By Michael Bartlett, Reporter
YUBA CITY, Calif.–With the general election just weeks away, a credit union based in this community north of Sacramento made the news thanks to an on-air argument involving a political candidate who claimed he had helped clean up an institution “rife with waste and abuse.”
According to Winston Niles, a blogger for a local newspaper’s website, Charlie Brown, a candidate for California’s 4th Congressional District, tangled with a caller identified as “Greg” during an Oct. 9 interview on radio station KFBK. The dispute was over the size of Sierra Central Credit Union and the candidate’s claim the credit union was poorly managed.
Brown’s campaign website says he was elected chair of the supervisory committee of “a local credit union” in 1996, but does not identify Sierra Central by name. Caller Greg reportedly challenged Brown for listing the unnamed CU’s size as “a $5 million credit union,” when Sierra Central CU’s assets were $200-million at the time Brown left the supervisory committee in 2000.
According to Todd Stenhouse, who handles media inquiries for the Brown campaign, it was just a misunderstanding.
“Charlie was referring to $5 million in net income, not the gross asset size,” said Stenhouse. “He was not misinterpreting the facts, the question was worded incorrectly. He called the program back after the interview and said, ‘You’ve got a smart audience.’”
In his Blog, Niles said the Brown campaign website deleted the reference to “a $5 million credit union” after the Oct. 9 interview. On Oct. 14, the only mention of Brown’s CU experience was the following statement: “In 1996, Charlie was elected Chair of the Supervisory Committee of a local Credit Union. Responsible for fiscal oversight of an institution rife with waste and abuse, Charlie didn’t turn a blind eye. He stood up for the fiscal responsibility that his members deserved.”
Asked to discuss the alleged “waste and abuse” at the CU, Stenhouse said his “general understanding” was “there were some waste issues with respect to some of the leadership,” but added further details would have to come from Brown. As of deadline, neither Brown nor Stenhouse had called to elaborate on the statement.
Management at Sierra Central CU did not return telephone calls seeking comment prior to deadline.
California’s 4th Congressional District covers the northeast corner of the state–from South Lake Tahoe to the Oregon border–and includes El Dorado County, Lassen County, Modoc County, Nevada County, Placer County, Plumas County, and Sierra County.
