Jordan Area Community Council wrestles with internal disputes
Photo by Suluki Fardan
The Jordan Area Community Council (JACC) recently sought the help of Hennepin County courts to resolve an internal dispute. On the surface, the issues result from the exceptional diversity of successful, talented, and intelligent people that compose the council membership and the board. At the core, the issues are indicative of the many problems brought about by the nation’s foreclosure crisis, and the fervent desire to provide assistance to residents so that the community maintains its talented and diverse roots.
The person at the center of the controversy is JACC Executive Director Jerry Moore. Problems have recently arisen due to a lack of cohesion on the board, resulting in members choosing sides according to their personal concerns, and loosing focus of the fundamental purposes of the organization. Recent events have provided an opportunity to alleviate these problems and continue the focus on community building work.
A tense argument arose at the August board meeting and a member of the board verbally attacked Moore in an unprofessional and physically animated fashion. Due to a history of miscommunication between the two, and submission of a formal request for Moore’s removal, Moore felt compelled to seek legal protection in resolving the dispute.
The judge ruled against the restraining order, but made very strong suggestion that the board member curtail the current path of divisive actions.
Putting the conflict in perspective, in an interview, Moore suggested that “The cost of having such an authentic, knowledgeable, genuine, and diverse group of bright and articulate, residents and business owners, is that occasional clashes are inevitable, but generally end in a greater focus on service towards the greater goal.”
In Moore’s two years as the Executive Director of JACC he has seen many ebbs and flows, but the track record of the organization’s overall success continues on a progressive path. Moore spoke passionately about the Northside community his organization serves. He said, “The questions that I constantly seek to answer are: How do we change the lives of the common people that we see walking down the street and how do we stimulate authentic growth? The answers are that we root ourselves in hope, and invest our efforts into the natural leaders and talented youth that provide North Minneapolis with a wealth of that same hope. No one can keep this community down. I’m constantly inspired by our resiliency.”
JACC works on housing, youth engagement, and community organization. Among the major recent accomplishments of JACC is strong participation in a major statewide initiative through Minnesota Housing Finance Agency that is bringing a broad coalition together to attack the foreclosure crisis. Studies have shown that over 50% of foreclosure victims have not contacted a community or state counselor to fully explore options to saving their home. Other organizations that JACC partners with are Hennepin County, Habitat for Humanity, Northside Community Reinvestment Coalition, and Jewish Community Action, among several others.
“Our strongest focus right now is on housing. We are focusing both the stabilization of current residents because we don’t want to loose neighbors,” Moore said.
“We can serve our neighbors the best by ensuring that there is quality, affordable housing. If we can put that together along with strong engagement of our business corridors then we can provide a safer and more inspiring community for our children.”
“The major success that we have had is through creating a stronger, and more personal, engagement with our neighbors. The more that we can get together face to face, the more ideas, solutions, and excitement we can create,” he said.
To participate view the JACC website at www.jordanmpls.org or call (612) 886-3202.
workaround
Comments
This article is bias. Did
This article is bias. Did the reporter interviewer anybody else other than Moore? Let’s fill in some gaps in the story.
When Moore filed a restraining order against a board member it was not “help,” it was “retaliation.” Many members have been rightfully critical of Moore’s performance, and as the article pointed out, that member called for his resignation. Did the reporter tell us the reason there is this conflict between the ED and a board member? No, but I will…it is because Moore spouted Anti-Gay rhetoric at a GLBT Northsiders event. Moore’s response was a restraining order? Really? Who is losing focus of the purpose of the organization? That is not community building. Moore made a feeble attempt to keep his job by silencing one of his bosses, and Court told him he was wrong.
The reason Moore is the center of the controversy is because of his hypocritical activities. Let’s take foreclosures for example. In Jordan, it has lead to many vacant and boarded houses. But, if you review a criminal complaint filed by the Hennepin County Atty.‘s office, State v. Maxwell, Moore is identified by name as having received $5,000 on straw real estate deal, in the Jordan neighborhood. No actual person actually purchased the house, and that structure is now vacant and boarded.
What about all the grievances? The City of Minneapolis sustained 4. There still another 38 or so pending. If Moore was doing such a great job, then how did he allow the organization to accumulate so many grievances?
Finally, why Moore hiding the financial documents from the community? Guess he doesn’t want people to see how he wasted the community’s money.
Sorry folks, but we don’t want any “Moore” of his leadership.
