CPBL director says problems can be easily resolved
Dr. Henry Canton
According to Canton, the dispute is regrettable since the problems stem from petty issues that can easily be resolved. And as detrimental as it can be to the growth of the industry, he says it’s all a matter of egos, greed and a thirst for power.
Dr. Henry Canton, C.E.O., CPBL
“Although a lot of us deny the fact that there is a lot of ego and a lot of control and a lot of greed and stuff involved in it, I know for a fact that that’s what’s been driving it along. This industry has always been filled with very strong characters and we’ve always had strong opinions. But we’ve always been able to back off and voice these strong opinions and you had those who had their say and those who had their way but at the end of the day we were moving forward. But this thing that has happened over the last two, three months, to me is a power struggle. It can be resolved very easily if we were just to sit around the table sensibly. My fear is that because of all that has been said and how personal it has gotten that some of that may be irreparable. There are some of us that may have to back out completely to allow new life and new visions. But I don’t think it’s a completely broken system. The public also needs to understand that there’s two fights. There is one fight where the directorship of CPBL is being back and forth particular in the court. But there is also another fundamental fight and that fight is between growers where the current administration of the CGA speaks about their membership and yes, they have membership but there is also a large portion of other growers that do not respect them and see them as their representatives. So there is also this grower-grower issue that is also prominent. There was to be a court case yesterday the tenth, but apparently it’s going to be on Monday over the constitutionality of the whole issue. Once that happens, then I think you’re going to see a different dynamic to how these issues are solved.”
The CGA has announced that it will be staging a protest this coming Tuesday in Pomona.
