Sylmar Hang Gliding Association

The reason for my resignation is that I believe I cannot be an effective president as the board is currently composed.

I am sure you are all aware of my efforts to move forward with the CUP and the gazebo from the forum posts. I am sure you are aware that at the August board meeting an expeditor, Robert Fedor put forth a proposal to represent the SHGA in this effort.

In the time since the August board meeting there has been discussion via email and phone regarding legal questions on the proposal by Robert Fedor to be the expeditor for the SHGA. A competing proposal by a board member to be the paid representative for the SHGA in its efforts to build a Gazebo and operate as a hang gliding landing area was also received. Because the proposal was from a board member, that member could not participate in discussions about Mr. Fedors contract. Time was spent addressing this new proposal, answering emails and making phone calls.

The competing proposal was withdrawn after our very successful meeting with the city in which Robert Fedor represented us. Robert Fedor agreed to be at this meeting even though he had no signed contract from the SHGA board and with no payment made by the SHGA to cover his time.

In my judgment, the amount of money on the table, the general agreement as to the contract form and the behavior in good faith by Robert in representing us with the city without a contract or payment made the risk of entering into a less than perfect contract acceptable and would enable Robert to continue to represent us immediately.

However, while I had worked with Robert Fedor and Ken Andrews to create two revisions of the contract and while the board agreed on the general form of the contract, we had no answers to the specific legal questions that had been raised at Thursday evening’s conference call. Rather than vote on the revised contract what occurred after a 2 hour meeting was a vote to use Robert Fedor, but with an amended revised contract that allow further amendments by 2 members after the meeting ended. We then agreed to pay a board member for work on this contract.

If firmly disagree with these actions. The issues I have are that in my opinion the board should only vote on a complete contract and board members should not be paid for their work, it should be a volunteer effort. Further, in my opinion the actions support a dysfunction in the operation of the board, where discussion and review occur but are ineffective, and not done in a timely manner. Numerous and detailed questions are raised for which in my opinnion no one is willing to commit the time to obtain the answer, at least as a volunteer. In my opinion, this then delays the ability to make a decision because the board does not have sufficient information to answer the questions raised. In my opinion, this impairs the function of the board and is disruptive and leads to delay. I cannot head a board which operates in this manner. In my opinion, this pattern can be seen in Thursday’s conference call where a vote on whether to use Robert Fedor, yes or no (which clearly would require work prior to the meeting in order to have a contract that could be voted on) was supposed to be taken, instead we discussed legal issues raised but not answered about Robert’s contract and then voted to use Robert with unknown amendments made to the contract after the meeting ended.

In my opinion, I have no authority in my role as president despite my efforts and successes. The most frustrating thing in my life is to be in a position where I am powerless to make a change. I therefore I do not have the time required to be in this role any longer for the SHGA.

The text above is intended to document and provide opinion on certain actions at the board meeting via conference call on Thursday August 22, 2008 and certain actions leading up to that meeting. None of the statements above including my opinions should be taken as an attack on any individual or the board as a whole. Where I state my opinion, it is my opinion only and in no way is intended to harm the reputation or standing in the community of any individual or the board as a whole. The board members as individuals and the board as whole have acted in good faith and in no way behaved in conflict with their role on the board or their individual responsibilities to the board or the fiduciary responsibilities of the board to the SHGA. I believe I have taken sufficient effort in ensuring the statements above are accurate, however, should an error be found in any statement represented as fact please notify me in writing so that a correction can be made.

I have a lot of respect for Joseph and for those that I know on the Board.

I sure would like to hear "the other side(s)" of this situation. Sounds like some issues were considered critical to at least one/few of the Board Members.

Any of the Board members willing to post their comments - maybe in the Members Only section of this forum???

It sounds like letting the Perfect be the enemy of the Good.

Good for you, Joseph. I support your decision to not waste time enabling the
dysfunction.

We have lost an invaluable resource in your resignation.

I would certainly be willing to land out at the base of the dam on Saturday to show my continuing support of Joseph as president of the SHGA and his leadership on the special project of obtaining the CUP. I have landed there once before as well as locations like Garlock and Big Sur. Hopefully with the CUP it's a task we won't have to get used to.

Doug

I am, to say the least, very disappointed. Whatever led to Joseph's frustration, this does not shed an encouraging light for any non-board members that may have considered serving for the club (read: me).

Everyone I have met that has served on the Board of Directors has done so with honor and a lack of self-interest. They have contributed a considerable amount of their personal time, often with the same results as Joseph but just as often with great success. No doubt there have been and continue to be, strong personalities that may clash; everyone can't always agree.

