Porterville Little League: Reece addresses allegations
President and board step down
Porterville Little League president Thad Reece, and his fellow Board of Directors, stepped down after responding to allegations about league management, spending practices and more that were raised by a former board member at the league’s Annual Meeting of Members on Tuesday at Believers Church.
Reece and his board of directors appointed a new board of directors and will facilitate a transition of power until Oct. 1, according to PLL’S bylaws.
Allegations Addressed
A letter sent by former board member, Richard Tree, asked Reece and the board to explain why Reece’s construction company was paid a total of $22,375, why several unknown bank accounts and credit cards received a total of $9,908.59, why Strathmore High School’s fields received upgrades when teams weren’t playing there this season and why independent contractors and umpires were paid in cash from the snack bar.
Speaking to about 100 people while flanked by his board members, Reece read from a six-page letter that detailed his and the board’s work over the past seasons, the success of teams, the increase in membership and more before directly addressing Tree’s allegations 17 minutes later.
Reading from the letter that was provided to The Recorder and Reece said would be available online at a later date, Reece addressed Tree’s questions of expenditure with an itemized list:
Check 1337 for $16,500 to Reece’s company, Above & Beyond Constructions, went to: two new scoreboards ($8,134.80); an ATV to drag the field at Zalud Park ($843.92); three loads of infield mix purchased in Fresno and delivered using an ABC truck and trailer for delivery ($1,800); scoreboard delivery and removal of old ones ($700); electrical, parts, tools, drags, rakes, miscellaneous ($746.28); and three workers for approximately 210 man hours ($4,275).
Check 1360 for $3,300 to ABC: installation of old/new scoreboards at Zalud North, digging, trenching, installing electrical, concrete, etc ($2,250); two 21-foot8-inch pipes painted, hauled and installed with custom PLL sign ($850); and wire, parts, miscellaneous ($400).
Check 1363 for $2,575 to ABC: all new sprinklers at Monte Moore field ($475); Moore field fencing fixed, graffiti painted, electrical outlet boxes fixed, press box painted and fixed ($350); entire C-trains reroofed ($550); removal/installation of snack bar counters and painting ($300); cleaning water damaged equipment and hanging banners ($150); emergency plumbing leak ($50); field prep with weed killer, fertilizer, removal of trash, etc ($350); and replacing lights on old scoreboard and rewiring ($75); installing new home plate, pitching rubbers and adding clay to four pitching mounds ($275).
Operating on eight fields including Burton Ballpark’s five fields, Zalud Park’s two fields and one at SHS; Reece said the league did not have enough volunteers or the manpower to cover all of the work that ABC did — work approved by the board.
“It has been a blessing that my company was able to do all the menial tasks and the major tasks at a fraction of a cost that others would have charged,” Reece said.
In regards to the unknown credit cards and bank accounts payments totalling $9,908.59, Reece said that instead of personal checks the board had made a practice of setting up cards that money went too:
Check 1327 for $542.32 went to equipment and gear from Dick’s Sporting Goods.
Check 1332 for $4,688.07 paid for the league’s fees, insurance and charter payment for 2017.
Check 1338 ($1,886) and 1367 ($23120.20) went to the Oakland A’s fundraiser that the league did.
Check 1356 for $482 was for tickets to a Fresno Grizzlies game for winning team.
Speaking on the issue about paying independent contractors and umpires in cash from the snack bar and not providing people with the IRS 1099 form, Reece said this was the first year that the league had ever paid umpires that way because the board had been told it was common practice around District 34.
Reece added that independent contractors were not paid this way and that everyone received the tax form.
Although a PLL team did not play at SHS this season, where Reece is the head coach of the varsity team, Reece said the board had approved putting in a small fence down each foul ball line three or four years ago, when the league had used the field.
Audience Frustration
Although members in attendance expected a chance to ask Reece and his board members questions, only two questions were asked and answered. One was in regards to hats purchased, which Reece said the hats had arrived late, but would be given out. The second question was about minutes, which Reece said would be made available to the board.
Frustration with Reece was expressed in the meeting early on with one attendee walking out seven minutes in because Reece did not immediately address the allegations. Throughout Reece’s speech people shouted over Reece, while Reece did his best to remain calm and not engage over any outbursts.
“I didn’t think it went too good,” Robert Vargas, a manager in the league, said. “No questions were asked, we weren’t allowed to ask any questions. We feel like he didn’t really answer anything, but it is what is.”
Although elected to the new board by Reece and his board members, Vargas went on to say that the worst part about the whole situation was that the members did not get to vote for the new board.
“The worst thing about it is that no one got to vote,” he said. “No one expressed their feelings about it voting in. So yeah I’d be better with it actually getting votes in but we didn’t get to vote so we’ll see what happens.”
The New Board
Towards the end of his remarks Reece informed attendees that he and his board had chosen the new board and there would be no election.
“There will be no election tonight, our board has cast the final ballot,” he said. “The new board has been filled with the nine new people that want to help make Porterville Little League a better league.”
Besides Reece as president, the board was made up of Rhonda Britt, Mark Odsather, Gale Peterson and Paul Vera. The newly elected board is Vargas, Andy Cerda, Chris Enriquez, Drew Ferris, Jeff Milhous, Josh Flowers, Mario Velasquez Jr, Pedro Nunez and Russell Isom.
“There’s no need to do a vote because you only had nine people, you had until the end of the July to vote,” Reece told people questioning the move.
According PLL bylaws elections are to take place “in August during the annual general membership meeting.” The bylaws also state that nominees should be listed on portervillelittleleague.com, but no list can be found, and outlines a specific nomination period.
In Article V, Section 6 of the Little League Constitution it also states that the annual meeting should be held “for the purpose of electing new Members, electing the Board of Directors, receiving reports...” Regular members are defined to include all elected board members, as well as managers, coaches and volunteers who complete the required forms, attend a minimum of three board meetings and are approved by a majority of the board of directors. Parents not volunteering can be regular members by paying $10, filling out the forms, attending at least three board meetings and being approved by the board.
In response to request from attendees for the information Reece said that information would be given to the next board and they could distribute it as they saw fit.
Success and Future of PLL
“As far as my comments, I think it’s important to move forward,” Tree said. “For the betterment of the kids and the community that has been behind Porterville Little League.”
Tree was not at the PLL meeting since he had two items to bring before City Council at their meeting at the same time, but he listened to a recording of the meeting. Both Tree and Reece stressed that their was no ill-will between them and that they wanted nothing but the best for the future of the league.
“The previous board did great things for the community and now its time for the new group to carry it forward,” Tree said.
Under Reece’s six year’s as president, PLL was very successful and saw participation numbers jump from the 200’s to the 500’s and almost to the 600’s. The All-star teams won 18 out of 26 district championships, six sectional championships and had six teams go to the Little League Northern California State Championship tournament.
Vargas was the coach of this year’s 11-yearold All-star team that finished seventh in the Little League Northern California State Championship tournament, the highest finish in PLL history.
After everything that transpired over the past couple of days, he said he will be sticking with the league for hopefully the next 10 years and has faith in the league.
“I know the league is good,” he said. “It has a dark cloud over it right now, but it will get cleared up.”
In his final words at the meeting, Reece thanked everyone for letting him speak and stressed the importance of unity.
“If our league and children are going to see better days of baseball in our community then, unity must prevail,” he said. “May God bless our new board of directors as they move forward, hopefully making our awesome league even better.”