[CT-NFB] Treasurer Board Position

Mon Oct 26 04:07:39 UTC 2020

Yes, we definitely have to avoid the personal attacks. As a nation and as a Federation family, we need healing and togetherness.

In any arrangement, if the President appoints a nominating committee, there is still a lot of Power being held by the president. This is part of why the job of president is considered such a high office. If the members of our affiliate elected Maryanne as the president, then she has that power.

Whoever is elected president in the upcoming term will also have that power.

If I were the president, I would appoint a nominating committee that I thought could do the best job. Would my Personal views and judgment about what is best for the affiliate be baked into that decision? Absolutely.

Sent from my iPhone

Justin Mark Hideaki Salisbury

Mobile: 808.797.8606
Email: 808salisbury at gmail.com<mailto:808salisbury at gmail.com>
ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Justin_Salisbury
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-salisbury

On Oct 25, 2020, at 7:31 PM, Maryanne Melley via CT-NFB <ct-nfb at nfbnet.org<mailto:ct-nfb at nfbnet.org>> wrote:

Dear Members,

I am growing tired of these personal attacks on my character. Phil Magalnick is entitled to his own opinions but he is not supposed to be sending negative messages of this kind on our list serve. The new guidelines for this were jus set by Nathanael Wales and Shonda Rosetta. I could put here what he said at the latest open board meeting, but I won’t. We all need to start working together in this affiliate.

Best Regards,

Maryanne Melley
President
National Federation of the Blind of Connecticut
860-212-5549

“Live the Life You Want”

From: CT-NFB <ct-nfb-bounces at nfbnet.org<mailto:ct-nfb-bounces at nfbnet.org>> On Behalf Of Phillip Magalnick via CT-NFB
Sent: Sunday, October 25, 2020 6:56 PM
To: NFB of Connecticut Mailing List <ct-nfb at nfbnet.org<mailto:ct-nfb at nfbnet.org>>
Cc: Phillip Magalnick <philmag at optonline.net<mailto:philmag at optonline.net>>; rosarioi4 at southernct.edu<mailto:rosarioi4 at southernct.edu>
Subject: Re: [CT-NFB] Treasurer Board Position

It is tragically misleading  that this nominating committee is only that in name.
     during our recent board meeting, the current president stated that this  nominating committee would only report to the convention those nominees which she had personally  hand selected.  This , essentially cronyism, Was echoed by  a board member subordinate to me. This  person, a former affiliate president, stated that the sitting president could do  whatever she wanted to do.  Again, troubling.  Yes, we are able often to do whatever we want to, but decency dictates that it is not always wise, prudent, or necessary to do so.
It should  be noted that this current president, Similar to last year,appointed a nominating committee consisting of only three Caucasian women.

 This nominating committee has not consulted with affiliate or chapter leaders for suggestions and guidance. This nominating committee has not sought the best candidates for the available positions, and therefore has not sought out diversity,
or anyone who is not in complete agreement and support of the current president.  It appears to me that the support and loyalties are to the person, not to the affiliate, the Federation, or the blind of Connecticut. The US President does not choose his/her own members of the House and Senate, but all must work together in order to thrive.

Contrary to the above, when Gary was the preceding president he chose a different approach  to creating the slate Of nominees. He actually invited  each  chapter and Division President  to participate On the nominating committee. This leadership approach assured Nnot only a Diverse and   inclusive pool of prospective nominees, but allowed for all regions of the state to be represented in the process. We were pleased to  realize candidates  consisting  of not only those with the Federation already running through their veins, but those with The enthusiasm And desire to  work hard and learn both the history and philosophy of the Federation.
 during the 2018  convention, this  nominating committee  presented its slate to both the president and the member body, not the other way around.
Indeed, a democratic Election process is utilized during the convention, but the process of presenting the nominees As dictated solely by the incumbent president counters what     is fair, Representative, and most beneficial to the affiliate our constitution does not address who serves on the nominating committee, how members are selected, what they do, or anything else to that matter. Therefore, common sense, courtesy, and respect should be the charge. The current  nominating committee represents nothing more than      three people selected by the president to tell the convention who she wants on her board. I submit to you that it is not her board,
 but that of the affiliate.

