Sanitized version of the CCA-S.Md bloodbath:
I tend to get long-winded and the CCA issue is very complicated so I will try to give you the highlights with a separate quote.
There has been a long-standing dispute between our State Executive Director (ED) and our treasurer, Don Gardiner over banquet settlements. CCA MD has struggled for years with the accounting software mandated by CCA National, the State kept getting it wrong, and Don kept sending the ED back to get it right. Don wasn't about to give anyone money from our treasury that they didn't have coming - that's what a treasurer is supposed to do.
As a result, an "uncomfortable" relationship developed that was allowed to taint other, innocent, members of our chapter to the point that we were characterized as a "bunch of grouchy old men just sitting around crying about politics."
When the ED's new assistant came to work, she was bright, capable and responsive. We were delighted and we had high hopes for her. The ED, her supervisor and mentor, sent her alone into the lion's den to collect the debated 2007 banquet money, there was another dispute, and our relationship with the State became a trainwreck just waiting to happen.
It took a while but she finally complained that two of our guys weren't "being nice to her." Instead of the State coming to the chapter for help with this "alleged" problem, they went directly to Houston with it. They never interviewed the transgressors, never formally accused them of anything, never contacted the chapter president or the chapter board, and never saw the written complaints by the "offended" employee. No one but me ever bothered to validate any of the complaints.
The train was already racing down the tracks out of control and I was unable to head it off. As a member of the State Management Committee and the SMD Chapter Board, I met with the transgressors, got a commitment from them to play nice, they were never accused of anything, I thought it was all over, and I am sure they upheld their end of the deal I struck. The ED reported that the employee was satisfied with what I had done and the Management Board thanked me for my efforts. No harm, no foul - or so I thought.
A few weeks later, the employee resigned without documenting anything further and representatives from Houston came to MD to shut down our chapter. So, the lawyers decided that the best way to avoid litigation over what had allegedly happened to her while she was an employee was to close our chapter weeks after she had already resigned. My repeated requests for an explanation of how this was supposed to impact her litigation options, if she was planning to go there, have gone unanswered.
It gets worse. As part of the "plan," the original motion stipulated that officers and chapter board members of the dissolved chapter could not hold similar offices for a period of two years to counter "potential" hard feelings among other members besides the two "transgressors." When they realized that would prevent me from being the ***** *********, they voted in an amendment to allow special dispensation from whatever new chapter I was assigned to.
It will be a cold day in hell before I kiss anyone's ass to become a volunteer, especially when I didn't do anything wrong. However, I think the special dispensation option indicates this wasn't aimed directly at me to answer your other question. The careless, casual way they threw our other members and their accomplishments under the wheels of the runaway train is especially disappointing.
I'm not sure any good would come of this entire explanation ending up in print. There is no question that CCA's accomplishments have been significant, I still believe it is the best game in town for our fishing resources and I don't want to tear any of that down. Exposing all of this now will not rebuild what they so carelessly destroyed or make our members feel any better about what has been done to them. However, everyone deserves a better explanation than they got in that letter.
So, here is my quote.
"A minor conflict between one of our SMD officers and the CCA State office was allowed to fester and resulted in an "uncomfortable" working environment for everyone concerned. Various local options for resolution of this conflict were never pursued by the State and, instead, the resolution was eventually referred to CCA's National office in Houston Texas after our Assistant Director resigned. As a way of mitigating a potential litigation threat, CCA National mandated that the SMD chapter be immediately dissolved and that all officers and chapter board members be restricted from holding similar offices for two years. No one was ever formally accused of any wrongdoing and this "paranoid net of suspicion" was thrown over all of our members.
While I can't explain or defend the apparent casual disregard for an entire chapter of members with significant accomplishments, I can assure those who see some sinister cover-up of criminal activity, embezzlement, etc. as a reason that this is not the case.
I sincerely hope that CCA will learn from these mistakes and will emerge as an even stronger advocate for our resources with a better appreciation for its volunteer army. CCA's accomplishments have been significant and it has been one of the leaders in the battle to protect and conserve our marine resources."
Thanks.
Name deleted
(This is from a friend who tried in vain to stop the "train wreck". As a result of all this, Bill Curry has been hog-tied and castrated and the Southern Maryland Yellow Perch Restoration Project and all its ancillary activities will be transferred to another 501 (c) 3 organization whose members are interested in conservation, rather than political chicanery.)