[SCCC] A message to SCCC

[Marty Woll]

 To my fellow SCCC members,

 On Monday, November 20,  the ARRL posted an article on its Web page entitled, “ARRL Board of Directors Publicly Censures Southwestern Division Director”.  Yes, they’re referring to our own N6AA, who has served as our elected representative to the ARRL Board for over twelve years, longer than most of the other Directors and Vice Directors have been in the Boardroom. 

You can read the story and related minutes of the special meeting for yourself, but what these documents omit is that the allegation on which the censure was likely based appears to be untrue.  During the 2017 International DX Convention in Visalia, at the ARRL Forum, Dick factually described the Code of Conduct adopted four months earlier at the ARRL Board’s annual meeting.  He made no statement against the Code, but members in attendance almost unanimously voiced their objections to it.  That Code, which only three Directors (Norton, Woolweaver and Abernethy) voted against, shifts a League Director’s primary duty of loyalty from members (and, by extension, Amateur Radio in general) to the corporation.  It further prevents a Director from expressing publicly any reservations as to any decision, wise or unwise, made by the Board majority and from disclosing any Director’s vote, including his or her own.  This is a fundamental and significant change for what had been a member-driven organization for over a century, and I fear there are more such changes to come.  Frankly, the events foreshadowing this change were a major factor in my decision last year not to seek re-election as Vice Director.

I find it ironic that this public censure was orchestrated by the Board’s Ethics and Elections Committee, in the face of substantial contrary evidence offered by respected and reliable sources such as K6FG and K3LR, against someone who has consistently shown the highest level of ethics in and outside the Boardroom.  

I expect more detail to be shared soon, and we will have opportunities for in-person discussions on this whole matter over the coming months.   I will gladly participate in those discussions.  Feel free to pass this message on to other interested parties.

73,

Marty N6VI