Mr. Schlabowski,
By fixating only on the firing of Dar Ward or the microscopic arcana
of elections procedures, you are missing the forest for the trees.
The firing and the sham elections are but small data points in a
trend culminating in an exclusion of good people with good ideas
attempting to create a better world through bicycling.
Yes, the elections are in accordance with the bylaws, I mean, of
course they are! They were written recently by & for current--very
obviously frightened--board members. There is legal, and there is
morally right. They have chosen to twist the former to the detriment
of the latter. And now they are getting busted--by their own
membership--for these actions.
What is happening at the Bike Fed is nothing short of a coup. An
entire board that kills democracy because they fear their own
membership is an organization in dire straits, morally and ethically.
(I exclude staff entirely from this matter; this is an issue board
leadership.)
If this trend is not slowed and eventually reversed, the goodwill
burn-rate will affect all operations, including financial.
You make some very serious accusations in your post. At least three
times you denounce Pam as a liar:
"Those people have every right to run for the BFW board, but not to
spread inaccurate information."
"The website listed earlier contains what I consider to be inaccurate
information."
"...I find it distressing that they make claims that are not true."
You hide behind the language of passivity, but you accuse her of
lying nonetheless. And you cite nothing to back up those accusations.
Where are the specifics, Mr. Schlabowski? Which "claims...are not
true," sir? Where is the "inaccurate information?" Go ahead state
them. Out in the open. If there are inaccuracies, are they relevant
to the big picture or are they navel-gazing details? Don't hide
behind hazy statements.
Then you make this conjecture:
"It is my personal opinion that this is all because Dar was let go
and the board kept the reasons for that dismissal private. Some
people who are close to Dar were unhappy with that decision and
wanted to know why she was let go. I think that it is only proper to
keep those reasons private."
Yes, that would be your "personal opinion." It has no basis in fact.
Plenty of blowsy personal relationship rumor-mongering, but nothing
based in reality. Obviously you either failed to read the website or
failed to comprehend it. Yet, the writing on the site was crystal
clear. Here is precisely what Pam had to say about the firing at
BeTheEngine.com:
"Mind you, I'm not arguing whether or not the ED's termination was
justified. I am arguing that the manner in which this personnel
action was carried out was unprofessional and detrimental to the
organization."
Apparently you failed to understand the point: It was the *manner* of
the termination, *not* the termination itself. Being a personnel
manager herself, Pam is fully aware of the taboo of discussing
individual personnel matters publicly. But personnel *policy* (the
manner of treating personnel) is a different matter altogether. That
must, by necessity be public. Here's why: A member-driven non-profit
that expects to retain the goodwill of its membership and the broader
community had best maintain a civilized manner of treating its
employees. And it should be institutionalized, not left to the whim
of the most mean-spirited member of a board. If humane personnel
policies are not instituted *and followed*, well, the result is the
PR nightmare the BFW board has found itself in of late.
And of course, you miss the entire point of the campaign. This is a
run against the poor judgment, and quite frankly, lack of moral
bearing by this board. The firing episode was just one in a long
series of displays of poor decisions by this board this year. It is
time for them to go.
A final note on your failure to cite specifics in your "inaccurate
information" accusations: Such intellectual laziness is unbecoming of
someone who is supposed to be planning and promoting bicycling in an
official capacity. As someone who was actually on the board when the
BFW was contemplating hiring you for the Milwaukee office and busting
my butt to raise the funds to make the Milwaukee office happen, I
find this very disappointing.
Sincerely,
Michael D. Barrett
Madison, Wisconsin
P.s. I'm not on the Milwaukee listserv, so anyone should feel free to
forward this.
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