How to resolve AdBlock issue? At the same time, key public records from a past meeting on the item were found to have been altered or removed from the county’s website — and were restored Tuesday afternoon following an inquiry from Lake County News.
The County Administrative Office provided a written explanation for the altered records and attributed the disappearance of certain documents to an “administrative error.”
During the meeting, District 4 Supervisor Brad Rasmussen explained that the item had originally been scheduled for April 1 but was postponed after the recommended candidate, Joseph Iaccino, withdrew his application.
The Lakeport Fire Protection District Board of Directors, or LFPD, later submitted an updated letter dated April 9 recommending “either Terry Cherney or Gary Deas” from remaining applicants.
“I was involved in this process from the beginning and monitored the interviews, and with my knowledge of the candidates, I'm recommending to this board that we appoint Terry Cherney for the open director’s position for the Lakeport fire board,” said Rasmussen at the Tuesday meeting.
There was no further discussion from board members or the public. Rasmussen made the motion to appoint Cherney, which was seconded by Supervisor Helen Owen and passed unanimously.
Cherney’s appointment will fill the vacant seat left by former board member Melissa Bedford’s resignation. Bedford was appointed in December 2023.
According to Cherney’s application document, he works as a dispatcher, equipment operator and driver. He was also “a volunteer firefighter/captain for 20 years” and worked for “California forestry department for three seasons.”
“I will bring experience from being a volunteer firefighter/ captain to understanding what is best for the community and fire department,” Cherney wrote in his application.
Lake County News asked Rasmussen why he chose Cherney over Deas, the two candidates recommended by the fire district.
“All of the applicants, even those not recommended by the fire board, had appropriate qualifications and a strong desire to serve,” he said in an email response. “At this time I felt Mr. Cherney was the most appropriate fit.”
Deas previously had served on the fire board but resigned in 2022 to take a job out of the county.
The other fire board members include Andrew Britton, David Brown, Bill Gabe and Jeff Warrenburg. Together, they help oversee the 49-square-mile district. The district’s website said it currently has 15 paid staff and 19 volunteers.
Altered public records restored; removal called 'administrative error'
The item — Consideration of appointment to Lakeport Fire Protection District Board of Directors — was originally scheduled for the Board of Supervisors’ April 1 meeting.
During that meeting, District 4 Supervisor Brad Rasmussen explained the need to reschedule the item.
“Last week the fire board did an extensive interview process and recommended a candidate which I agreed with,” he said of the interview conducted on March 25 by the LFPD which decided to recommend Iaccino. “However that candidate withdrew from the process after 10 p.m. last night.”
Ahead of the April 22 meeting, Lake County News discovered that multiple documents associated with the April 1 agenda item appeared to have been altered or removed from the county’s online record.
First, the staff memo attached for the April 1 item was identical to the memo posted for April 22 — and was dated April 22 — three weeks after the actual meeting.
Second, the application from Joseph Iaccino, the original LFPD-recommended candidate who later withdrew, was marked as “unavailable.”
Third, the original recommendation letter from the LFPD Board of Directors was also shown as “unavailable.”
At 11:48 a.m. on Tuesday, Lake County News contacted Assistant Clerk to the Board of Supervisors Johanna DeLong seeking clarification.
Questions included: Why were these three records changed or removed? When were the changes made? Who authorized them? Is it common practice to alter posted records from a prior meeting? And could the original versions of the documents be provided?
At 3:35 p.m., Lake County News found that the county had restored all three documents in question attached to the April 1 meeting agenda on its website, including swapping the forward-dated memo back to the original one.
At 4:52 p.m., in a written response, the County Administrative Office explained why the item was rescheduled and that Iaccino’s document is no longer relevant to the April 22 meeting agenda.
Regarding the alterations to the April 1 meeting agenda, the office attributed it to an “administrative error.”
“Our office updated the file to move the item ahead in our agenda management system and revised the applicants accordingly,” DeLong and Administrative Analyst Carolyn Purdy wrote in an email. “Due to administrative error, part of the April 1st file was not visible online and has now been restored to its original form.”
However, the county’s response did not address when the records were altered, how the error occurred, or whether such changes to past meeting documents are a common or accepted practice — questions that remain central to transparency and reliability of public records.
Withdrawn candidates
Iaccino was not the only candidate who withdrew.
The open position at the LFPD board received six applications. The interviews with all six candidates were conducted at a LFPD special meeting on March 25.
One of the original six applicants was Gregory Scott, a retired Cal Fire assistant chief, who at one time ran the largest fire unit in the state — consisting of 100 fire stations — in Southern California.
He also has extensive background in disaster management and, after retiring to Lakeport, has been a volunteer with the Lakeport Police Department.
Scott said he wanted to look to find ways to stabilize the district and help it get the new firehouse and updated equipment it needs. “I think I could offer ideas,” Scott said, noting his past experience.
He’s previously applied for a seat on the fire protection district but has not been selected.
“This is the third interview I’ve gone for and I’ve been rejected,” he said of his effort to receive an appointment to the board.
At the end of the special March 25 meeting, Scott decided to withdraw his candidacy.
After going through 20-plus interview questions, Scott said he was told he would have to travel as part of the board.
Due to health requirements, he decided to forego pursuing the appointment, and said he didn’t want them to have to make exceptions for him.
Although he’s been disappointed about not having been chosen in the past to serve on the board, Scott said, “I’m not taking it to heart.”
Email staff reporter Lingzi Chen at
