I got this from someone, and I answered it.
When I first went on the board, I was told by Ralph Roberts that board
members could not respond to the club members, it had to come from the
secretary.
I told him I refused to do that, as if someone took time to contact me, I
declined to ignore them. My stand was not well received, but there was
nothing they could do about it.
I got this message from Carmen. I have no idea, but in it he says, "If you
like this approach please share this email with others."
So, I guess someone liked it, and shared it with me. So, even though I
don't like the implication that the board is not responsible for the problems
the club faces, this is how I responded. And, I am sharing it with you. I
do appreciate the time and energy Carmen took to write it, but I think if
we have problems such as losing $175,000 over the last few years, we should
not blame the members.
Only after I read it again did I realize that it was not private, but
meant to be shared, if we liked it.
____________________________________
From: carmenbattaglia513@xxxxxxxxx, committees@xxxxxxxxx
Sent: 8/9/2016 8:33:41 A.M. Pacific Daylight Time
Subj: Re: Problems After the vote
In a message dated 8/9/2016 7:54:50 A.M. Pacific Daylight Time,
carmenbattaglia513@xxxxxxxxx writes:
Board and committee members:
I know that it has become popular to discuss the Reno decision now that
the board has voted. However, the board did vote on this matter after a
considerable amount of discussion.
Since we have already decided what we will do , I am not convinced that we
should continue to spend more time on more emails discussing what we
voted to do and we should not be pointing fingers at ourselves because we
made
the decision, no one else voted.
On the other hand, we have some big problems that need our attention:
1. The By-law problem that has left us without a Treasurer
candidate for 2017.
2. Declining value (assists) of the GSDCA , from $500,000 to
$325,000.
3. Declining litter nominations and entries at our Futurities
4. Declining entries at our regional shows
5. Declining membership of the GSDCA
6. Impact of the greying effect on the GSDCA
7. Health issues in the breed
8. The need to improve our junior program, working dog sport and
legislative efforts.
These are only a few of our problems. The easiest thing to do in the dog
world is to be a critic. The hardest, is to get agreement on what to do when
the problems are difficult and complicated. Look at the list above. About
90% of our members are not engaged in club activities and most clubs have
only a few workers.
We have created 60 committees and several Ad Hoc committees and each board
member is a liaison to them. With our combined brain power, we should be
able to solve most of our problems especially if we all pull in the same
direction.
I would like to ask each board member and committee to review our problems
and come up with ideas that will help the GSDCA and the breed. We can
begin with some round table discussions. Lew Bunch has a session scheduled on
Education Day where some of these problems will be discussed. We need clubs
to send their representatives.
I hope that we can change the focus of how we spend our time and begin to
focus on solutions. If you like this approach please share this email with
others.
Just my thoughts
Carmen
My Response to Carmen
What I said before is a great chance to use now.
If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.
The board has formed 60 committees. The board has lost $175,000 over the
past years. We have declining membership, declining entries and no one
willing to take on being treasurer.
I was on the board when the by-laws were changed to make the treasurer
someone with experience. It was because someone did not like Tom Sherman who
was doing it at the time and not costing the club anything. It is not a
by-law problem, it is how the treasurers are treated. Just talk to Nadine
about how she had to deal with problems with other board members.
We need to ask why we have these problems when the leadership of our club
is asking us for answers?
Carmen just told us the board has voted, and to shut up about what they
did.
There is the problem. The boards ran this club. According to what Carmen
just said, the club is in trouble. Should we not look to the board? Is it
the members who caused these problems? Or is it the continued oligarchy that
runs the club, and then complains when the results are dire consequences?
I don't have the answers. But, I do know doing the same thing over and
over and expecting different results, (thanks Einstein and Ed), is not how to
solve the problem.
If you disagree with a board's decision it is your duty and obligation to
let them know. Maybe Carmen does not like being inundated with criticism.
But, the board voted to have the National in Reno. Then they changed their
mind. That is the beauty of he board, it can always correct a mistake.
Remember the Hunt fiasco?
I didn't think Reno was a good decision. Hell, although great people, I
think there are only two breeders in Nevada, and Bud is a long ways from
Reno. If you want a West Coast National go with Los Angeles with five
specialty
clubs and probably over 100 exhibitors.
As much as I like and respect Carmen, I do not agree we should not voice
our opinions. And, we the members as well as you the board should make
suggestions, on how to solve the problem. It may be drastic, but I say,
eliminate what costs us money. Do we make money on the Futurities? Do we make
money on the National? Do we make money on the Review? Where is all the
loses? I never can get a straight answer about the Nationals. Do we or do we
not lose money on the Nationals?
If it is the Board, with the meetings and cost, eliminate the Board. I am
the attorney for The Model A Ford Club of America. They have a board of
five, meet one time a year, and the members pay their own way.
Stop doing the same thing over and over and expect different results.
And, I have no idea why I got this post. I am not a board member, I am
not a committee member, and I just want to show some good dogs, win some
ribbons, and not be blamed for what others are doing.
Evan Ginsburg
.
