Nov. 13, 2007 — Lassen Municipal Utility District General Manager Frank Cady wants the ratepayers to know he has been busy attending meetings and taking some vacation time. “In an effort to defuse some of the talk around town, I want people to know that I was out of town a good portion of August and September. Then in October, I took some vacation time,” Cady said on Wednesday, Nov. 7.

Cady has said he wanted the paper to have his calendar in hopes to stop rumors. There had been talk that Cady was placed on administrative leave or no longer employed by the utility district. Cady said neither was the case. He said after traveling so much in August and September, he needed October to regroup.

“Even though I took the vacation time, I went to meetings when it was on LMUD business,” said Cady. “I am not sure if the meetings were really that necessary or important, but I went.”

He went on to say that many of the meetings were important to the people who were holding them and it looks good if he goes.

According to his calendar, Cady was out of town five days out of 23 working days in August. In September, Cady was out of town 14 out of 19 working days. His calendar had him on vacation the entire month of October except for Oct. 1, 3, 22, 23 and 24, which were listed as days Cady was out of town to attend meetings. He was also on vacation Nov. 1.

Cady earns 25 days of vacation a year as LMUD’s general manager and according to the calendar used 23 of those days in October and November.

His November and December calendar has him out of town eight of 21 days in November and 10 out of 21 days in December.

Cady said he has adopted a need-to-know policy since becoming general manager in June 2005.

“Some people lower down the chain have no idea where I am or what I am doing but they like to talk and speculate. It is human nature for people to want to answer questions,” said Cady. “I have taken the approach not to disclose my calendar. If you put in a public records request for my calendar, I would (have) turn(ed) you down. If people know where someone is … well, the whole assassin thing. That’s why the governor doesn’t release his calendar.”

He also has a need-to-know basis with his managers, including assistant manager Ray Luhring, and the board members.

“The board members don’t know where I am either. If I need to, I report to them at a board meeting. The board is a policy board only.”