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RVTD member quits, changes mind By Myles Murphy Ashland Daily Tidings Days after announcing her resignation from the Rogue Valley Transportation District board, Susan McKenzie has changed her mind and will stay. "Life is a fluid possibility," McKenzie said. "I believe at this point, I can serve the district better (by staying)." McKenzie said this morning she has been thinking about resigning from the troubled board for some time, and had even announced she was quitting at a board meeting Saturday. But then something happened to tip the scales dramatically in the other direction for McKenzie. Former Jackson County Commissioner Ric Holt announced he was considering making a run at her seat. "It made me laugh out loud," McKenzie said. "Holt has a proven track record of spending people's money irresponsibly. There was no way I could in good conscience leave a seat open for him." Holt confirmed he was thinking about it, but has yet to make up his mind. "It's a possibility," Holt said this morning. "It's been such a controversial deal with her (on the RVTD board). I hope she would follow through with at least one promise she's made - to resign." McKenzie was one of the five RVTD board members targeted in two failed recall efforts in 2002.While McKenzie announced her resignation Saturday, she had not gone as far as tendering it to the board in writing, which left the door open for her to change her mind. According to board chairwoman Eva Avery, RVTD's bylaws require McKenzie to submit a written resignation. McKenzie said she had considered resigning out of frustration with endless bickering on the board. She also said constant interruptions by fellow board member Ed Chapman and a steady flow of misinformation and innuendoes are preventing the board from accomplishing anything. Chapman was the only member not included in the recent recall efforts. "A few people are just acting as obstructionists," she said. Chapman, who thinks it's time McKenzie left the board, said, "The board does nothing because the board is not capable of doing anything." As far as he's concerned, McKenzie is off the board, citing Sturgess Rules of Order that govern parliamentary procedure. "Yes means yes and no means no, and 'I resign' means 'I resign,'" he said. "It does not require that it be in writing. They can weasel all they want, but it's meaningless." Damian Mann, a reporter for the Mail Tribune of Medford, contributed to this story. LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. OTHER: Road Cams Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -