I wish I could have put this better, but I can't.
Terry, the problem is Nalini 2002-2004 may have been right. When we were working to democratize Pacifica, I was so naive and unworldly then. I thought that a democratic process would see as clearly as I do the ills of previous governance; and help bring back the greatness from Pacifica's past that first started to deteriorate during the 1980's Political Correctness fad, to the Healthy Station project, the Pacifica revolution, to this mess we live with now.
Idealogues see the world through their filters. It blocks rational observation, and instead, makes up only see things that prove our idealogical theories.
Nalini warned us repeatedly that we needed professionals to govern Pacifica. I hate management types and I thought she was some kind of authority nazi. Since I've looked at some books and publication relating to none profit
stewardship.
And, Terry, you are right. Our governance is more concerned with protecting their radio shows, protecting managers who intern reward LSB members who vote correctly.
I'm thinking that we need a complete restructuring. Much much smaller boards, particularly at the national level; and if Pacifica wants to continue the pipe dream of elected board members from the listenership, we need to educate these people.
Years ago, on KPFT Election Committee I tried to put forward a pamplet of recommended readings, and even went further to try to talk people Out Of Running, as it's a horrible thankless job for the thin skinned, but it was voted down.
I now wonder if I was on the right track.
Thank you, Terry. You are the best of us.
Kevin White
Terry Goodman <tiji@xxxxxxxx> wrote:
On Mon, 24 Apr 2006, Eileen Goodman wrote:
<snip>
>As I would not have imagined witch-hunts - but you, Wendy, have,
>and your faction will probably set that reality into motion - oh - while
>blaming everyone else......
So, in seeing a potential for abuse and speaking out publicly, Wendy
is condemned for having suspicious thoughts, her faction is charged
with eventually bringing about what she warns against, and (for good
measure) that faction is additionally blamed in advance for any future
blaming that may occur.
This doesn't seem fair, logical, or productive.
As I've pointed out, this committee could have accomplished good or
ill, depending upon who was appointed. Condemning it in advance of
its staffing
(and condemning those who over-dramatically warned of its
potential for abuse) simply insured that the Directors who could have
made it productive would not serve. It was a self-fulfilling prophecy
-- and a revealing admission that the committee detractors have no
confidence that the PNB can act responsibly with respect to such
matters in its current state.
Our governance is too busy with internal issues to adequately attend
to management oversight. Our governance is too lacking in training to
recognize its serious lack of training. Our governance is too locked
in factionalism to fairly address its own factionalism. Our dialogue
about race appears to be too infected with irrationality to discover a
rational approach to any dialogue about race.
That the membership, in its democratic elections, chose
representatives who have not yet adequately fulfilled their governance
responsibilities does not bode
well for the future of membership
governance. If, in the next delegate elections, the membership does
not recognize that it must rank individuals capable of responsibly
serving a role in management oversight over those candidates with
appealing positions about station programming or national politics or
race, then governance by the membership in Pacifica is doomed to
continued irrelevance and stations will continue to succeed or fail
mostly on the competence or incompetence of local management with no
mechanisms in place to monitor management performance or remedy
management errors.
We don't need LSB members who are committed either to preserving or
changing a station's current operating model. We need LSB members who
can work with management to insure prudent and responsible progress
towards mutually-agreed and measurable goals of Mission fulfillment.
And then we need to train them.
And then finally, if
a successful collaborative structure of
governance and management is eventually developed, we'll need to
encourage the departure of those in governance, management, and staff
who cannot productively function within the new structure.
--Terry Goodman, KPFK Delegate
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