 Respectfully,
P.A. Magalnick,JP
203-912-5783
Justice of the Peace, CT
President, National Federation of the Blind-SWCT Chapter
1st VP, National Federation of the Blind-CT Affiliate
Vice-Chair, Stamford Committee on Accessibility

On Oct 25, 2020, at 4:13 PM, Justin Salisbury via CT-NFB <ct-nfb at nfbnet.org<mailto:ct-nfb at nfbnet.org>> wrote:

Hi everyone,

I am out of the loop with whatever the backstory is here, but I do want to offer a thought about diversity and inclusion.

While I certainly agree that democratic processes can be followed, I think we’ve seen many situations throughout history where democratic processes did not result in elected leaders showing a full range of diversity and inclusion. If we look at history, how many times have we seen democratic processes lead to the election of a group of mostly heterosexual, able-bodied, cisgender white Christian Protestant men? This has happened a lot.

I don’t know how to work with the geographic part. It’s tough. Should the affiliate board be made up of members from all 8 counties, or should the board be clustered where the membership is? I don’t know.

Whatever the diversity and inclusion desires are, I hope that the nominating committee does come up with a slate that represents the kinds of diversity that we need. There is certainly an incumbency effect that helps whoever is on the slate. The nominating committee has the opportunity to make a statement about the values of the affiliate. No matter what the nominating committee does, it does make a statement about the values of the affiliate. When we see the slate, we learn something.

I don’t expect that the CT affiliate would come up with a  slate of purely heterosexual, cisgender, white, Christian Protestant men. If we did, though, it would then send a message that any gay male, trans male, person of color, Catholic or non-Christian, or non-male would need to run against the slate. That’s a difficult task.

Like I said, I don’t know the backstory, but I do think we should acknowledge that the slate is a statement whether we like it or not.

Aloha,

Justin

Justin Mark Hideaki Salisbury
he/him/his

Phone: 808.797.8606
Email: President at Alumni.ECU.edu<mailto:President at Alumni.ECU.edu>
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-salisbury
ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Justin_Salisbury

“Once social change begins, it cannot be reversed. You cannot un-educate the person who has learned to read. You cannot humiliate the person who feels pride. You cannot oppress the people who are not afraid anymore.”

Cesar Chavez

From: CT-NFB <ct-nfb-bounces at nfbnet.org<mailto:ct-nfb-bounces at nfbnet.org>> On Behalf Of Honorata Kazmierczak via CT-NFB
Sent: Sunday, October 25, 2020 4:00 PM
To: NFB of Connecticut Mailing List <ct-nfb at nfbnet.org<mailto:ct-nfb at nfbnet.org>>
Cc: Honorata Kazmierczak <honorata1120 at gmail.com<mailto:honorata1120 at gmail.com>>; rosarioi4 at southernct.edu<mailto:rosarioi4 at southernct.edu>
Subject: Re: [CT-NFB] Treasurer Board Position

Thank you Debbie for your response. I have no doubt the elections will follow democratic process and do understand the nominees could be made from the floor. My concern is the presidential nominees for the board positions that are opened. How diverse are they? And why only a handful of people Who the nominees are? Why are we not privileged to have this information when it became available?

On Sun, Oct 25, 2020 at 2:33 PM Elizabeth Rival via CT-NFB <ct-nfb at nfbnet.org<mailto:ct-nfb at nfbnet.org>> wrote:
Sincerely, Sincerely,

Honorata
Deb, well stated. Beth

From: CT-NFB [mailto:ct-nfb-bounces at nfbnet.org<mailto:ct-nfb-bounces at nfbnet.org>] On Behalf Of Deb Reed via CT-NFB
Sent: Sunday, October 25, 2020 1:37 PM
To: NFB of Connecticut Mailing List <ct-nfb at nfbnet.org<mailto:ct-nfb at nfbnet.org>>
Cc: Deb Reed <deb.reed57 at gmail.com<mailto:deb.reed57 at gmail.com>>; rosarioi4 at southernct.edu<mailto:rosarioi4 at southernct.edu>
Subject: Re: [CT-NFB] Treasurer Board Position

