From the Projo: http://www.projo.com/digitalbulletin/content/projo-20031104-reitsma.1a15bf38.html

DEM director resigns over e-mail exchange
12:17 PM EST on Tuesday, November 4, 2003

Staff and wire reports


PROVIDENCE -- The director of the state Department of Environmental Management, under fire for sending a profanity-laced e-mail, resigned during a meeting this morning with Governor Carcieri.

Carcieri accepted the resignation.

The meeting was called after the e-mail from Reitsma to the vice chairman of the state Marine Fisheries Council surfaced yesterday. Dated last Friday, the e-mail includes expletives and pointed attacks.

Carcieri said he was very concerned about the e-mail but indicated to reporters that there was more than the e-mail that troubled him.

Reitsma said he regretted writing the e-mail, saying that he had let down the public, who he had been appointed to serve.
Reitsma was appointed by former Gov. Lincoln Almond in 1999 and reappointed by Carcieri this year.

This may not be a good thing for several reasons. With this position as an appointment from the Governor, so many different groups might be lobbying to put their fella in that we could have all sorts of idiots at the helm. On the other hand, if we are lucky, we just might get an upgrade... Anyone have any clue on who might be a suitable replacement?

You find a job yet?:confused:

Nope - got some interviews lined up...

I have no idea.. maybe someone internal? ie M. Spauding etc...? No idea... I actually liked Jan.. thought he did ok...
f'ing Don C.... :af:

'hound

Don C:smash: :behead:

How's about Buddy C ? :D

Originally posted by beachwalker
How's about Buddy C ? :D I think we want someone that knows about managing the fishes and not sleeping with them, badda boom, eh!

Does anyone know the real story as to what the memo was about and why he was so worked up about it? All I heard is that it had something to do with fluke bag restrictions.

Id like to read the email .

I'd like to read the e-mail too. What was printed on turnto10.com http://www.turnto10.com/news/2609753/detail.html

"The meeting was called after News Channel 10 aired the contents of an e-mail Reitsma (pictured, right) sent to Ralph Boragine, a member of the Marine Fisheries Council. Dated Oct. 31, the e-mail includes expletives and pointed attacks at Boragine for apparently criticizing Reitsma and the rest of DEM in an earlier e-mail.
FeedRoom

"This response makes me puke," the e-mail begins. "Get off the (expletive deleted) council if you cannot control yourself. I will not stand for your outrageous and insulting behavior any longer."

The e-mail continues: "If anyone has lost all grasp of professionalism, it's you and you ought to get professional help as far as I can tell."

Another section reads, "Can you grow up enough to acknowledge that you and we don't always win, but that that's no reason to turn against your friends? Or are you really the self-destructive, (expletive deleted), whining baby you present to us?"

I would like to see the rest of the e-mail too...

John, I heard through the grapevine that this was a response to an equally nasty email.. sorta like Jan was baited into saying that... as everyone on the www should know.. dont hit send when you are angry!

Yes, it was over Fluke, I think a few constituents thought that Jan wasnt fighting hard enough for a larger commercial fluke quota.. but you didnt hear that from me

B

Both email and reply(profanity omitted) were in todays Journal

How about Raymond Patriarca? As long as he was on our side who would fool with him? :D

Swimmer - thanks for your well thought addition to the topic, hehehehe. Big Pussy (Sopranos thug character for those that don't know) would be proud if he were alive today :laughs:

OK - from the Projo - http://www.projo.com/cgi-bin/include.pl/digitalbulletin/20031104-email.htm - here was the exchange: The e-mail exchange
Editor's note: The following is the e-mail exchange that surfaced yesterday among Jan Reitsma, who resigned today as director of the state Department of Environmental Management; Ralph Boragine, vice chairman of the state Marine Fisheries Council, and Jason E. McNamee , a DEM marine biologist. The Boragine e-mail was also signed with the name of Chris Brown, president of the Rhode Island Commercial Fisherman's Association.

The text of the e-mails has been edited to delete obscenities, which have been replaced with ----, and to add explanations in parentheses.

-----Original Message-----
From: Jason McNamee [mailto:jmcnamee@dem.state.ri.us]
Sent: Thursday, October 30, 2003 11:24 AM
To: 'Ralph Boragine'
Cc: 'Mark Gibson'; 'Jan Reitsma'; 'Najih Lazar'
Subject: Fluke aggregate landing
Hello Ralph. I just wanted to drop you a line to let you know that we are waiting for a proposal from you regarding a fluke aggregate landing program. Once we receive this we will move forward with an advisory panel meeting. I know you have voiced concern over going through the advisory panel process with this proposal but Mark has received numerous letters and emails voicing interest in being a part of the development of this program so he feels we are obligated to bring this to the Fluke Advisory Panel. Once we receive your proposal I will contact you to set up an advisory panel meeting date.
Thank you very much. -Jason
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jason E. McNamee
Principal Marine Biologist
R.I. Division of Fish and Wildlife
Marine Fisheries
3 Fort Wetherill Rd.
Jamestown, RI 02835
Phone: 401-423-1943
Fax: 401-423-1925
jmcnamee@dem.state.ri.us


