Hi Jonathan, We've had improper bannings in Houston. The guy who used to run the board for Progressive Forum, Clay Smith, once got shoved by GM Duane Bradley, and then Clay shoved him back and got banned for life. What should have happened is both of the should have been banned for life for violence in the station. What exactly did Fransico Herrera allegedly do to deserve banning? K ----- Original Message ---- From: Jonathan Markowitz <democracywhere@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> To: fulcrumsofchange@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx Cc: newpacifica@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx; tgoodman@xxxxxxxxxx Sent: Sunday, March 30, 2008 4:02:02 PM Subject: [NewPacifica] Re: [Fulcrumsofchange] Fwd: Banning Franciso Herrera from the air Terry's opinion about what Pacifica's mission "allows" or authorizes is his opinion, subjective, and nothing more. The mission, contrary to Terry Goodman's insistence (and the Pacifica elites who he serves unwaveringly) , is a framework that must be interpreted in context with the political atmosphere or environment that Pacifica exists in. The mission has never been as static of an 'instrument' as Terry arrogantly insists, nor should it be. As it clearly has done in the past (which we are reminded of during Pacifica Archives fund drives), Pacifica should now and in the future, respond to those political events and moral issues that supersede the scope of Pacifica's limited mission statement, especially in times of social and political crisis. That time is now (or long past), yet Terry and those who depend on him to be their loyal 'yeoman of arms' to keep the unwashed rabble at bay, are in actuality about containing Pacifica's potential in our political reality. This fact alludes to a particular political framework of objectives of the Pacifica elites that renders Pacifica's influence and even political and social introspection moot, at best. The question subscribers to these lists ought to seriously consider is, what are those political objectives and how does the mission serve to protect and veil those objectives? Regarding what power the LSB's have, other than those LSB members who concurrently sit on the Pacifica National Board (I prefer not to refer to them as "delegates") , there is virtually none, unless one is referring to political power. Nevertheless, there is nothing in the bylaws that would prevent any LSB if it so chose, to investigate the manner and process, as well as any political or personal motives that might be behind a forced removal of a programmer, producer or host, regardless of the line of authority of such an action. JM -----Original Message----- >From: Terry Goodman <tgoodman@aceweb. com> >Sent: Mar 30, 2008 3:34 AM >To: Jonathan Markowitz <democracywhere@ earthlink. net> >Cc: fulcrumsofchange@ pacificana. org >Subject: Re: [Fulcrumsofchange] Fwd: Banning Franciso Herrera from the air > >On Sat, 29 Mar 2008, Jonathan Markowitz wrote: > ><snip> >>Terry's suggestion that it would be inappropriate for the LSB to investigate >>these matters is false. > >Jonathan's suggestion that the KPFA LSB should focus all of its >energies upon a limited investigation of a single staff complaint to >determine its validity would effectively prevent any remedy of the >basic structural or policy problem that underlies the staff member's >complaint. > >>It is entirely appropriate and necessary if Pacifica is to be accountable to >>its >>listeners. > >Pacifica is not accountable to its listeners. Pacifica governance is >accountable to the Pacifica membership via election and recall and >Pacifica's local management may become accountable to Pacifica's local >governance if Pacifica's local governance becomes sufficiently >competent to obtain delegated authority for local management >oversight. > >>Terry is incorrect in any interpretation of Pacifica's mission that seeks to >>limit such accountablility, ESPECIALLY after the Pacifica crisis and ensuing >>calls for democratization of Pacifica's LSB's and national board. > >The Pacifica Mission identifies the purposes of the Foundation, not >its manner of management or governance. There is no issue of mission >interpretation in explaining a policy governance approach the >utilization of which is likely a necessary prerequisite to a Local >Station Board obtaining PNB delegation of actual local management >oversight authority, and my mischaracterization of Jonathan's >statement above precisely parallels his mischaracterization of mine. > >Pacifica's LSB's and PNB have been democratized. Pacifica radio >stations have not been democratized, nor have they been placed under >the supervision and control of any democratic bodies. Pacifica's >democratized governance is essentially marginal and irrelevant within >Pacifica, except in the PNB's hiring and firing of the Executive >Director, and this will remain the case unless and until Pacifica's >governing bodies learn and begins to methodically apply the basic >principles of policy governance. Evan Davis was warning Pacifica of >this need even before the first Pacifica-wide elections. > >The Pacifica bylaws do not delegate local governing authority to Local >Station Boards. Instead, they direct the LSBs to "work with" >management, a phrasing that allows local management to ignore any LSB >directives that it finds inconvenient. The Pacifica bylaws do allow >PNB delegation of local governing authority