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Marketeers regroup By Sean Wolfe Ashland Daily Tidings Members of the Rogue Valley Growers & Crafters Market in favor of overturning recent board decisions - and perhaps the board itself - hit a roadblock, courtesy of certain passages in Oregon state law that had been inadequately consulted. Now the members must circulate a new petition, and secure the signatures of at least 20 percent of the roughly 110 members to call a new meeting at which they are likely to re-examine the board's decision to fire market manager Janet Bierbower, and its ouster of former board president John Tannaci. According to Tannaci, who remains on the board, the petition will be drafted soon and circulated by the board secretary. Based on a head count of individuals who spoke in favor of Bierbower's reinstatement, it is likely the petition will get the necessary signatures, but whether it will be sufficient to win a majority with the membership remains an open question. About 60 members and the full nine-person board gathered on the grassy swards of Medford's Hawthorne Park Thursday afternoon, clustering under the tall trees to avoid the summer-like heat. Present also was a facilitator to conduct the meeting, as well Bierbower, who spoke publicly for the first time about her firing. "If there were issues with my performance, why were not they not presented to me?" Bierbower said. Bierbower then recited a litany of issues she said the board had brought to her earlier in the week - almost a month after her firing in a special board meeting May 1. Among them, Bierbower had incurred a $2,500 electricity bill for the Medford market, which she said the board had approved. In addition, Bierbower said there were issues regarding threatened lawsuits and overuse of the term Growers Market, as opposed to the market's proper title. Bierbower said she had received no direction from the board on resolving that issue. She also said some board members had objected to how fees were collected, but did not elaborate on specifics. Thus far, and in accordance with its bylaws, the board has refused to comment on reasons for Bierbower's firing or Tannaci's ouster. But each member of the board did speak - some to apologize for their decisions, and others to justify them. "I liked Janet, too. She was nice and good. But there are other things too that you people don't know about. To me, I saw how it built up. And if you want to fire me, OK. I'm a vendor. I just make things out of wood," noted board member Ray Ellingwood, receiving applause from board supporters as well as the opposition. Tannaci also spoke, noting that Bierbower had not been present at the meeting in which she was fired, but that the new interim manager Steven Fate attended instead. "The board acted in haste, and in secret," Tannaci said. "The ill-planned actions of the board have caused irreparable harm, and now the market's in a tailspin. The burden is on the board that has put this market in jeopardy." After weeks of wrangling with the board, some members expected Thursday's meeting to be a decisive counter - one that would reinstate both Tannaci and Bierbower. They were clearly disappointed that the gathering would not be considered an official meeting. Others expressed their delight with applause. Tannaci apologized to the members assembled for the failure to follow the sequence of recourse dictated by state law. "We found out on Tuesday that the board objected to the meeting. The secretary was supposed to have sent out the notices, and our petition should have been more specific. Therefore this won't be an official meeting," Tannaci said. While at least a third of those assembled indicated they support the board, some of those who oppose the board's decisions expressed frustration that more weeks would be spent resolving the situation. Others, like Mark Bassik of Williams-based 7 Seeds Farm, favored following established procedure. "This whole procedure is not a fine wine. It's not aging well, and personally, I don't like the process. But it's going to happen, and there's not going to be any change in between now and then. Let's just do it. Let's be adults and deal with the process," Bassik said. 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 -