During this comment period, any person is invited to speak on any topic that is not listed on this agenda. Action may not be taken on any matter raised during this public comment period until the matter is specifically listed on a future agenda. Those who wish to comment on an item that has been listed on this agenda may comment when that item has been opened for consideration by the Commission and before any action is taken.
The Commission should avoid discussing and may not act on any matter raised during this public comment period, except to decide whether to place the matter on the agenda of a future meeting during the last item on the agenda.
It’s extremely disappointing that the Commission made the decision to terminate James M. Lindsay as Chief of the Enforcement Division. Mr. Lindsay came from outside of the agency, at a time when the Enforcement Division had a significant backlog of cases, with a mandate from the Commission to reduce our caseload by any means. He had everything stacked against him. And yet, he played a pivotal role in the Enforcement Division’s success in reducing our backlog by 84%.
Our success would not have been possible without Mr. Lindsay and it’s very disheartening that he was terminated. It feels as though the work the Enforcement Division did in 2024, during a Presidential election year, was not good enough. It took more than 6 months to find Mr. Lindsay and we reached a point where we had a good system in place that promoted morale and overall productivity. The next Enforcement Chief will have very big shoes to fill.