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Re: [CQ-Contest] NCCC Statement - ARRL's Action Involving N6AA and Code

To: cq-contest@contesting.com
Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] NCCC Statement - ARRL's Action Involving N6AA and Code of Conduct
From: W0MU Mike Fatchett <w0mu@w0mu.com>
Date: Wed, 3 Jan 2018 19:16:04 -0700
List-post: <mailto:cq-contest@contesting.com>
Can anyone tell me what Dick actually said that sent the ARRL into this tail spin or point me to some web sites etc.  Thanks!

W0MU


On 1/3/2018 1:16 PM, W0MU Mike Fatchett wrote:
It all helps.  There is no need to discourage any type exchange or statement.  I agree that the more people chime in to their director, the better.  If that petition gets a significant number of signatures the ARRL board better pay attention.

W0MU


On 1/3/2018 12:32 PM, Ron Notarius W3WN wrote:
Neil,

With all due respect, I don't think that a petition at change.org, in and of itself, will do much good.  It's just too easy for the people behind these changes to dismiss a single petition, no matter how many names are on it.  (Especially if they claim, legitimately or not, that most of the people on it aren't even League members)

Incidents like this need to be brought to light, and be kept in the light.  There are two things that can easily be done: One is to continue keeping this in the eyes of the (amateur radio) public -- I just put out my monthly club newsletter, and I've got two full pages devoted to the subject. If members of my club (and other clubs around the country) aren't aware of this, then they can't do the next part.

The second is to write or email or telephone our Division Directors and Vice Directors, and TELL THEM (politely but firmly) what we think about these proposed changes, and what we want them to do (as our voting representatives on the Board) about it.  And encourage others to do so.  My emails to that effect will be going out tonight.

And once WE have done that, we need to encourage OTHERS to do the same.

It's easy to blow off a single petition.  It's a lot, lot harder to blow off a couple of hundred emails and phone calls.

But if we DON'T tell them, and DON'T take any action, and DON'T encourage others to do so, then we should have no complaint when the inevitable happens.  To that extent, yes, the petition is better than nothing... but not much better.

I'm doing and will continue to do my part.  I can only encourage everyone else to do the same.

73, ron W3WN




-----Original Message-----
From: Neil Johnson <neil.johnson@erudicon.com>
To: CQ-Contest <cq-contest@contesting.com>
Sent: Wed, Jan 3, 2018 2:13 pm
Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] NCCC Statement - ARRL's Action Involving N6AA and Code of Conduct

