[CT-NFB] Telling the truth

Fri Dec 18 01:11:50 UTC 2020

To all,

Phil, respectfully, if you find this organization doesn’t fit your needs, whatever they may be, then it may be best that you move on. Your constant rants are so very disruptive and I’m very tired of them. You attempted to turn this affiliate’s members against each other and failed. Enough, just enough!  We don’t need this constant bombardment with your childish actions. We are a VOLUNTEER group, and though I will always want to hear what our members think and feel, I am just tired of your constant unhappiness with this organization and its leadership. Stop attacking our leadership!  
Step back, decided what you want, and move forward. Bottom line, this attacking stops. You have been told, by President Riccobono, that this type of behavior needs to stop. If you cannot follow these instructions, then just move on. Life is too short!
Sincerely,
Cheri

Sent from my iPhone

> On Dec 17, 2020, at 1:01 PM, Maryanne Melley via CT-NFB <ct-nfb at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> 
> Dear Affiliate Members,
>  
> I have reached out to both Phil and Honorata on more than one occasion to try and mend our differences. Phil has let me know that this is not possible with his perceived image of me and the board I work with. We need to move forward and work together with our affiliate to make it stronger and larger.
>  
> Phil you speak of all the blind adults and children in our state. What are you going to do to help them? Just talking about things and not doing anything about it helps nobody. For instance I put you on a task of figuring out a way of making the donation mailings blind accessible. You answered let’s see what happens after the elections. The wrong person one in your mind so now it is no  longer important to you to fix this problem. I’m sure you will answer this email with more negative accusations, but the time for that is over. We must look to the future with only positive energy that helps the affiliate and stop dragging up your past perceived insults. You want transparency, well here it is: Sarah has just started mailing out donation letters again. She had stopped for a long time. This is not because she was not reached out to, Lucia sends out emails to all the people helping with the donation mailings. She may have stopped after not hearing back from Sarah after several attempts. Is Susan Beck your Vice President? If so she was not even on the chapter meeting you had on December 5th. If the business meeting was so terrible I’m sure I would have heard from president Riccobono. You do remember he was on with us the entire time. It amazes me how only people from your chapter did not care for the “ tone, tenor, and disappointment” of the business meetings during the convention. By the way there was only one business meeting and it was on Sunday November 1. As far as you leaving the affiliate, that is why I asked you in an email, because rumors were going around. They were not started by me. I have told everyone that you and Honorata are still in the affiliate. If rumors still are out there than there is nothing that can be done about that. They will settle down. The fact that you say you both have been despised is in your own head and not the truth.
>  
> Lastly, this kind of correspondence should have been sent to the board and not out on the list serve. There are professionals who are on this list, not just NFB members. We do not need to air our dirty laundry to them. Please respect the rules set and that you voted on and accepted.
>  
> Best Regards,
>  
> Maryanne Melley
> President
> National Federation of the Blind of Connecticut
> 860-212-5549
> mvcmelley at gmail.com
>  
> “Live the Life You Want”
>  
> From: CT-NFB <ct-nfb-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Phillip Magalnick via CT-NFB
> Sent: Thursday, December 17, 2020 4:29 AM
> To: ct-nfb at nfbnet.org
> Cc: Phillip Magalnick <philmag at optonline.net>
> Subject: [CT-NFB] Telling the truth
>  
> affiliate Members, 
> it has become necessary for me to advise the affiliate of  untruthfulness and inaccuracies being spread through rumors about myself and Honorata.
> First, we have left neither the affiliate nor the Federation. Nothing that we have said, written, or communicated states otherwise.
> Second, I did not close down our chapter, Which is being told to affiliate members.  Each of our chapter members attending the convention contacted me individually, or expressed their concern during  our December 5 meeting for the tone, tenor, and disappointment with the business sessions of the convention.
> Third, during our December 5 monthly meeting, Honorata and I announced to the members present that we were resigning our positions and leaving the chapter.  It is not my chapter, it is our members chapter, and not ours to close. fourth, a discussion took place and the 11 members Present did not want to continue having a chapter without both of us participating. No member wanted to lead the chapter or run for a board position. attending the meeting were the most active members of our chapter.
