[PPRAANet] 0-Beat Editor

[Al Penney]

Hello everyone,

As you have all undoubtedly seen on previous e-mails, Tom Dawson KC0NRZ is
no longer the editor of the PPRAA newsletter, the 0-Beat.

I have already provided a brief explanation of the change in the President's
Message for the September newsletter.  In an effort to avoid any
embarrassment to the concerned parties, I did not go into detail.  It seems
however that through his abrupt e-mail announcement, Tom has made it appear
that he was "relieved" of the job.  Several other club members, without any
knowledge of the situation whatsoever, have condemned the Board for
mistreating volunteers.

Having been an Amateur for 27 years, having served on the executive of
several clubs across Canada and the United States, and having worked
extensively to organize Hams to assist in times of emergency, I am very well
aware of the importance of encouraging and supporting volunteers.  On the
other hand, when someone volunteers for a particular job, I expect them to
make an effort to perform that job.

Without going into a lot of detail, the Board was unanamous in its
disappointment with Tom.  Tom attended no Board meetings and only 2 regular
meetings, despite a great deal of encouragement to attend both. As a result,
he was unaware of what was taking place within the club.  The 0-Beat was
late on several occasions and the content did not reflect club priorities.
In accordance with Section 3 of Article III of the club bylaws, "any
Director who misses two board meetings in succession without notifying the
President or Vice-President at least 24 hours prior to the meeting will be
considered to have resigned his or her position".  In effect, Tom would have
resigned at least 4 times so far this year.

Because of this, and because Tom indicated that he was unable to attend
future meetings, I did look for a volunteer who was able to devote more time
to the 0-Beat.  When Sharon KC0PBR indicated that she was willing to take on
the responsibility, I asked Tom to step aside.  I was in Newfoundland
visiting my parents when the job was turned over to Sharon, and so did not
immediately send an announcement to the membership.  I returned today to
find several e-mails waiting for me.

As President of the PPRAA, my mandate is to do whatever is best for the
club.  Sometimes that involves making decisions that might be unpopular with
some people.  So be it.  The Board, or the "Powers to BE" as one club member
described us, is not a secret society that makes decisions in some back
room.  All club members are welcome to attend Board meetings, and the
minutes of our meetings are published every month.

I hate to "air dirty laundry" and embarrass anyone, but I will not stand
idly by when someone uses a public forum to discredit the club executive - a
group of dedicated people who have worked damn hard to ensure that the PPRAA
is one of the best Amateur Radio clubs in the country.  And quite frankly, I
am very disappointed that several others would be so quick to condemn the
Board without having done even the most cursory examination of the
situation.

I will be at the MARC Campfest this weekend if anyone wants to discuss this
matter further.  I will also take questions at the September meeting of the
PPRAA.

Al Penney
VO1NO / W0