Orkney calls for change on water board

Janna Orkney Oak Park resident Janna Orkney, believes it's time for a change of leadership on the Triunfo board.

"I'm concerned about the way the board conducts business," said Orkney, who has attended Triunfo board meetings for the past three years. "I want more oversight of finances, expenditures and accounts."

Part of Orkney's concern stems from the recent revelation that Triunfo had not been earning interest on a checking account that contained as much as $2 million, and that management fees on an investment account were unusually high.

The Ventura Regional Sanitation District, which manages Triunfo under contract, has reimbursed Triunfo $99,000, the amount the the district estimated could have been gained from an interestbearing checking account. Orkney would like to know how that amount was determined.

"If the board members had looked at the check registers and accounts, this would not have happened," she said. "Triunfo needs to be more transparent for ratepayers."

She said she was appalled that Triunfo renewed its contract with the Ventura Regional Sanitation Board in 2004 without full review.

"This was a huge decision. You would think there would be a discussion of what things cost and if the VRSD was doing a good job for us," Orkney said. "There didn't seem to be due diligence on the part of the board to protect our money."

Orkney does not believe the board truly considered all options in determining where to put a new Oak Park water tank.

"The two locations being considered were really capriciously chosen," Orkney said.

Rebates for energy efficient washing machines and low-flush toilets are among the issues Orkney would like to pursue if elected. She'd also like to see the board's meetings held a little later in the evening to allow more people to attend. Meetings are at 5:15 p.m. the fourth Monday of the month at Oak Park Library.

"People are coming home from work or driving their children at 5:15. That time just doesn't cut it," Orkney said.

The makeup of Triunfo's board needs a change, she said. Currently, only two of the five board members are elected. The remaining three are appointed. Orkney would like to see all the positions filled by election, something Ventura County Supervisor Linda Parks, who sits on Triunfo's board, has promoted.

"Triunfo does not directly represent the people it serves," Orkney said. "It's very hard to get information from them."

Born in Washington state, Orkney grew up in Portland, Ore. She attended several colleges, including Stanford University and Portland State University. She owned an advertising and public relations agency in Lake Oswego, Ore. and has worked as a realtor, radio disc jockey, and a bookkeeper for a West Los Angeles firm.

Orkney is not new to public service. While in Lake Oswego, she was chair of the Parks and Recreation Commission. Closer to home, she helped create the Thousand Oaks community garden, and was active in the fight against the proposed Ahmanson Ranch development.

"Janna would be such an asset to Triunfo," said her friend Sue Boecker, a 28-year resident of Oak Park. "She's smart, thoughtful and no-nonsense. Triunfo might benefit from that."

Orkney has lived in Ventura County for 10 years, the past six in Oak Park. She has three grown children and six grandchildren.