A short history.
Sometimes the timing of a thing is more telling than the words. In the history of this event, at a March meeting, a shout by Chargers president interrupted the opening of the association president’s traditional start of a meeting, “The meeting will come to--” . The interruption was the beginning of two hours of shouting and arm waving. No business was conducted. The minister who asked that we be more quiet in his church was ignored. He, then, refused to have this group back on September 25. In a second instance, the presiding vice-president of the Sunday the 25th group opened his telephone conversation with Shirley Hill about her offer to hold Junior Olympic cross country competitions on Onondaga Nation with, “Who told you about this?” and followed his question with the announcement that the Chargers already had the assignment. The timing of the first shout at the church said that this disturbance had been planned. The timing of Mr. Reinhardt’s question said that he’d pre-selected the site without competitive bid.
The week before.
As member, I received three announcements regarding the Annual Meeting. First, an announcement that it had been postponed, signed by the president of the association. Second, an announcement that the meeting was “on”, unsigned. Third, an announcement that the meeting was “on”, signed by a vice president. I disregarded the unsigned message and concluded that if a president and a vice president disagreed, the president trumped the v-p. The meeting was postponed, by this logic. The arrangements for meeting space had been canceled.
The hours preceding.
Mr. Walker and Mr. Grasso sat at a table in the lobby of Perinton Center with a sign-in sheet. A young woman approached and asked them to leave. Mr. Grasso gave her grief. She held her own and they left about 45 minutes later, taking up their activity at Center Park.
I explained to them that I, though a long-time member and a club founder, could not sign because I did not consider this an official meeting, having been advised by the president that the Annual Meeting had been postponed. I did not want my signature to appear to legitimize a false document. I explained this twice more to small groups, both times asking that I have a witness to my remarks, which happened. I could not vote, having no identifying red wrist band, but I was yet a member. I stayed until # 8 on the agenda which was the election.
Roll Call.
Delayed until 1:20 after all the expected Chargers and GVH members had appeared. All votes which followed were 35 to zero, except one when two people said that they didn’t have enough knowledge of the topic and they, then, abstained. One of the 35 was erroneously allowed to vote although he’d been suspended from membership. His membership was jocularly reinstated at # 5, Unfinished Business and the votes continued, 35 to zero. I was considered “guest”.
Treasurer’s Report and President’s Report.
The Treasurer’s report was rejected, Mr. Reinhardt remarking that it depends on the president and “we have no president”. He was wrong. We have a president. Dr. Driscoll moved to reject the President’s Report and an absurd discussion occurred, suggesting changing the words in the President’s Report. It was at this part of the gathering that giggles, smirks, eye-winking, elbow-jabbing, knowing looks began to snowball with Lucas, his wife, President and Treasurer who were absent and could not defend themselves, the association policies of the past two years, official and personal activities, and their character became the butt of hilarity.
The National Representative.
She joined the merriment. When asked a serious question, she interrupted a convivial conversation with the Chargers president to say, “What, what? Would you repeat the question?” She should have been paying attention and she should have stopped the merriment which victimized the Lucases.
Committee Reports.
Of the nine listed, six committee chairs were absent. A tenth committee, Youth, was omitted from the list. It is Mr. Reinhardt’s own and he provided his report. Mr. Glinsky, Membership chair, reported of large advances in individual memberships and in club memberships over the two years. As the funny stuff went on at the expense of the Lucases, Mr. Glinsky might have removed some of the steam by reminding the group of Mr. Lucas’s success in this area. Like the National representative, he did not, and as the freight train gathered steam, there were new and more serious comments containing words like “criminal”, “personal reimbursement”, and suggestions of misuse of association monies, suggesting further law suits. The hiring of 2 lawyers, a parliamentarian, and a security officer for the March meeting was questioned with the suggestion that Mr. Lucas pay back the association. Having been at that meeting, I’d say that we needed every one of those officers and with Mr. Oja shouting at the security officer, we probably needed one more and a back-up. This Sunday gathering was becoming outrageous and I thought of the old world isms and how these must have begun. Everything 35 to zip and an injured-chicken-in-the-hen-coop mentality.
#5, Unfinished Business.
I asked to speak. Was refused permission. Suspended member, reinstated, though he had voted before the reinstatement.
Proposed Amendments.
Marc Grasso moved to oppose these amendments and it was so voted, 35 to zero. Mr. Reif moved to reject all online voting, proposed amendments, nominations for association office, voting for association office and this was passed, 35 to zero. One online nomination and three people who chose to wait to be nominated at an official meeting were closed out. Control of the group goes to the manipulators.
#7, New Business.
I asked to speak. Was refused. I rose, said Good-bye, and left, saying that I should probably do so before they voted.
Post-history.
After the March meeting, the Chargers began to plan to bring their board members plus a couple of others to the Annual Meeting, but were flummoxed when Mr. Lucas postponed it the week before. It’s a long drive to Rochester from Syracuse and my guess is that the Chargers would have a hard time recruiting these people or a similar number of people for a future trip, thus the tense press to have THIS gathering as it appeared on the calendar. They are determined to control this group and they had the help of GVH.
What USATF might do.
One. Correctly name the gathering as gathering. A free-speech offering and a troubling one, it was not an officially convened meeting.
Two. Vacate the Sunday, the 25th , gathering of any business transacted, including the election.
Three. Remove the offending officers of the association, all presidents and vice-presidents, some committee chairs, depending on findings, for two election cycles.
Four. Because Chargers offenses include the past as well as the current, remove for abuse of power Chargers who are on National committees. For support of unwise policy (awarding scholarship money to college recruit of board member; she was also doubly ineligible) and unfair policy (failure to seriously regard 5 remaining applicants), and for altering club records, place club on probation for each year this issue has been unresolved, 6 years.
Lennie Tucker