I'm forwarding this at the request of Jeanne Cunningham, in regards
to the 10th Ward controversy over Lyndale Neighborhood Association
spending and Scott Persons. -- David Brauer, list manager
To: Wendy Pareene
CC: LNA Steering Committee
From: Julia Copeland, Jeannie Cunningham,Leslie Nitabach, Scott
Persons
Re: Unprofessional and unwarranted allegations against LNA volunteers
and Staff by Wendy Pareene
This letter will respond to the allegations in your letter of February
10, 2003. Your letter displays a profound lack of understanding, not
only of the facts, but also of the appropriate way to raise concerns you
may have. As a member of the Steering Committee you have the right to
raise questions and discuss matters of concern. In fact, far from being
prevented from raising your concerns, you have had ample opportunity to
discuss them.
Your right to raise questions, however, does not give you the right to
make unfounded accusations or to belittle and berate staff and other
volunteers who dare to disagree with you. Your letter is unfair,
inaccurate and unsubstantiated, and verges on being defamatory. Threats
and slander are no way to behave towards your neighbors and colleagues.
The allegation concerning "missing" money has no basis in fact.
Your allegation that $80,000 is "missing" and that someone might have
stolen it from the LNA accounts is, as you well know, completely false.
As has been explained to you on several occasions, due to disagreements
that arose in 2000 about the way that staff time should be accounted for
and reimbursed, NRP declined to reimburse LNA for a sum of approximately
$83,000. Bob Thompson, the succeeding LNA Executive Coordinator,
changed the manner of accounting for staff time as part of an overall
restructuring of our accounting systems, but kept the sum on the books
in the hopes that an agreement could be reached to obtain reimbursement.
During the most recent audit, Jeannie Cunningham, Treasurer, Leslie
Nitabach and the NRP auditor, Mike Wilson, agreed that reimbursement for
this sum was unlikely, and that it should be written off.
Far from being hidden, this action was discussed in three separate
meetings. Leslie and Jeannie notified the Executive Committee, it was
discussed and approved by the Steering Committee (at a meeting you
attended), and in July the information was presented to the meeting of
the General Membership.
As you well know, there has never been any possibility that this money
was stolen, and any suggestion to the contrary is completely false.
The outside auditor proposed and approved the write off. (Copy of letter
attached). This matter has been discussed with you and the Steering
Committee and you had the opportunity to raise questions at the time.
Apparently you did not understand the answers, but that does not mean
that insufficient explanation was given.
The decision to hire Leslie Nitabach as Executive Coordinator was made
with extensive consultation and discussion.
In January 2002, Bob Thompson, the current Executive Coordinator,
notified the Executive Committee that he intended to resign in June.
The Executive Committee notified the Steering Committee at the next
meeting in February of his resignation. The Executive Committee
recommended that, since there was going to be substantial turnover on
staff and the Steering Committee, that it would make sense to conduct an
internal hire and promote Leslie Nitabach to the Executive Coordinator.
There was considerable discussion and the Steering Committee recommended
that Scott Persons, President, work with Leslie to formulate a staffing
plan. At the March meeting, which you attended, the Steering Committee
gave preliminary approval to the staffing plan.
It wasn't until the April meeting that you raised the mysterious
"concerns" about Leslie, and attributed them to nameless neighbors.
Your concerns were discussed, but they did not convince the other
members of the Steering Committee, and the Steering Committee, including
you, voted unanimously to offer Leslie the job. There is a difference
between being heard and being agreed with. Simply because the Steering
Committee did not do what you wanted does not mean they have violated
appropriate procedures, and it is odd that you object to it now, almost
a year later.
LNA's committee structure is in compliance with LNA's bylaws.
It is also very odd that you do not know the whereabouts of the finance
committee, since the Executive Committee, of which you are a member, has
been acting as the finance committee for the past year. You and the
other members receive regular monthly updates concerning the financial
condition of LNA. The reason that Jeannie Cunningham is providing
reports to the Steering Committee is that this is what the Treasurer's
position is supposed to do, pursuant to LNA bylaws and previous
practice.
The fact that the personnel committee is a standing committee does not
mean that it has secret monthly meetings - in fact it does not, and
never has during the existence of LNA. As has been explained to you on
numerous occasions, the personnel committee is only convened when the
Steering Committee believes necessary, and then volunteers are accepted
for the particular purpose.
Information about these committees was provided to you in your Board
Training packet.
