Yet another Letter to the Editor Demanding Trainer Be Fired:

Yet another Letter to the Editor Demanding Trainer Be Fired:

During my three-year tenure as board president of a non-profit organization, one of my responsibilities was to make sure that our executive director followed the letter and the spirit of the goals and objectives set forth in our mission statement. 

From my reading of the Environmental Action Committee’s (EAC) mission statement on their website (www.eacmarin.org) the conduct of their executive director Amy Trainer is similarly in conflict with the objectives of the organization she works for.

Here are some examples: “EAC works for...the preservation of a rural, community spirit”; EAC uses law, policy, science and education to: create a common ground of understanding and promote informed debate; and encourage and facilitate productive resolutions to land-use conflicts by working closely with those who own, manage and use West Marin lands.”

Ms. Trainer’s take-no-prisoners approach to problem solving has made an absolute mockery of the goals stated above. And even now that the fate of the Drakes Bay Oyster Company (DBOC) is squarely in the hands of the courts, and has been for several months, her most recent attempt to smear DBOC and the Lunny family is stark evidence of how she has allowed her role in this conflict to degenerate, without apology, into a personal vendetta. 

If this is the kind of reprehensible conduct the EAC is proud to support then the gaping wounds that have been opened in the hearts and minds of so many people in this community and beyond will only continue to fester. If not, then the EAC must take quick and decisive action to find new leadership for its executive position.

Having gone all in with Ms. Trainer in their wilderness-at-any-cost campaign, this will not be an easy task for the EAC, and it will be especially difficult because in a small organization where everyone knows each other, the bonds of association and friendship will frequently cause a board of directors to put off making such a crucial decision. I know from my own experience with this process, that the longer you wait to release a toxic employee the worse it gets for all concerned.

If the EAC has any hope of reclaiming its birthright as an organization dedicated to truth, scientific integrity and personal accountability in the pursuit of the goals and objectives as proclaimed by its founders, there is only one choice they can make. And only when they find the courage to do so can real healing truly begin.

Bruce Mitchell

Inverness