> Fifth, a  member, a retired JAG  attorney, articulated a motion to dissolve the chapter. The motion was seconded by our Vice President and unanimously passed. A quorum was present and  per  our constitution the vote was Legitimate and legally binding. With the unanimous vote  , I did not need to cast  a vote.
> Sixth, our members, with our assistance, will maintain a support group in Stamford.
> Seventh, all members present, and those not, were encouraged   to join the  At Large Chapter should they desire to stay connected with the Federation. The  phone number for Jim Cronin was provided and   they  were advised of the at-large meeting held on December 16, and given  the access information. both Honorata and I joined the call and contacted James Cronin notifying him of our intent to join the  chapter.
> Eighth, active members not present at the December 5 meeting were contacted and advised of the decision of the members present. Each member reached  agreed with the passing of the motion. I was advised that Beth Rival will be calling chapter members to seek interest for starting a new chapter. We welcome this.
>  We remain loyal and committed to the movement and the Federation. During the past three years we have committed ourselves to this, not only with  treasure, Time,  learning, and passion, but with emotion and understanding of the true Federation philosophy,  history, and tmovement.
> Both Honorata and I have been despised by a   close circle of    long Dash time friends of the affiliate, Especially during  the past year. Everything is known, documented, and true. Insecurity and frank mean-spiritedness has caused much chaos, hard feelings, and frustrations.
>  There are so many kind, compassionate, talented, and proud members within this organization.We have been blessed to have  caring mentors, close relationships with national leaders,And  have made lifetime friends.    We wish that  the  Federation   love, hope, and determination will  turn things around. 
> We do not need titles, seats at the head table a couple of times a year, or  backslapping to know that we did our best and will continue to do so. What we have been subject to should make all members question our leaders, our mission, and our commitment to building the Federation in the proper manner.
> I understand that we may be Relatively new to this organization, that we do not have decades of close friendships and relationships, and that change is difficult. But, if growth is not present, and  certainty is questionable, then The mission is lost. Without integrity, transparency, ethics, compassion, inclusion, and fairness, there’s nothing to support.
>  
> I was recently contacted by an affiliate member letting me know that they had received a call prior to Convention By another member to ascertain who I was. The person inquiring indicated that he/she was told that our chapter is only large because all of the members consist of the families of  both Honorata and myself. This is an outright lie. My father was treasurer and he and my mother attended all of our chapter meetings, except for two each year, and they attended and volunteered at our 2019 convention. Our daughter Sarah was our first secretary, attended the majority of our chapter meetings, and attended two national conventions where she attended all of the general sessions and assisted most members in one way or another. Recently, she actually mailed out   another round of fund raising letters as she has done consistently since the office closed. our daughter Megan joined the chapter during thMeet the Blind Month of 2019 and has been a consistent  participant at meetings and    social gatherings, providing her baked goods and snacks,  even during  our January 2020 Board Meeting in Stamford. She attended the 2019 state convention and assisted with the raffle, auction, and wherever else needed.
>  The necessity to defend ourselves is truly insulting and unconscionable.
> Those who actually   have divided the affiliate, disseminated rumors And false information, and did whatever it took to retain power, Will undoubtedly be exposed   with truth, evidence, and ownership.
> More troubling than what we have experienced is the fact that this  affiliate  is failing the blind of Connecticut. There are more than 62,000 people in Connecticut self identifying from visually impaired all the way to Blind. there are nearly 7000 clients of services for the blind. There arethere are more than 300 school age children in Connecticut who are blind. Who are we serving? Who are we reaching out to? To serve is selfless, not doing so is selfish. Sadly, we believed that 
>      we were part of a Federation family, but during my many months of serious illness and   the  recent tragic passing  of Honorata‘s brother, we learned who are true friends are, And who really considered us   as part of the Federation family.
> A while back Maryanne personally handed me the official NFB coin. On the reverse side, in braille, the word together is prominent. I  will return it  to her as regrettably it means nothing.
>  
> Respectfully,
>  
> P.A. Magalnick,JP
> 203-912-5783
> Justice of the Peace, CT
>  
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