Rademaker Thumbnail photo by Paul Critz Three Crescent City Harbor commissioners let a five-year employment contract with Mike Rademaker stand despite concerns from two of their colleagues that someone had tweaked it after the fact. During a meeting that lasted more than five hours Wednesday, commissioners Annie Nehmer and Dan Schmidt said the final version of the contract included terms that had been deleted during negotiations the Board held with Rademaker in May. Nehmer said that paragraphs she and her colleagues had changed when negotiating Rademaker’s contract with the help of attorney Michael Travis, of Best Best & Krieger, had been added back in after it had been sent to the district’s current legal counsel, Ryan Plotz, of the Mitchell Law Firm, for review. Those changes include adjusting Rademaker’s work schedule so he could be more available to the public at the harbor as well as removing a cost-of-living adjustment from the contract, Nehmer said. There was also some discussion about what would happen with Rademaker’s housing if he was terminated. “It was added in [the contract] that he gets to stay in harbor housing if he’s terminated, which violates the California Constitution because we’re gifting him free rent,” Nehmer said. “If we give it to him, are we supposed to give it to everyone? We’re setting a precedent.” In response to a “cure and correct” demand Nehmer had filed against the Harbor District on May 29, the Board of Commissioners rescinded their May 28 approval of Rademaker’s contract on advice of their legal counsel. They then approved a revised version of Rademaker’s contract with an annual base salary of $114,000 subject to a cost of living adjustment and housing that the Harbor District provides. The terms of the contract started April 23, 2025 and continues through June 30, 2030. Nehmer and Schmidt dissented. Earlier in the meeting, in response to a different cure and correct demand Nehmer had filed against the Harbor District on June 9, the Board rescinded — and then re-voted on — a contract to retain Plotz, and the Mitchell Law Firm, as general counsel. Schmidt dissented on the decision to retain the Mitchell Law Firm as legal counsel. In both cases, Nehmer alleged that because her colleagues had failed to allow the public to weigh in on the proposed contracts, the Board had violated the Ralph M. Brown Act, California’s open meeting law. Nehmer and Schmidt, however, voted alongside their colleagues to approve a conflict-of-interest waiver that would allow the Mitchell Law Firm to represent the Harbor District in discussions with the county over use of harbor property. According to a report from Plotz to the Harbor District Board and County Counsel Jacqueline Roberts, the Mitchell Law Firm had performed legal services on unrelated matters in the past. Plotz did not attend Wednesday’s Harbor District meeting. Nehmer’s cure and correct demands come alongside a restraining order and preliminary injunction she filed on May 27 to halt the release of a report prepared for the district by Sacramento consultant HRtoGO into alleged misconduct on the part of the harbormaster. In a conversation with Redwood Voice on May 30, Nehmer said she wanted to block the public release of the report after Schmidt referenced it following an open meeting on April 12. Nehmer said Schmidt’s statement prompted Linda Sutter, a vocal critic of the Board and Rademaker, to submit a California Public Records Act request to obtain the report. Sutter also has a lawsuit pending against the Harbor District, alleging that Rademaker had falsified and mishandled Public Records Act requests and that he falsified premature release of an investigation into harassment. According to Rademaker, Nehmer, who had addressed her colleagues as a member of the public at the May 28 meeting, tried to have HRtoGO's investigation into him reopened, though it had been concluded. On May 8, Nehmer was formally notified that the consultant had concluded their investigation. On Wednesday, however, Nehmer said HRtoGO’s investigation into Rademaker was still incomplete. For his part, Schmidt urged his colleagues to reopen the harbormaster position and seek potential candidates for the job, noting that Rademaker’s current agreement expires on Monday. He said the changes that he and his colleagues made during contract negotiations in May included reducing the terms from five years to three. Yet that change was not reflected in the contract the Board approved on May 28, he said. Schmidt also reiterated his concerns that Rademaker had demanded the Board vote on his contract without consulting with the district’s attorney. He also repeated his opinion that Rademaker has shown poor judgment in his interactions with both Nehmer and Sutter. “… the Linda Sutter incident, culminating in the sock throwing and lawsuit — poor judgment,” Schmidt said. “The issue with Annie — [however] the hell that transpired — poor judgment. I’m concerned that we’ve taken a person who has continually exhibited poor judgment and gave him a five year contract when we agreed to bring it down to three. How did that sneak back in as five?” The