The record shows that changes in staffing were accurately communicated
to you at the April 2002 Steering Committee meeting
There is a simple explanation why you can only find 1.5 FTE reduction in
staff - that is what Scott Persons told the Steering Committee the
reduction would be. As the staffing plan presented to the Steering
Committee at the April, 2002 Steering Committee clearly shows (see
attached), the positions held by Wally and Halima were being eliminated,
leading to a 1.5 FTE reduction. Since you did not abstain or vote
against the staffing plan, the record shows that you agreed with and
understood the plan at the time. While you had advocated for a staffing
plan that involved terminating all but one of the staff, the Steering
Committee rejected your plan. Again, there is a difference between
listening to your comments and agreeing with them.
Your statement that Scott refused to answer your questions about staff
salaries is untrue - in fact, the Steering Committee has been informed
on several occasions what compensation the staff members receive. That
information is contained in the yearly budget, among other places.
Your conduct towards Steering Committee members and staff has been
disrespectful and harassing.
While you complain that you have not been treated with respect, it is
often the case that you have failed to treat other Steering Committee
members and staff with respect - intentionally placing them in awkward
situations or accusing them of a lack of integrity.
While the Executive committee meetings are open to the public for
observation, you are well aware that public attendance is unusual, and
public participation is not permitted. If what you had really been
interested in was a fruitful discussion of your concerns about boldface
type in the Common Sense, you would have had the courtesy to notify
Julia that people were planning to attend and the subject of their
concern. That would have permitted the members of the Executive
Committee an opportunity to gather the information that the attendees
were requesting - for example, the contract of the contract employee.
Instead, you invited at least ten people (although only two showed up)
and proceeded to berate Julia and Leslie.
When one of the staff members made a joke about changing the name of the
newspaper, you berated her and accused her of lacking integrity.
Your conduct towards Leslie in connection with the lighting survey is
another example of your lack of respect and understanding for her
position. When you told her that a neighborhood resident was
manipulating the results of the lighting survey by hoarding "no" votes,
what did you expect her to do? Ignore your remarks? She had an
obligation to protect the integrity of the survey. While you may
attempt to justify this action because of "doubts" about the integrity
of the process, what were those doubts based upon? As you are well
aware, the survey responses were reported accurately, and your unfounded
aspersions on the integrity of the lighting committee are completely
unjustified.
The Steering Committee has approved the projects you express concerns
about.
The Latino and Somali Women's projects are ongoing LNA projects and
their budgets are approved on a yearly basis by the Steering Committee.
Documentation concerning reimbursed expenses is provided to the entities
that provide the funding, and those reports are available to Steering
Committee members upon their request.
Your questions concerning the internship program have been responded to
on a number of occasions, most recently within the last two weeks. As
part of LNA's ongoing mission to facilitate the work of neighborhood
social service providers and to share technical resources, LNA works
with the United Theological Seminary to place interns in neighborhood
organizations. As a result of LNA's efforts, neighborhood organizations
have received the benefit of 30 free interns this year. The LNA
Executive Coordinator meets with the class once a week, and in return,
the Lyndale Neighborhood Association receives $2,300 towards its
general operating funds. The value of the work done by the interns, of
course, is substantially higher than that. This program was approved by
the Executive Committee. Since it does not involve the outlay of LNA
funds, Steering Committee approval was not required. Past LNA Executive
Coordinators have engaged in similar outreach and technical assistance
programs, and we anticipate that this will continue.
Your discussion of the outcome of the lighting project is inaccurate.
The lighting survey project did not end on October 11, 2002. The Crime
and Drug Committee did not organize the survey - an ad hoc committee
did. Funding was provided through Crime and Drug Committee, which
approved the project plan, as did the Steering Committee. As you know,
completed projects generally do not compile a report with the final
costs, but that information is available to the Crime and Drug committee
as part of their budgeting process.
Your accusations of racism are untrue and unfair.
You have completely misrepresented the comments concerning the
participation and recruitment of minority Steering Committee members.
The issues that were being discussed concerned the fact that several
Steering Committee members had missed a large number of meetings. As you
know, membership on the Steering Committee requires a substantial
commitment of time, including attendance at the monthly Steering
Committee meeting as well as the general membership meeting. Steering
Committee members who do not regularly attend meetings are not fully
informed about what is going on in the neighborhood and cannot fulfill
their oversight functions. The bylaws provide that Steering Committee
members who miss more than three meetings without prior notice shall be
removed from the board.
