Thumbnail photo by Paul Critz Sandy Moreno successfully convinced three harbor commissioners that she’s “imminently qualified” to stay on as financial advisor. But her justification last week for why she denied access to a U.S. Department of Agriculture document to a member of the public nearly resulted in the ejection of another member of the public from the Crescent City Harbor District's Aug. 13 meeting when she protested. “To have a person that you’re employing telling you they are the boss is heinous. It’s just heinous and it’s inappropriate,” Stephanie Abrams said when she was allowed to speak. Abrams, who listened to Moreno make her case for more than a half-hour on why commissioners should renew her contract, said she wanted to address “what I’m watching” when Board President Gerhard Weber cut her off, saying “this is not on the agenda.” Abrams argued that her comment was about “the subject at hand,” when Weber cut her off a second time, telling her she’s “out of order.” When Abrams argued a third time, saying she hadn’t had a chance to say anything, Weber recessed the meeting for five minutes and told her she needed to leave. After the recess, Weber’s colleague John Evans urged him to allow Abrams to speak for her allotted three minutes, ultimately making a motion to override the Board President’s directive for Abrams to leave. When Abrams was allowed her say — following a 3-2 vote during which Weber and his colleague Dan Schmidt dissented — she reminded commissioners that they’re the people in charge. They were elected by the people and, unlike a Crescent City Harbor District employee, can’t be ousted unless they did “something outrageously illegal,” she said. After listening to Moreno’s presentation, Abrams said she was shaking. “Under the First Amendment, there is a right for the citizen to go to any public entity and do an open records request, whether that record is a mess or not,” she said. “No employee should be empowered to say to anybody, ‘Sorry, you can’t have it because I haven’t checked it yet.’ No way, José, is that legal.” Commissioners approved Moreno’s contract by a 3-2 vote. But because there was a question about if she would be working for the Crescent City Harbor District as an independent contractor or as an actual employee, Evans asked to have legal counsel review the proposed agreement. Schmidt and his colleague Annie Nehmer dissented. Moreno, who began providing financial services to the Harbor District in April, had submitted a proposed contract to the Board on Aug. 8. She stated her hourly billable rate would be $75 with a not-to-exceed amount of $64,775 through June 30, 2026. According to her proposed contract, Moreno would prepare CCHD’s financial statements, its 2026-27 budget, year-end financials and documents for audit purposes, cash flow reports and fixed asset schedules. She would also offer grant analysis, an analysis of a short-term plan to generate income for the agency, accounting systems management and analysis and fiscal office management. According to her, Harbormaster Mike Rademaker is the district’s CEO and “I’m his right hand.” “I’m here to protect the organization and to represent the organization,” Moreno told commissioners. “So, no, I am not going to give you just anything off the wall. I’m going to look at it. I’m going to make sure it’s a good document. Before you spend any time making assumptions about things, I need to know it’s the right document you’re looking at.” Moreno did take issue with another proposed contract that appeared on the Aug. 13 agenda, which was between CCHD and Las Vegas-based accountant Stephen Denny. The scope of that proposed contract included cash flow reporting, budget-to-actuals review, monthly financial presentations, review of accounts receivables and general financial review and assurance. The proposed compensation was $65 per hour. While Moreno agreed that she needed someone to check her work, she said Denny’s proposed contract appearing alongside hers was an insult. “If you want me to help you turn your company around, this document needs to be changed and it needs to say ‘as needed,” she said. “‘Sandy will have access to you as needed,’ which is what we agreed to all along.” According to Rademaker, the Board had originally considered Denny’s contract in 2021. They had initially considered hiring him to be the district’s primary bookkeeper, but decided to work with Moreno instead. “He’s there to augment and to be a help to you however you need him,” Rademaker told Moreno. “He’s not there to replace [you].” During her presentation, Moreno outlined her work history. This includes working with Big Rock Community Services District — Hiouchi’s water provider — since 2006 and Chart Room owner Jan Wellman since 2009. Moreno also worked with Fashion Blacksmith from 2013 until it reached a settlement agreement that has the Harbor District paying its former $2.6 million-plus interest. “It was because of my financials they got the settlement that they did,” Moreno said. Moreno outlined her credentials because she wanted to respond to statements public commenters Linda Sutter and Hank Akin made to the board, accusing her of denying Nehmer, a commissioner, access to public documents. Moreno said it was Sutter who had asked for the USDA documents. According to Moreno, Nehmer had initially said she wanted to look at documents related to the Harbor District’s insurance policy, however it “ended up not being about insurance, it ended up about being an emergency response plan.” While there wasn’t an emergency response plan for Nehmer to look at, she found a binder, a policy book, made for the Board of Commissioners. “She wanted to take that with her,” Moreno said. “I said, ‘No, don’t take that with you please. There’s only one copy.’ I suggested I’d have copies made. They’re made, you can have them when you need them.” During her presentation, Moreno defended her recommendation to forego paying for a $181,000 insurance policy that would have covered fire and collision damage on the inner boat basin docks only after the harbor had met a $250,000 deductible. She also spoke to the 2024-25 Grand Jury report, saying “everything in the Grand Jury report I have already addressed.” Moreno also defended Rademaker, who’s been criticized not being more readily available to local fishermen. “In September of 2024, Mike Rademaker came on as interim harbormaster and within a month or two, we spent grant money and brought in all these consultants to talk about revenue generation development,” she said. “In March, they gave you a presentation and a vision. All during this time, this man’s been out there pounding the streets. No he’s not here meeting with all the fishermen because he’s spending every minute trying to accomplish the goals you set out for him.” Nehmer said that while Moreno was doing an excellent job as the Harbor District’s bookkeeper, she questioned whether or not the proposal was to hire her on as an employee. “While this details a list of services, you brought it back to CPRAs,” Nehmer said, referring to the California Public Records Act requests Sutter has made. “You’ve taken over some of the jobs other staff have.” Nehmer said Moreno’s response when she came to her seeking information about an emergency response plan was that “all documents must come through [her] and Mike before giving it to anyone so that you weren’t blindsided by anything.” “As a government agency, we’re commissioners, we’re entitled to see everything in this building,” Nehmer said. “Not before you preview it.” In a written statement to Redwood Voice, Moreno said she doesn’t support withholding access to documents for commissioners nor for members of the public. “But it is only common sense and best practice for management and its staff to be informed about what documents and the content therein are being disseminated in order to be prepared for any event that might result from the dissemination,” she said. “Surely you must all understand the necessity of the aforementioned. As usual, it’s just a process question.” Though she believes in “consensus-minus-one,” Moreno said the Harbor District Board and staff should strive for 5-0 votes on all matters. This can be achieved, she said, through the “old-business new-business” agenda model. “Some items may be an obvious yes under new business and sometimes there may be a need for a second [or] third review under old business before we achieve 5-0 votes (or 4-1 if necessary),” she said. “This is how we should get things done. It takes time, but in the end you have a good work product and unity.”