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Sarasota News Leader August 30, 2013 Page 30 OTHER BOARD MEMBERS WEIGH IN Mason told her colleagues their Aug. 28 meeting was the first opportunity she had had to discuss the matter with them, as it would not have been appropriate for her to talk with them about it individually. She wanted to know whether any of them had a concern, she added. "I'm surprised to hear what you had to say, because it was presented to me by Mr. Reid that [Gable] didn't have the CPA [license] that I thought she had," Commissioner Nora Patterson said. She and Reid had concurred in the view that Gable was "an awfully good employee," Patterson added. Suzanne Gable awaits the resumption of a Regarding the CPA issue, Patterson continued, May budget workshop. File photo "I find it difficult to believe he didn't commuat Siesta Public Beach. "I find … there's been nicate the same thing to everybody." no sense of urgency on the part of staff, and Mason responded that she and Reid did dis- leadership needs to direct that. Leadership cuss the matter after his return from Switzer- needs to ride herd on the managers or the deland. "Mr. Reid feels fairly certain that he did partment heads who are not doing their jobs tell me [about the CPA matter], but I'm fairly properly. … The Gable thing is just one more certain he didn't." thing on top of that." Commissioner Joe Barbetta said he recalled Reid mentioning only that Gable was leaving because of her parents' health problems. "It wasn't until I got back from Switzerland that I actually learned that she was not in fact a CPA," he continued, "and that was disturbing because [Gable] held herself out to be one for quite a few years." (Barbetta also was a member of the rowing bid delegation.) He added, "I worry about employee morale and, from what I hear, the fear that is permeating the organization — fear of us or administration, I don't know. … So my frustration has to deal with needing more confidence in the leadership to make this a first-class professional organization, where employees shouldn't be afraid … to say 'Hi' to commissioners." "My bigger problem," Barbetta pointed out, "is Commissioner Christine Robinson pointed just the ongoing morale concerns" and major out that Reid never mentioned the CPA facproject delays, including the improvements tor to her, either. Robinson reminded her col-