sock-throwing incident Schmidt mentioned to was in reference to a public comment Sutter made on March 26 when she threw a balled-up pair of socks at Rademaker and stated he left them at her home. In her petition for an injunction against the Harbor District, Nehmer stated that releasing the HRtoGO investigation would cause her irreparable harm due to allegations that Rademaker had harassed her. When asked by Redwood Voice, Nehmer declined to comment further on the nature of the harassment. The other three Harbor District commissioners, Gerhard Weber, Rick Shepherd and John Evans were frustrated at Nehmer and Schmidt’s attempts to get them to reconsider their stance on Rademaker’s employment. Evans, who had made a motion to approve the contract after a previous motion from Schmidt to reject it failed with a 2-3 vote, pointed out that the Board had negotiated the agreement for several hours on more than one occasion. In response to Schmidt, Evans said that Rademaker was hired six months ago, which is why his current contract is set to expire on Monday. The Board had been vetting Rademaker as a possible permanent replacement for his predecessor, Tim Petrick, who resigned in September, Evans said. Evans also noted that the Harbor District Board approved a five-year contract with Rademaker in April. “I cannot in good faith go back to a Board decision made months ago and rescind that at this time,” Evans said. “I could go either way with it, three or five [years] — and I understand the community’s issues — but like I said I cannot go back on a Board decision. We agreed to a five-year contract. When we promise something we have to stick to it.” Most members of the public urged the Board of Commissioners to reconsider their decision on Rademaker’s contract. One speaker, Joe “Hank” Akin questioned the validity of the report included in the Harbor Board’s packet regarding both cure and correct demands as well as the letter Plotz sent to commissioners. Plotz’s letter wasn’t signed and it wasn’t on his law firm’s letterhead, Akin said. He also pointed out that Rademaker submitted the argument to the Board in response to Nehmer’s cure and correct demand to rescind his employment contract. “To me that’s a conflict,” Akin said. “It’s nothing but smoke and mirrors.” Former Del Norte County supervisor, Gerry Hemmingsen, who has a boat moored at the harbor, also argued against approving a five-year contract with Rademaker. “I’ve asked Mr. Rademaker to send me a list of his accomplishments. It’s been over a month and I haven’t heard a word,” he said. “Maybe I should ask you or you should volunteer to give me a list of accomplishments.” Another speaker, Sunny Gonzalez-Valero, said she’s worked in human resources for about 20 years with about 10 of those being in the public sector. Gonzalez-Valero had been the human resources director for Crescent City. She said she was concerned about the Harbor District’s decision not to advertise the open harbormaster position following Petrick’s resignation in September. “Your putting [Rademaker] into that position is not legal or ethical,” she said. “And the reason for that is to make sure there is a fair hiring procedure and to prevent any kind of discrimination. You are definitely doing the wrong thing by moving forward on an employee agreement when it has not been run through in the proper channels.” According to Rademaker, however, the Harbor District Board is able to promote from within “when it serves the best interests of the District.” The best interest includes preserving institutional knowledge and reducing costs, according to Rademaker. “Unlike certain service contracts, personnel appointments are not subject to RFP requirements under California law,” Rademaker told Redwood Voice via text message Thursday. Rademaker referred to the six months he had been working as interim harbormaster as a working interview. During the period between October 2024 and April 2025, the Board of Commissioners were able to evaluate Rademaker’s ability to “lead under pressure, manage regulatory and financial challenges and stabilize operations.” Rademaker said he also held civil service protections as assistant harbormaster. “So instead of engaging in a potentially disruptive separation process, the Board chose to leverage my experience by consolidating three higher-cost executive roles into one,” he said. “That restructuring is saving the district over $300,000 annually in salary and benefits.” Rademaker wasn’t totally without supporters on Wednesday. At the beginning of the meeting former commissioner Harry Adams praised a pilot study project Rademaker initiated which looks at using an area near Whaler Island as a site for dredge materials. Adams also praised Rademaker’s role in securing nearly $15 million in federal Maritime Administration grant dollars to reconstruct Citizens Dock and seawall. Rich Salvaressa, the Harbor District’s maintenance supervisor who is retiring soon, said he had known Rademaker for 15 years and had been working with him for about seven or eight. He said he’s doing a “snappy job.” “It’s easy to criticize, but it’s not an easy job to do,” he said.