Have no fear Honorata, our elections at the convention are a 100% democratic elections, with all affiliate members voting for whom they choose. Certainly every member regardless of color, creed, races sex or age will be considered. As we all know anyone can be nominated from the floor. Looking forward to a wonderful convention filled with creativity and camaraderie.
Sincerely,
 Deb Reed
Central CT Chapter President
National Federation Of The Blind
Phone - 860-973-3679
Cell-860-378-5370
Email - deb.reed57 at gmail.com<mailto:deb.reed57 at gmail.com>

On Oct 25, 2020, at 12:58 PM, Honorata Kazmierczak via CT-NFB <ct-nfb at nfbnet.org<mailto:ct-nfb at nfbnet.org>> wrote:
Hello,

I am glad the diversity is mentioned and taken into consideration for the board positions. Unfortunately through the grapevine I am under the impression that five positions may be filled by five older white women from the Plainville chapter?
I would certainly hope that this is not true, and that consideration is being made for inclusion of representation of various divisions and chapters from around the state. I certainly hope that
Qualifying Members of different ages, gender, religion, and ethnicity will be on the slate.
I also hope, that our new board is going to have not only diverse, but also creative and critical thinkers who will not be afraid to disagree, but will be able to respectfully work together on all of the issues concerning our affiliate and our movement
I also hope, that all candidates exemplify moral and ethical standards.

I hope that we can demonstrate to the national our dedication to the civil rights movement.  I hope that all participating in a voting process evaluate each candidate through the lens of our constitution and the code of conduct.

 let’s set high standards for ourselves and others, let’s build the national Federation of the blind of Connecticut!

Sincerely,

Hinorata Kazmierczak

NFB National Volunteer Field  Representative

 Southwest Chapter Board Member

NFB BELL Academy Coordinator

850-620-3128

On Sat, Oct 24, 2020 at 9:17 AM ntwales via CT-NFB <ct-nfb at nfbnet.org<mailto:ct-nfb at nfbnet.org>> wrote:
Greetings, from my webmail,
As I had let Phil and Maryanne--and others know--I am traveling and must
access my e-mail through this webmail.  I have NOT resigned as
treasurer.  I have completed all duties before leaving town and will be
back next week prepared to carry on the business of the NFB of
Connecticut, including providing a treasurer's report at our convention
and signing our scholarship winner's check.  My term expires at the end
of the board meeting Sunday morning, November 1.
I have discussed my intentions for running for office with many people
off this list, and anyone with questions is welcome to contact me
directly at:
ntwales at omsoft.com<mailto:ntwales at omsoft.com>
and I will reply Wednesday or Thursday.  It is not appropriate, I think,
to discuss political intentions on this list per our Expectations of
Conduct.
Nathanael T. Wales, Treasurer
NFB of Connecticut

Live the Life You Want

On 2020-10-23 14:15, Phillip Magalnick via CT-NFB wrote:
> Could you please clarify? Is there an immediate need for a treasurer
> secondary to a resignation, or is Nathaniel not seeking reelection.
> Additionally, I have not been contacted by the nominating committee so
> I presume that you are not supporting me for reelection. As president,
> you should’ve had the courage or courtesy to notify me of this.
>
> Respectfully,
> P.A. Magalnick,JP
> 203-912-5783
> Justice of the Peace, CT
> President, National Federation of the Blind-SWCT Chapter
> 1st VP, National Federation of the Blind-CT Affiliate
> Vice-Chair, Stamford Committee on Accessibility
>
>> On Oct 23, 2020, at 1:50 PM, mvcmelley at gmail.com<mailto:mvcmelley at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> 
>>
>> Dear Federation Family,
>>
>> It is my honor to announce that there is an opening on the board of
>> directors for the position of Treasurer. Nathanael Wales has done a
>> fantastic job for our affiliate for some time now, but as Gary
>> mentioned it is time for more diversity on the board. If any of you
>> feel that you are good with numbers please let me or Lucia at
>> 860-289-1971 know. Thank you and I look forward to your responses.
>>
>> Best Regards,
>>
>> Maryanne Melley
>>
>> President
>>
>> National Federation of the Blind of Connecticut
>>
>> 860-212-5549
>>
>> “Live the Life You Want”
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--
Honorata V Kazmierczak
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TheBlindVoices at gmail.com<mailto:TheBlindVoices at gmail.com> CoFounder
Access-4-All Committee Member
860-620-3128
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