Concordance board in talks with Blair Ousted founder says she was offered marginalized post BY CHRISTINE VARNO Staff Writer Long B LONG BRANCH - - Talks are ongoing between the board of the Long Branch Concordance and Terri S. Blair, but the future role of the nonprofit's founder remains unclear. In an interview last week, Blair said the board has offered her a "very marginalized and strictly restricted position just to say they offered something." On Nov. 4, Blair was asked by the board to step down as executive director, a position she held since the group's inception in March 2004. "There is an ongoing discussion that keeps changing," said board member and spokeswoman JoAnn Abraham recently. "We are deciding on what position to offer Terri, whether volunteer or paid. "It will not be strictly volunteer and not strictly salaried," she continued. "It will be for her to remain with the [LBC] as a contractor, similar to what she was as executive director, but with different responsibilities." Blair, who has an extensive background in social services, has said her removal came as a surprise and with little explanation. When Blair heard of her removal, she said she was given "absolutely no reason for it" and added, "It was absolutely not of my choice." At the time, several stakeholders in the Concordance objected to the removal of Blair, whom they credited with building consensus among the various partners in the LBC. In December, the board proposed that Blair act as a consultant for the LBC for a period of six months at a rate of $450 a month, according to Blair. "I am not signing this particular contract because embedded in it are so many limitations," Blair said. "The terminology in the contract did not permit me to fulfill my responsibility to the Concordance. "I would be open to a contract that is staying true to the mission [of the LBC]," she added. Abraham said Blair's removal was appropriate. "The board acted as the board should act," Abraham said. "The responsibility of the board is to carefully watch," she said, adding, "We have a moral and legal duty as a board. "Terri has wonderful skills as a person who can bring people together and identify needs," she said, "and those skills were essential in developing the Concordance." But Blair fell short in fulfilling the role of executive director of an ever-growing group, according to Abraham. "It became clear that she does not have the management or financial skill-set necessary to manage a larger organization," Abraham said, adding, "That is what the [LBC] is becoming." The board will be filling the post of executive director as soon as next month, according to Abraham. "We are in the midst of interviewing now," Abraham said. "We would love to have someone on the staff by the middle of January. That is the goal." Abraham said the board had interviewed five people for the position and was in the process of selecting candidates for second interviews. The names of the interviewees are not being released. The board released a statement ranch