get half-time contracts in which they are given 120 vacation hours upon being hired?  That's really not the way it ever works in my experience.  Nor do contracts ever say that you agree to the possibility that you will be fired 180 days from now for no cause whatsoever, but you have to indulge in mediation and arbitration in the interim.  Would that be in addition to your 20 hours a week, or would that count as part of your 20 hours/week?  What would be the mediator/arbitrator's job?  To persuade the Commissioners to keep you on after the 180 days?  Or to persuade you to quit even though you can hang around for 180 days?   Surely not to determine whether there was any reason to fire you since they have stated that there was none.  And would you gather another flock of paid vacation, sick, bereavement, etc. days after your were given your 180 day notice?

Just those two points alone are pretty strange.  But if the Commissioners needed the public to point these problems out, then the Commissioners don't know much about what contracts look like, and maybe they shouldn't have such hard tasks as part of their responsibilities.  I guess they depended upon 'their lawyer.'  (Said lawyer, we were told, specializes in Fire Districts.  Well, everybody got to be somewhere...).  Malpractice, maybe?

I keep saying, 'I'm going to let this alone; just go to the meetings.'  But there's something nutsy about it that keeps pulling at me.  The whole thing just doesn't make sense.  Which is why I keep getting dragged back to it.  Where's the actual story here?  I think it's going to keep on itching until we get some closure: Why was Kiniski fired?  And why are they still the Commissioners?

On the other hand, the three nicest days of summer have occurred in the autumn this year.  Like a desert wind outdoors in the late afternoon.  Don't understand that, either: I mean, we live on the ocean...