“ALL ADVERTISING”?

On April 9th, 2025, at 9:48 a.m. Ranch Matters (RM) contacted Brenda Cooper regarding her announcement seeking Kiosk advertisers. We emailed her the following:

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“Good morning Brenda: Saw your post regarding Kiosk Ad Space. Ranch Matters is interested in purchasing an Ad. Can you please provide details including costs? Thank you & have a great day.”

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At 9:53 a.m. Ms. Cooper emailed the following: “Good morning, It’s a very simple application. You need to go to your printer shop and have your sign/signs made [I’ve attached a couple of photos for an example] and our maintenance team will hang them. Let me know if you have any questions.”

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2:25 p.m. Brenda Cooper emailed RM stating we were “disallowed” and CRR was unable to “accommodate” our request to advertise.

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According to Cooper’s email, Ranch President, Kari Vickery, apparently unilaterally, issued the edict banning RM from advertising ANYWHERE on Crooked River Ranch.

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BACK TO THE FUTURE

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RM received a letter dated June 21, 2022, from Ranch attorneys  HARKER & LEPORE cancelling our advertising agreement. We had been advertising in the Telegraph for about 5 years at the time.

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Attorney Bruce Lepore’s letter opening statement: “ The Board of Directors of the Crooked River Ranch Club and Maintenance Association will no longer be offering advertising space to Ranch Matters CRR in the Association newsletter. The Crooked River Telegraph.”

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BANNED FROM THE RANCH TELEGRAPH-ONLY, WHY?

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Lepore: “Ranch Matters CRR has routinely posted derogatory comments regarding the Association, its Directors, and its employees. Ranch Matters CRR’s primary purpose is the disruption of Association business…”

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As previously reported, certain current and former Ranch Officials have been engaged in an on-going effort to disrupt, discredit, obstruct and harass our investigations, news reporting and “followers.” Additionally, they filed malicious reports with various government entities.

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As a result, Ranch Matters received assistance from the nationally known Reporters Committee for the Freedom of the Press (RCFP), as well as the Oregon Department of Justice.

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Portland attorney Duane Bosworth from the law firm Davis Wright Tremaine wrote former Ranch President Carl Harbour on behalf of RCFP. Bosworth’s letter conveyed RCFP’s concerns regarding “obstruction and harassment” issues related to Ranch Matters reporting/journalism by the Ranch Board.

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Bosworth: “From all known facts the Board has fostered, endorsed, or perhaps in the rare case, known of but turned a wholly blind eye to wrongful actions against Ranch Matters.

Moreover, the Board has used government entities, including the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and the DPSST (Department of Public Safety Standards and Training), as part of a PATTERN TO ATTEMPT TO SILENCE RANCH MATTERS.”

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“HIT LIST”

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“Clear testimony would also show that the Board has put Ranch Matters on what witnesses have identified as a HIT LIST.”

 

Briefly, with the assistance of the Oregon Department of Justice, RM obtained a batch of records from DPSST that included a HIT LIST submitted by former Ranch Director Mark Schneider.

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Much of the confidential information Schneider submitted to DPSST was provided to him by Ranch Manager Judy Lapora and she admitted at a Board meeting that indeed she gave him Association members personal information.

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As earlier reported, former CRR General Maintenance Supervisor, Steve Swigart confirmed Manager Lapora had created a “HIT LIST or BAD GUY LIST.” At that time at least “10” Association Members were being targeted by Lapora and/or certain Ranch Officials/Employees.

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BUSINESS AS USUAL

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Brenda Cooper’s email confirmed President Kari Vickery made the decision to expand the 2022 ban from just the Telegraph to “ALL ADVERTISING”. Can one Director act unilaterally?

According to the Ranch Policy and Procedures Handbook the answer is NO. “Board members do not have the authority as individual members unless specifically assigned by majority vote of the Board.”

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Last week we published the story, “DUE PROCESS RIGHTS NUKED”, where we reported that Ranch attorney Bruce Lepore wrote the Board of Directors a few years back assuring them that they need not worry about following the Constitution and stressed homeowners surrendered their DUE PROCESS RIGHTS as Association members.

Lepore: “As a private entity, constitutional protections, such as due process, do not apply.”

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We ended on the following note: “If the Ranch lawyers have GREENLIT stomping on the Ranch homeowners rights and Ranch Manager Judy Lapora and her Board of Directors conduct their business accordingly, what chance do targeted homeowners have?

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If the Ranch leadership operates knowing due process rights can be ignored with impunity, unfair treatment and arbitrary decisions become the norm.”

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If the Ranch leaders can unfairly target a homeowner, violate their Due Process Rights, create a List-HIT LISTS and violate rules regulating homeowners personal and confidential information, so much for ones civil and property rights.

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The KICKER-The same unaccountable leaders use the Ranch attorneys as a weapon for their private WAR against anyone deemed the opposition-enemy.

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RANCH MATTERS CRR, LLC

JOHN STEVENS & DAVE STANGLAND