to LSBs, but such >delegation has not occurred and is unlikely to occur unless and until >at least one Local Station Board demonstrates governance competency. >The first step in acquiring such competency would be for an LSB to >obtain professional training for its members in John Carver's >principles of policy governance. Until this simple preparatory step >is taken, most of the considerable time contributed by elected >delegates and committee volunteers is substantially wasted. Since the >step has not been taken, most of the time contributed by elected >delegates and committee volunteers in the years since the first >post-Settlement Pacifica elections, unless it has raised funds for the >station or developed specific policies adopted by local management, >has been wasted up to the present date. The good and bad policies >adopted by Pacifica's governing boards after their lengthy debates >remain largely unimplemented and Pacifica's actual comprehensive >management policies remain largely hidden and unexamined, if they have >survived Pacifica's various management turnovers. > >Management decision-making at Pacifica frequently appears arbitrary >and impromptu because untrained and inexperienced managers are often >pretending that they know what they are doing in order to maintain >their jobs and authority the very same way that untrained and >inexperienced governance members are often pretending that they know >what they are doing in order to maintain their credibility and the >very same way that untrained and inexperienced programmers are often >pretending that they know what they are doing in order to maintain >their airtime. In all of these cases, real competency increases over >time with experience (as does expertise in pretense), but lack of >training is ultimately more expensive to the institution than would be >the cost of proper training. You'd think that an organization >primarily founded for educational purposes would recognize this area >of failure and generously invest in the continuing education of its >management, paid staff, and volunteers. Pacifica's policy on >continuing education, if one exists, appears to be primitive and >inadequate. > >Absent access to Pacifica policies, I suggested one on continuing >education four years ago. This effort may have resulted in PNB budget >approval of a 2005 LSB training allocation which was largely unspent >or misspent. The proposal to establish a PNB Education Committee with >specific responsibilities in related areas was apparently ignored. >I've appended a copy below. > >--Terry Goodman, former KPFK Delegate > >----- >From: Terry Goodman >To: Alliance List >Cc: Pacifica National Board, Evan Davis, Mike Martin, Ken Freeland, >Don White, Gregory Wonderwheel >Subject: Proposal for LSB Board Training and a PNB Education Committee >Date: Fri, 28 May 2004 15:27:16 -0700 > >Proposal for LSB Board Training and a PNB Education Committee >(copied to the PNB) > >[Subject was: Pacifica's history sadly repeating itself...] > >The lack of proper board training and the failure of boards to >recognize the urgency of this need has created a crisis in Pacifica's >new governance. KPFT LSB Member Ken Freeland has claimed a continuing >breach of the rules and asserts that this breach has not been >repaired. I raised a point of order at last night's KPFK LSB meeting >noting a similar breach. This point of order was ruled well taken, a >motion previously adopted was ruled null and void, and a repaired >motion was presented by the original maker and quickly approved by the >LSB. > >When a continuing breach of the rules of the parliamentary authority >of the Foundation Bylaws actually exists and has been asserted, all >actions by the governing body subsequent to and affected by that >breach are in danger of becoming null and void, if not by rule of the >chair or the decision of the body, then by the parent body or by the >eventual decision of a court of law. > >This same lack of proper board training and unfamiliary with the rules >of order among members of the KPFK LSB has seriously degraded its >ability to work though agendas and accomplish necessary work. Some >blame the rules themselves for these problems and call for their >abandonment. At KPFK, we do have a Chair that recognizes the >seriousness of a continuing breach and acts promptly to correct such >problems when they arise, but we continue to waste time debating and >amending individual motions which should instead be referred to and >perfected in committee, so some of the resolutions we do pass receive >incomplete deliberation at the risk of creating more problems than >they solve. > >The KPFK and KPFT LSBs are not the only committees of the PNB >experiencing these procedural problems. > >Whatever the Pacifica National Board does to address the current >problems among its committees, it must by now recognize that the >democratization of Pacifica's governance invites the participation of >individuals with inadequate experience in governance, and that the >unavoidable result of this is inadequate oversight and a failure to >properly attend to delegated responsibilities. > >Consequently, it is becoming increasingly obvious that the Pacifica >National Board has a fiduciary responsibility to arrange for board >training in all signal areas to take place next term, before the LSBs >with newly-elected members repeat the basic governance mistakes >currently occuring. > >If Pacifica's