In the conversation you refer to, Mohammed Duale expressed his concern
that he did not have enough time to commit to attend the required
meetings, since he had missed a substantial number of meetings, but that
he wanted to participate in neighborhood activities. Julia Copeland
assured him that, while attendance at Steering Committee meetings was
required of Steering Committee members, going to meetings was not the
only way an individual could support the neighborhood and that other
volunteer opportunities might be better suited to his time constraints.
Jen Guarino's remark was in response to a discussion concerning other
Steering Committee members who had expressed concern that they did not
have time to attend the regular meetings.
It does not serve the neighborhood to have large numbers of board
members who cannot commit to attending board meetings, regardless of
what race or class they are. It is not condescending to recognize that
not everyone can spend several hours per week in a meeting - it is
simply a fact. We recognize that many of our neighbors work several
jobs, have child care responsibilities, and have other factors in their
lives that do not permit them to attend committee meetings. That is why
LNA strives to make other opportunities available for neighborhood
participation - the Latino and Somali women's groups being primary
examples. That is why LNA puts the headlines in the Common Sense in
Somali and Spanish (an action you opposed). LNA is well known for the
effectiveness of its outreach and inclusiveness, and has won awards for
that from NRP and the Minnesota Women's Consortium. LNA was the subject
of a special case study on inclusiveness for the Center for
Neighborhoods. LNA receives substantial funding for Latino and Somali
outreach from the Greater Minnesota Daycare Association, the Otto Bremer
Foundation, Phillips Family Foundation, the Lowry Hill Foundation, and
the Dain Rauscher Foundation.
Your allegations that an unnamed staffer made comments to an unnamed
resident about being a crack dealer is so vague as to be impossible to
refute. However, LNA does not provide home improvement loans, so any
call would have been referred to LNDC. The eligibility for LNDC's loans
do provide that the loan recipient cannot be engaged in criminal
activity, which may have been communicated to the caller.
LNA does not have the funds to keep the neighborhood center open more
hours.
Your comments about the staffing of the neighborhood center appear to be
contradictory to your other concerns about excessive spending. The
reason the center is not open longer hours is due to limitations on
resources. The jobs of LNA staff are not desk jobs - they are often
expected to attend meetings outside the office, on evenings and
weekends. If there are no staff persons available, the office must be
closed to protect the community's resources. The grant that had funded
staff supervision time has ended, and LNA is supporting the center out
of its general operating funds. While everyone would like for the center
to be open longer hours, this will only happen if the extended hours are
funded by a committee's project plan or by volunteer action.
Your allegations against Jen Guarino are unsupported and unfair.
Far from "flirting with conflict of interest," Jen Guarino has displayed
impeccable integrity in her work with LNA, and your statement to the
contrary is unwarranted. Jen has never been employed by or had LNA as a
client- she was employed by the Community Hero program. When any
matters relating to the Community Hero card were discussed before the
Steering Committee, Jen disclosed her association with Community Hero,
and recused herself from any votes relating to it. In addition, Jen was
able to obtain $42,000 in funding for LNA through the Community Hero
program. You should be familiar with the facts surrounding the
Community Hero program, since you were co-project leader with Jeannie
Cunningham.
One of the strengths of LNA is that we are able to leverage the skills
and abilities of neighborhood residents. When potential conflicts of
interest arise, we rely on people to notify us that the potential
exists, so we can act accordingly. Jen has always been forthcoming
about her financial relationship with Community Hero, and it has been
nothing but a positive relationship for the neighborhood.
Your comment that Jen doesn't attend General Membership meetings
displays a profound lack of understanding, not only about Jen's
extensive work with the neighborhood (she ran the Silent Auction last
year), but about the way LNA functions. Sitting in meetings is not the
only way people get things done.
Your call for motions is either unnecessary or inappropriate.
Since the finance and personnel committees exist, there is no call for a
motion on this matter. The staff has consistently behaved appropriately
towards residents, and a motion to the contrary is insulting and
unnecessary.
If you choose to hire an attorney, that is your own affair. There is no
reason to spend limited neighborhood resources on looking for money that
isn't missing.
If there is distrust between the General Membership and the Steering
Committee, it is the obligation of the Steering Committee members to
reduce that mistrust by providing accurate information to neighbors who
raise questions, not by fanning the flames with half-truths,
insinuations and rumors. Your letter does a disservice to your
obligation.
We are very disappointed in the manner in which you have chosen to treat
your neighbors and colleagues. Your conduct has been hurtful and
inconsistent with your duties as a member of the Steering Committee.
REMINDERS:
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you think a member is in violation, contact the list manager at [EMAIL
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2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait.
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