Two Calif. Fire District Directors Exit Abruptly

Richard Olsen and Brook Mancinelli have unexpectedly resigned their posts on the Moraga-Orinda Fire District board of directors, the latest sign of a deeply fractured board.

Both announced their departures at the end of Wednesday night's board meeting; they will formally step down Feb. 29.

Mancinelli, an Orinda resident, represented Division 5. His term was to end in November. Olsen, who also lives in Orinda, represented Division 3. His term was to expire in November 2014.

The surprise announcements came after trustees discussed ideas for administrative office space and extending fire Chief Randy Bradley's contract to July 2014. Both Mancinelli and Olsen voted against the contract extension but were outvoted 3-2.

In an interview, Olsen did not want to discuss that vote. Mancinelli could not be reached for comment.

About the broader question of leaving the board, Olsen said, "I'm totally frustrated."

In a prepared statement read at the meeting, he said the board has become dysfunctional and has been working at "cross purposes. Little of significance has been accomplished."

In addition, he said, leaving the board would allow him to speak out publicly on issues of concern "without the constraints" he currently feels.

"I felt that I wasn't able to affect the kind of positive change I hoped that I could facilitate," Olsen said later.

Board President Fred Weil said that while one departing trustee had notified him of his plans before the meeting, the announcements came as a complete surprise.

"I'm very disappointed," he said. "Both of them are very intelligent people who are well motivated toward the district. I'm disappointed they decided not to continue on."

The departures of Olsen and Mancinelli rocked a fire district already reeling from a recent controversy surrounding a proposed building purchase -- ultimately not pursued -- that divided board members.

In December, Mancinelli and Olsen voted against the purchase of an office building at 1150 Moraga Way that would have housed MOFD's administrative staff.

The $1.1 million cash purchase of the building, along with plans to lease or sell excess office space, would have allowed administrators to bankroll the replacement of Orinda's 60-year-old Station 43.

The district planned to finance a portion of the $3 million replacement cost of the Orinda station with a lease/purchase.

Although approved by directors Weil, John Wyro and Frank Sperling, the complicated deal fell through when Sperling and Weil abruptly changed their minds and decided to oppose the purchase.

The district lost a nonrefundable $25,000 deposit to the owners of the office building as a result of backing out of the purchase contract.

Bradley, who is now charged with finding another location for office space, expressed surprise Thursday that Olsen and Mancinelli had resigned.

"It was unexpected," Bradley said in a phone interview. "It's unfortunate that they chose to resign."

But he said the board and the district should stay focused on providing fire protection and emergency medical services to the communities.

Bradley said there is no indication the board would revisit purchasing 1150 Moraga Way, noting that two of the board members who ultimately opposed it are still on the board.

Bradley said he was in the process of looking at options for filling the new board vacancies. The board could appoint new directors or hold a special election.

"Our board can choose either or a combination of the two," he said. ---