JACC one sided article by ryan t. scott
as a northside resident it is always nice to see positive news articles about my community. however, the article only spoke of the JACC issues from Jerry Moore’s perspective and that is troubling. the facts were not well represented and neither was the opinion of the communicty JACC serves. it would be interesting to hear a broader take on this topic. maybe next time the reporter could ask why JACC is struggling financially when our ED makes more than any other ED at JACC has!
Controversy in the Jordan Neighborhood
A complicated story such as this has many facets to it. Apparently the reporter was in a rush to get this story written as he didn’t feel he had the time to talk to any of the other persons involved. If you are looking for lopsided reporting I guess this publication will do it for you.
As a foot note, I ask, how many of you would be excited to participate in a community organization where the executive director files lawsuits against a board member for asking to see the financial records? This is about intimidation folks and the board member won the lawsuit as proof that this was a frivolous venture that Mr. Moore embarqued on which put the community organization at risk and now, most likely responsible for paying the court fees.
Jordan Area Community Council
It is unfortunate that this journalist did not do better research for this article before it went to print. It is not true that “The Jordan Area Community Council (JACC) recently sought the help of Hennepin County courts to resolve an internal dispute.”
What is true it that Mr. Jerry Moore personally filed a restraining order against a board member after that board member yelled at Mr. Moore in a public meeting for repeatedly failing to disclose documents associated with the JACC Executive Committee despite direct instruction to do so for the previous four months. Furthermore there has been no formal request for Mr. Moore’s removal as stated in the article.
As the board member and director in question here I am required to investigate warnings or reports of officer or employee theft or mismanagement and I have received several such warnings from JACC members. My investigation has been severely hampered by the Executive Committee by failing to produce a single document that has been lawfully requested.
What is at the core of JACC’s internal dispute is the failure to appropriately address the concerns of its members. Rather than addressing the communities concerns what has happened is the former JACC Chair personally suing constituents that have filed grievances and the Executive Director filing an unfounded restraining order against a board member.
JACC Member of the Board
Daniel Rother
JACC
I am also obliged to report that 2 demands for financial discloser have been made by me; the first on August 8th 2008, the second on August 25th 2008 and neither have been met. This has resulted in a formal grievance being brought against JACC on September 5th for failing to disclose financial records to a board member. JACC has now failed to address this grievance and the grievance committee has failed to meet with the grievant.
November 12th 2008 I repeated my requests for financial data and this time Mr. Jerry Moore stated in writing that our part time accountant ( Judy Gallas) was in fact our Chief Financial Officer and requests have to go though her. This is also a problem because she is not the Chief Financial Officer and refuses to talk to board members. Ms. Gallas will only answer to our treasurer (Bob Scott) and our Executive Director (Jerry Moore), and both report they do not have access to the check book or even phone bills which begs one to ask… huh?
Daniel Rother
JACC Member of the Board
Controversy in the Jordan Neighborhood
could this have been done by a friend of Jerry Moore or Jerry Moore himself.
Controversy in the Jordan Neighborhood
The story was not only biased it was incorrect. The author should ask Mr. Moore what happened, what good was done for the community, with the ~$100,000 grant from the Bremmer foundation? The author should ask Mr. Moore about the $900 a month for 6 months that was given to his friend Mr. Barnes W/O letting the board know that Mr. Barnes was on the pay-roll, and also find out what Mr. Barnes did for the organization other than cash the checks! Mr. Moore should have shown the author the 3rd grade level strategic plan the organization paid Mr. Barnes ~ $12,000 for. The author should get a list of accomplishments for 07-08 from Mr. Moore relevant to the ~ $225,000 that was spent by the organization last year. The author should talk to CPED and find out why the city has JACC on its last leg for (multiple violations of the Citizens Participation Agreement). The author should ask Mr. Moore why multiple grievances have been filed against him for trying to manipulate and/or sabotage the October Elections, and why the community in mass voted to delay them until January. The author should ask Mr. Moore why the tone and number of response’s to this article indicate he is a community destroyer and not an organizer. The author should ask Mr. Moore why he invited some of his well know divisive cohorts from the south side to illegally vote, comment and intimidate members at the October membership meeting. The author should ask Mr. Moore why he the author got taken just like almost everyone else in this community.
Check back in Jan-Feb (For the rest of the story) when the organization is shuttered because of Mr. Moore’s great leadership!
Mr. Scott you got took (Hook-line and sinker) Next time talk to the folks that live here before you allow someone like Mr. Moore to make a fool of you, you probably don’t deserve it anymore than we deserved Mr. Moore’s abhorrent behavior as ED.
