Hillcrest Business Association

I just don’t know what to say … more trouble at the Hillcrest Business Association (HBA). The new Executive Director Sonya Stauffer was terminated June 5. She is now pursuing action with the board of directors to determine whether Johnathan Hale had the authority to fire her.

LGBT Weekly got a copy of Ms. Stauffer’s email to the HBA board from June 16:

Dear Members of the Board,

In my email last week to Johnathan, Dalour and Eddie [and passed out to Board members present at Executive] I requested an amount of time at the Board level at tomorrow’s meeting [for myself and staff] to be heard/resolve the events leading up to and my termination by Johnathan Hale on June 5th at the HBA office. I have had no response to this request and last week at Executive, the room was cleared [NOTE***All Board Members do have a right to congregate at any meeting held, but to observe/listen only] where I was stopped short of being able to inform the Board of the events leading up to my termination by Johnathan Hale and again without the Boards knowledge or YOUR VOTE. Furthermore, Cecelia Moreno sent an email to an individual outside the Board stating “Sonya was terminated last Tuesday” – referring to Executive meeting. If this is the case it was done in an illegally noticed Closed Session and now being taken to Board to vote. Plus it seems Ms. Moreno has ALREADY MADE YOUR VOTE FOR YOU as per the e mail. I have requested [twice] the items that were voted on at Executive last week [in the illegally held closed session] and the vote. I have yet to receive them and they are to be made public within 24 hours of the closed session.

I am hereby requesting a hearing by the full Board of Directors in regards to my termination on June 5th, 2014. I am requesting this hearing so I may know the reasons for my termination, where/when/what meeting it was voted on by the Board to terminate me, any prior warnings or meetings by the Board discussing my deficiencies and any action between myself and the Board to remedy any deficiencies with me. In addition, I am requesting who at Board level gave Johnathan Hale [President of the Board] the authority to solely and on his own, put me on notice in May [at a private meeting between he and myself and noted in an e mail] and then as well, take it upon himself and without just cause to come into the HBA office, terminate me, take my key, unplug my computer and request me to leave.

I anticipate a response prior to tomorrow’s meeting.

Thank you

Sonya J. Stauffer

If that was not enough, there are HBA members who called for the resignation of Johnathan Hale because he held non-American Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant HBA meetings in his second floor office that should have been held at an ADA compliant facility. Hale’s actions could subject the HBA to significant fines and legal action. This should be a wake-up call for all boards. Are your board meetings ADA compliant?

Then there was the fiasco of a Mardi Gras this year. The event was moved, people complained about how they were treated by HBA volunteers and the VIP tent did not provide free drinks and food to those who paid the $75 VIP ticket price. Add the unsuccessful Hillcrest Hoedown and you begin to wonder if it is not time to clean house. The question is whether it should have started with Stauffer who had only been there since October.

I fully support the concept of business improvement associations. Maybe the HBA should meet with the apex of San Diego business improvement associations for counsel, the ones in Little Italy and La Jolla.

STAMPP CORBIN

PUBLISHER

San Diego LGBT Weekly

LGBTweekly.com