If you are so inclined, Please consider signing the following petition at change.org as well. Improve ARRL transparency and respect for present and future membership. <https://www.change.org/p/american-radio-relay-league-improve-arrl-transparency-and-respect-for-present-and-future-membership?recruiter=false&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink&utm_campaign=share_page&utm_term=triggered> Thanks. -Neil, N0SFH On Tue, Jan 2, 2018 at 8:40 PM, Jamie WW3S <ww3s@zoominternet.net> wrote: > Also, its worth noting that Mr. Lisceno, N2YBB seconded the motion to > censure Mr. Norton. Mr. Lisceno is the Hudson division director and is up > for re-election this year. Maybe someone in ENY, NNJ, or NLI should run > against him..... > > -----Original Message----- From: John Dorr > Sent: Tuesday, January 02, 2018 9:20 PM > To: CQ-Contest > Subject: [CQ-Contest] NCCC Statement - ARRL's Action Involving N6AA and > Code of Conduct > > As co-moderator of this list, I was recently asked by someone (not a NCCC > member) to post the following statement in response to some of the recent > actions/proposals by the ARRL Board of Directors. Perhaps you have already > seen this email, but if not, I suggest you consider the thoughtful comments > being offered by the NCCC below. > > Note that the intent is not to spin up yet another endless CQ-Contest > thread (please!), but to be informed and ensure you are communicating with > your Director on important matters taking place at ARRL and with its > leadership/board. > > 73, John, K1AR > > > > > NCCC members and friends, > > On November 22, of this year, Bob, N6TV, notified us via the NCCC Reflector > of an article the ARRL had posted on a web page entitled, “ARRL Board of > Directors Publicly Censures Southwestern Division Director”. That > Southwestern Division Director was none other than Dick Norton, N6AA, one > of the super stars of amateur radio contesting and DXing. The same Dick > Norton who was elected to the CQ Contest Hall of Fame, in 1995. The same > Dick Norton who is one of the very few hams to have operated in all 40 CQ > zones. The same Dick Norton who is currently the President of the Southern > California Contest Club. > > How could this be, I asked myself, as did many of you. The subsequent > comments on the reflector have been absolutely 100% supportive of N6AA and > 100% opposed to the ARRL’s actions. For more than a month now, the > comments continue to dominate our reflector. While at the NCCC Holiday > Dinner, I had many of those in attendance chat with me about it as well as > the other NCCC Board members present. > > The Board took a “wait and see” attitude prior to proceeding with any > action. We wanted to make sure we knew the facts prior to taking action > and several of our Board members have been seeking out those facts. > > As a result, and having researched the facts, the Northern California > Contest Club Board has issued a statement expressing our concern over the > ARRL’s actions involving N6AA, as well as the specifics of the ARRL’s new > Code of Conduct. > > Our letter, below, is going out tonight to the ARRL officers and board > members: > > ------------------------------------------------------------ > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > To: ARRL Directors and Officers > > From: The Northern California Contest Club, Inc. > > Date: December 25, 2017 > > Gentlemen, > > The Northern California Contest Club is an ARRL affiliated organization > with approximately 300 members, most of whom are themselves League members. > We pride ourselves upon having many of the most active hams in Northern > California and Western Nevada among our ranks. These are hams who are > active not only on the air, but also in ARRL matters. Over the 45 years of > our existence, our membership has included many ARRL Pacific Division > Directors, Vice Directors, Section Managers, Volunteer Counsels, Official > Observers, Emergency Coordinators and a host of other League appointees. > > We are sending this letter to express our concern about events unfolding at > League headquarters. Specifically, we believe the ARRL Board has made a > serious error in its recent censure of Southwestern Division Director Dick > Norton, and we are concerned with the lack of transparency and the stifling > of communication we see possible under the Board’s Code of Conduct (ARRL > Policy on Board Governance and Conduct of Members of the Board of Directors > and Vice Directors). > > Many NCCC members were in the audience for the ARRL forum at the 2017 > Visalia International DX Convention, and we have seen the letters written > to the ARRL Board by Mark Weiss, K6FG, and by Tim Duffy, K3LR, stating what > happened in that forum. The events as described by Mr. Weiss and Mr. Duffy > are accurate. In our opinion, Mr. Norton did nothing in the Forum to > deserve the censure. We respectfully request that the Board rescind the > censure and issue a public apology to Director Norton. > > As a related matter, we also have seen the letter Hudson Division Director > Mike Lisenco, N2YBB, sent to members of his Division in which he stated “… > there were individual witnesses who attended the forum in Visalia who came > to us with a different story than those released by Mr. Norton’s > supporters. … I will not discuss the specific reasons enumerated as they > are of a personnel nature and not appropriate for discussion …”. Director > Lisenco’s letter alarms us. Essentially, he is saying the Board censured > Director Norton based upon secret facts (which obviously differ from what > we, Mr. Weiss and Mr. Duffy observed) asserted by one or more unidentified > witnesses. This lack of transparency does not put the ARRL Board in a good > light. To the contrary, it suggests that there is an ulterior motive or > something the Board is trying to hide, and is far more likely to bring the > Board’s decisions into disrepute than anything Director Norton did at the > forum. > > As for a code of conduct, we certainly understand why it is appropriate for > the ARRL Board to have one. However, we believe that the specific Code > adopted by the Board at its January, 2017, meeting is wrong for our type of > membership organization. It inhibits the free and effective exchange of > information between our elected Director and Vice Director and the League > members residing in our Division. As proof of the Code’s “gag order” > effect, we need look no farther than Director Norton’s censure and the fact > that our elected representatives refused to discuss it with us in any > detail for fear of violating the Code themselves. We urge you to please > amend the current Code to provide for much more transparency of Board > actions and a freer exchange of information (including how the Directors > voted) with League members. > > Very truly yours, > > THE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA CONTEST CLUB, INC. > > Bob Hess, W1RH (President) > > Chris Tate, N6WM (Vice President) > > Ian Parker, W6TCP (Secretary) > > Dick Wilson, K6LRN (Treasurer) > > Ron Castro, N6IE (Director) > > Rich Cutler, WC6H (Director) > > Rusty Epps, W6OAT (Director) > > ------------------------------------------------------------ > ------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Although we have yet to see anyone in our club express an opinion in favor > of the ARRL’s actions involving N6AA, it is entirely possible, with an > organization of our size, that we may have members applauding the ARRL. > While our statement represents the opinions of the majority of our members, > we encourage any member in favor of the ARRL’s actions involving Dick > Norton and the new Code of Conduct, to contact the ARRL directly to express > their opinion. > > We are forwarding our statement to many other clubs and encourage our > members and friends to forward our statement to others in the Amateur Radio > Community. > > Bob Hess > > W1RH > > President, Northern California Contest Club > _______________________________________________ > CQ-Contest mailing list > CQ-Contest@contesting.com > http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/cq-contest > > > --- > This email has been checked for viruses by AVG. > http://www.avg.com > _______________________________________________ > CQ-Contest mailing list > CQ-Contest@contesting.com > http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/cq-contest > -- Neil Johnson _______________________________________________ CQ-Contest mailing list CQ-Contest@contesting.com http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/cq-contest
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