I don't think the picture is as bleak as Kevin paints it. Nor is it a success either. It's terribly flawed and needs a lot of fixing I agree, and the first step needs to be to do a better job in conducting the elections in the first place which means, much more air time devoted to the elections, prompt and timely mailing of the ballots, are two examples. --- Kevin White <cuitlacoche1@xxxxxxxxx> wrote: > 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 > > > New Pacifica Working Group > http://www.egroups.com/group/NewPacifica > 'Save Our Stations!' > > > > --------------------------------- > YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS > > > Visit your group "NewPacifica" on the web. > > To unsubscribe from this group, send an email > to: > NewPacifica-unsubscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx > > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the > Yahoo! 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