-----Original Message-----
From: ralph boragine [mailto:fishworksri@msn.com]
Sent: Friday, October 31, 2003 11:16 AM
To: 'Jason McNamee'
Cc: Mark Gibson; Jan Reitsma; Najih Lazar; 'Allan Glidden'; 'Bob Taber'; 'Brian Turnbaugh'; 'Bruce Knight'; 'Christopher Brown'; 'David Jordan'; David Borden; 'Dean Pesante'; 'Edward J. Everich'; 'Elizabeth B. Rowell'; 'Eric Reid'; 'Frederick Mattera'; 'James O'Grady'; 'James OMalley'; 'Jay Gallup'; 'David Preble'; 'Joel Hovanesian'; 'John O'leary'; 'Jonathan Knight'; 'Joseph Di Giacomo'; 'Kenelm Coons'; 'Kenneth Ketcham'; 'Kenneth Payne'; 'Kevin Bates'; 'Laura Skrobe'; 'Malcolm Grant'; 'Martin Vincent'; 'Michael Doyle'; 'Michael Marchetti'; 'Michael McGiveney'; 'Nancy Langrall'; 'Peter Brodeur'; 'Phillip Ruhle, Sr.'; 'Robert Smith'; 'Robert Taber'; 'Rodman Sykes'; 'Russell E. Wallis'; 'Russell Hahn'; 'Ryan Clark'; 'Sandra Whitehouse'; 'Scott Bode'; 'Scott Westcott'; 'Seth Macinko'; 'Stephen Mederios'; 'Steven Eichenauer'; 'Steven Follett'; 'Steven Taber'; 'Susan Sasnowski'; 'Teresa Paiva-Weed'; 'Thomas Hall'; 'Todd Blount'; 'John Pappalardo'
Subject: RE: Fluke aggregate landing
If you guys continue to prostitute the public process it will become more useless than it is now. As a matter of fact, you (the department) may have already killed it, for there is no process without standards. The department has continually chiseled away at anything that vaguely resembled standards of action in a business environment, let alone continually ignore the basic tenants embodied in the Sustainable Fisheries Act.
If you will remember Jason as you were there, (most in the rest Department seem to only have a day to day memory) the entire advisory panel was for an aggregate landing. Al Conti twice has come out for it publicly for it. The RI Rod & Reel Commercial Fisherman's' Association only apposed (sic) it after what they felt was a loss in the planned fish grab. And, actually this is now an about face from their position last year. The idea of having an aggregate landing in no way affects that entire user group. Since the whole process (h)as been moved to the governor's office by the department, it is only fitting that we stop pretending there is a Marine Fisheries Council.
Not to (be) repetitive, but the Marine Fisheries Council was formed to prevent this kind of politicking with people's lives.
Signed Ralph Boragine and Chris Brown

From: Jan Reitsma [mailto:jreitsma@Oceantide.dem.state.ri.us]
Sent: Friday, October 31, 2003 2:22 PM
To: ralph boragine; Chris Brown (E-mail)
Cc: David Borden; Mark Gibson; Najih Lazar; jmcnamee@dem.state.ri.us
Subject: RE: Fluke aggregate landing
This response makes me puke. Get off the ----ing (state Marine Fisheries) Council if you cannot control yourself. I will not stand for your outrageous and insulting behavior any longer. You apologize immediately, and copy your whole cc-list, or I'll cc a few people on the entire history of your immature histrionics.
You offered to come up with a proposal. You obviously have not done ---- about that. And now you think you can blame us, instead. No thanks. Jason did what he should do and what I'm sure the other Council members expected him to do, which is to ask whether you've made any progress or expect to do so any time soon. He does not deserve to get this insulting nonsense from you or anybody else. Nor does the Department deserve to be on the receiving end of your idiotic conspiracy theories and otherwise irrational thinking. The Department works with the MFC exactly like it is supposed to. We try to help with the AP process, not control it. We try to assist the Council. We may ---- up from time to time, or simply show the effects of being underfunded and understaffed, but we are not in any way engaged in underhanded attempts to undermine the Council or any other part of what should be a co-management program. We listen to "industry" the best we can. We are sometimes successful in getting the mudslinging to stop but then have people like you who just cannot help themselves and think they can start it all over again. That's your fault, not ours. I cannot stop you from doing the infantile thing with everybody you disagree with but don't you dare put us in the middle of that embarrassing spectacle. If anyone has lost all grasp of professionalism, it's you and you ought to get professional help as far as I can tell. If anyone is destroying the MFC (Marine Fisheries Council) it is you, and don't let your multiple personalities tell you otherwise.
We do not agree with Al Conti. But boy, you don't know how many people might just want to side with him because of your stupidity. We have clearly said that we want to implement the aggregate landing program, but if your insane agitation carries the day and you succeed to drag what I thought were more sane people down with you, why should we even try? Would we just be banging our head against the bricks of #^&#^&#^&#^& you keep piling up? Spending precious time and resources that we could apply with more success elsewhere? Is that what your cc's want? Is that what the organizations you pretend to speak for want? I'll be asking them, you can count on that.
Another bad dream you had was this idea of the "whole process being moved to the Governor's office." Do you think the Governor should have interest? If so, would your lordship agree that the Governor should be able to ask questions from the people that work for him? Could your lordship stop barfing long enough to smell the coffee and realize that it's a good thing that he asks questions, and that we try to answer him? Could you interrupt your egocentric babble long enough to recognize that we have consistently advocated with the Governor and his policy staff for the very things that you seem to want us to support (although you'd never know it from the weird ways you go about it)? Can you grow up enough to acknowledge that you and we don't always win, but that that's no reason to turn against your friends? Or are you really the self-destructive, ----ed up, whining baby you present to us?
Sober up, apologize and we can maybe talk after a couple of days. If your ego is too big or tiny for that, all bets are off. I don't mind fighting this one.
Jan H. Reitsma
Director, RIDEM
www.state.ri.us/dem



While not exactly professional :rollem: he was just defending his people. I've also seen some of Ralph's e-mail explosions in the past and I'm not suprised he got a rise out of someone. Sad that it had to come to this.