Isn’t this type of behavior called “Pimping the Poor?”
IBF
What is J.L. Moore Consulting?
This excerpt is from the Hennepin County criminal complaint – State v. Larry Darnell Maxwell – 27-CR-07-124185. Page 4, fourth full paragraph:
“The documents reveal that, based on the fraudulent loan applications initially prepared by MAXWELL (the Worldlink loan officer) and representations of MAXWELL and REAPG, Centennial Mortgage Funding, Inc. and its affiliate, Centennial, Inc., granted J.F.‘s stolen identity first and second mortgage loans in the amounts of $143,920 and $26,995, respectively, used to purchase the residential property at 1564 Hillside North. Based on the closing documents and information received from 1st USA Title, defendant REAPG received $26,296.31 in commissions for the sale of 1564 Hillside Ave. North (an above market, 14.6% realtor’s commission). Additionally, disbursements during paid from the proceedings of this fraudulent loans during closing include payments to Gill Construction ($24,100), Jerry Moore, J.L. Moore Consulting ($5,000), and Peter W. Lang for the benefit [of] James Lang ($56,291.78).”
This is an opinion article
This article written by Ryan T Scott is an opinion article and not true journalism. The other commentator was correct in pointing out that the author was conned by Jerry Moore just like the rest of north minneapolis is being conned by Moore. Moore is not much more than superficial fluff and a bunch of buzz words strung together to make folks feel warm and fuzzy. But it is really a con being played by a really good con-artist. If you are reading this, and you know Jerry Moore, ask yourself what has he really accomplished? Like what has he actually produced, completed in measurable, tangible results. Nothing. Not without riding the coat tails of someone else. Where does Jerry live? It aint the northside, that is for sure. Jerry Moore and the author of this article failed to disclose that the reason for so much controversy within JACC is failure to disclose financial documents. Not the ‘reports’ that are ‘created’ and distributed at regular meetings, but bank statements, check registers, payroll records, utility bills (cell phone specifically). Oh yeah, then there is that pesky little criminal complaint in which Moore is named as receiving money at closing. How many other fraudulent closings did he get paid for? Finder’s Fee? Moore has made at least 3 different claims as to what he was paid for, new windows, cleaning up the property, etc. You drive by the house and look for new windows or peak inside the windows to see if it was cleaned up at all. It is time for the actual residents of northside to stop letting con-artists be portrayed as leaders. The only thing being lead is a long-con that is taking money straight out of the pockets of the northsiders – that includes the children’s futures and well-beings! The children of the poorest neighborhood, the most vulnerable children in the city are being conned by their so called leaders.
What is not said
Based on the comments so far, here are the words people are using to describe Jerry Lamont Moore:
Retailiation
Anti-Gay
Feeble
Hypocritical
Intimidation
Frivolous
Manipulate
Sabotage
Destroyer
Divisive
Abhorrent
Pimping
Superficial
Fluff
Con-artist
Notice that they don’t use the words STRONG LEADER!
Outfoxed
“The basis of any democracy surely lies in citizens being able to make informed choices about any issue,” a quote from Outfoxed, a documentary that outlines the clear bias of Fox News channel, despite its claim of “fair and balanced” reporting. This article displays that Insight News is also delivers articles that are not actually reporting but opining.
Does the Daily Planet have a vetting mechanism in place to ensure that articles posted on their venue meet some level of journalistic quality? Do the editors at Insight News realize that this is merely a quid pro quo piece by one of Mr. Moore’s friends?
The true issues goes back to my beginning quote – JACC is operating like a the Bush regime – wearing a the disguise of a democracy, but operating in more like Putin’s Russia. Jerry Moore, via his personal attorney/former board chair/current vice chair, Ben Myers and now the new Board chair EB Brown. They continue the pattern of ignoring legal requests for information, wasting money on lavish dinners, outrageous cell phone bills and salaries for the uneducated ED, incompetent staff/contractors and gift cards for Board Members who stand silent while Jerry Moore pillages the Northside community via illegal real estate transactions. This is a community that ironically, according to Jerry Moore’s last traffic ticket/non-payment of child support record; he does not live in (www.mncourts.gov/publicaccess). But, I am sure Mr. Moore will move into the community in time for the next local election.
BM objects to JACC Firing of JM
So BM sues JACC b/c JM is fired?
JM assaults DW MG and PH?
BM is full of himself!!!!
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