Site preservation is the Board's chief reason for existence. However, the BOD is also empowered to pursue the desires of the membership. The Board was given a mandate to construct a new pavilion and given strong signals by what I believe to be a majority of the membership to obtain the means to secure permits for construction, whether by CUP or some other legitimate means. So far the Board has failed.

I know that recent events brought this project as close as it has ever come to fruition. I don't wish to see this opportunity squandered. Perhaps it's time for some of the strong personalities to rein themselves in and allow just one person to lead (you all know how I feel about committees). In any case, the fees that were in question barely amounted to two months of the club water bill. The Board could afford to make this size of mistake, if the contractor could not fulfill his bargain. As I understood the terms, the contractor wouldn't be paid in full until he made a very good-faith effort to secure our legitimacy in the LZ. We need to get on with this, now.

A final note: As I understand the history of the club, no Board member has ever been paid for any of the many very significant improvements and projects that have been implemented. I think a huge conflict of interest is raised when a Board member suggests payment to them for services they may render to the club. If they wish to function in the contractor capacity, they should resign the office prior to such a contract being even discussed or we should pay all the members that serve enough to cover their fees for such activities. If that is preferred, we should have interviews instead of elections.

I agree with everything said above by JT. Now what? I assume Joseph thought this out enough to be seriously finished (unfortunately). Therefore, how do we go forward according to the bylaws. We need to have a functioning board and president ASAP. We should push through to avoid losing the progress made by Joseph and everyone else so far.

Let's remember this is all voluntary work. In essence a gift from those on the board to the rest of us. I appreciate it greatly, and understand it can get messy, especially when difficult things are attempted. This unrest is caused by the level of difficulty, risk, and work involved with the current goals. It's to be expected and we simply need to take the next step to get back on track. Does anyone know the next step?

Election to the presidency of SHGA should come with the power to appoint sufficient board members to guarantee a presidential majority. A two-thirds vote should be required to overturn any whim of the president, no matter how eccentric.

In other words, the president gets his way. The BOD is his. Dissenters are at a disadvantage and have to campaign for a new president. Leadership, right or wrong, occurs. If the club doesnt like it they vote for a new president next time.

I recall that Joseph never wanted this job and stepped forward initially because there was no other candidate. I wonder who will step forward this time.

I have convinced myself that Joseph's post is merely a typographical error. He has not resigned, and the SHGA is just as it should be. In time, somebody might bring the typo to his attention, so that he can correct it. In the meantime, perhaps there's some value in reflecting on the powerful and yet delicate piece of machinery that a committee is.

Working on a comittee is a challenge. Serving as the chairman of a committee, or the president of the board in the case of the SHGA, is even more challenging. Joseph notes so rightly that he's got only one vote, and sometimes that's not enough to reach the decision that one feels is right. With a variety of contradictory opinions among the members, a board doesn't run smoothly. And yet, the chairman is responsible for making sure the board does run smoothly! It can be downright maddening.

Despite all this, history shows that a board of directors provides a pretty dependable way of making good decisions. Virtually every company of any size has a board, and non-profit organizations are required by law to. Of course, the magic ingredient is the variety of personalities involved. When this mix of people agrees on a decision, one can have some confidence that it has been carefully considered from a variety of perspectives, and that it's the best decision available. No individual can hope to make the right decision every time, but a group of people working together can come pretty close. A board, or a committee, or a jury, is an incredibly powerful thing!

There's no easy way to be the chairman of a board, or if there is, I certainly never found it. But I do know that it's an art, not a science. It requires guessing how people will react to suggestions not yet made. It requires accepting that others will sometimes make better decisions than one can oneself. It requires nearly infinite patience, and incredible amounts of time and energy.

Joseph knows all these things; it has been a big part of his life for the past year and a half. And yet, understandably, we all wear down after a long spell of hard work. Joseph has accomplished much, and he deserves to be proud of what he has achieved. He has earned a break, and yet we need him: the board and the club would be diminished without Joseph at the helm.

It's time to go flying; I'll check back eventually to make sure the typographical error is fixed.

The agreement with the expediter is a fantastic step. Congratulations all! I'm very glad to hear there was a typo.

Very well stated Ken. Thank you for sharing the real value that a board and president bring to an association and the very difficult task of coming to consensus for all concerned. Amazing how difficult it can be even though all concerned have the best interests of their constituents at heart.

It is clear that many appreciate Joseph's efforts to date and perhaps with a break away for a bit will allow him time to see a way back to his continued support of SHGA either as president or just one of those represented by the BOD.

I feel confident that the BOD will go forth and do their very best in support of SHGA and the sport as a whole.

Thank you Joseph and all members of the BOD for all you do.