governance is too busy handling immediate crises to plan >strategically for the future, we will eventually fail. > >In consideration of these problems and the broader issues within >Pacifica of which they are only a part, I offer the following >resolution for the consideration, adoption, revision, and/or proposal >of any Foundation Director recognizing the needs it addresses. You >may do with it what you will. > >Terry L. Goodman >KPFK Delegate > >WHEREAS: >A clear understanding of the principles and role of governance, of the >distinction between governance and management, of the rules of >procedure, of the requirements of the Foundation Bylaws, and of the >Purposes of the Foundation are all neccessary for the proper conduct >of business by Local Station Boards and by the Pacifica National Board >which is almost entirely comprised of Directors elected from those >bodies, > >AND WHEREAS: >New Delegates are periodically elected by the Foundation's Membership >to serve as representatives in the Foundation's governance, > >AND WHEREAS: >Both new Delegates and continuing LSB Members may benefit from group >training in the necessary knowledge and skills of governance, > >AND WHEREAS: >The management and staff of the Foundation and its various components >may similarly benefit from continuing education, > >THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED: >That the Pacifica National Board shall arrange for the board training >of LSB Members. The arrangements for initial governance training >shall be completed by November 1st of each year in which Delegate >elections are held. Initial governance training of LSB Members shall >occur in each signal area in February of the following year. The >estimated national budgetary impact of this resolution is $25,000 for >each year in which initial LSB governance training is to occur. > >FURTHER RESOLVED: >That a committee of the Board shall be created, named the PNB >Education Committee, that the membership of this committee shall be >one Director and two Delegates from each Pacifica radio station signal >area elected in accordance with Article Eight, Section 2 of the >Foundation Bylaws, that the convener of its first meeting shall be the >Director receiving the highest ranking, that the committee shall elect >its own chair, that work supporting this committee may be accomplished >by ad-hoc workgroups formed at local stations or operating units, that >members of the committee may individually and severally collect and >share bids, proposals, catalogs, website links, announcements, and >other such information privately (via postal mail, email, or fax, >etc.), that recommendations from this committee shall be deliberated >before presentation to the Board in occasional webcast telephonic >meetings publicly accessible through the internet, that the committee >may hold closed sessions to discuss those specific issues for which >closed session of the Board are allowed, and that the duties of this >committee shall include: > >a) to search out, evaluate, and recommend training for LSB Members, >including but not limited to board governance training, anti-racism >training, and training in inter-personal communication, and to include >cost estimates in all proposals, > >b) to investigate and report on the possibility of developing in-house >training capabilities and related certifications so as to reduce >in-house expenses and offer quality certified training to other >community organizations, businesses, and groups. > >c) to work with Pacifica's national staff in the collection, >evaluation, and recommendation of policies to the PNB with respect to >the continuing education of management and staff (including policies >on full or partial reimbursement and/or time off), and to include cost >estimates and recommended budget limits in all proposals, > >d) to assist the management of each operational unit in the >maintainance of a file of continuing education opportunities, >including but not limited to workshops, conferences, seminars, and >academic courses of study, > >e) to report to the Board on training and apprenticeship programs >currently in operation or proposed at each Pacifica broadcast station, > >f) unless a similar proposal is under review by national staff, to >evaluate and recommend to the PNB with respect to a program of >voluntary short-term personnel exchanges among Pacifica broadcast >stations for the sharing of knowledge and experience among staff, >including an evaluation of the potential of using alternative lodging >and meal arrangements to avoid the expense of hotels and restaurants, >and to include cost estimates and recommended budget limits in any >proposals that may result, > >g) to collect and assemble into a report evaluations by participants >in all Foundation-funded LSB trainings after they occur and to >encourage and collect similar reports on all station-funded LSB >trainings after they occur, and > >h) to perform other such related tasks as the Board may assign and to >report and recommend to the Board as circumstances require. > > >___________ _________ _________ _________ _________ >Fulcrumsofchange mailing list >Fulcrumsofchange@ pacificana. org >http://lists. pacificana. org/listinfo. cgi/fulcrumsofch ange-pacificana. org ____________________________________________________________________________________ No Cost - Get a month of Blockbuster Total Access now. 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