Comments on: An open letter to the board and members of the Powell River and District Agricultural Association

By: Susan Reid

Susan Reid — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:39:00 +0000

Thank you David for reiterating what I just said.

By: David Parkinson

David Parkinson — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 22:15:48 +0000

No matter what comes out of the next meeting of the membership, I think that it would be a good idea to introduce all members to the basics of societies in general and to the specifics of the Agricultural Association. The constitution and by-laws would be a good place to start, but people need to understand the documents which guide the activities of the association. Right now, the constitution is arguably off-base, since it talks only about running a farmers’ market. There might need to be some by-law changes, if only to accommodate board work in the internet era. And the question of policies is up in the air. There are manuals floating around which need to be fully reviewed and ratified by the board and/or membership.

All that is going to be a lot of work. And a lot of the work involves educating the members, since amending the constitution and by-laws is NOT a matter for the board alone. I think that the era of ‘muddling along’ is now over, but that’s a good thing in the end. Members should not be in the dark about the associations they belong to. They need to feel a sense of ownership and a real understanding of what it is they’re doing. Clarity: that is what has been missing.

I hope whoever ends up on the board is serious about getting this work done.

By: Susan Reid

Susan Reid — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:52:14 +0000

People really and truly, lets just get on with it-call the general meeting and hold the new elections-then we can move forward. Continual rehashing of all the things that were done wrong isn’t going to help make positive changes. We need to establish a board that will be accountable to the membership in all it’s dealings. One that is first dedicated to the beliefs and values that the founders of the Agricultural Association set and second that is dedicated to creating the policies and guidelines that ensure these beliefs and values continue. This will require review of existing bylaws -constitution and manuals
and making changes as needed-with the full understanding and approval of all members!
The new elected board, while perhaps doing the initial review, cannot and should not assume omnipotence in finalizing any policy changes.
I can only hope that whoever the new board members are they work diligently to stabilize this Association and give its membership back the power and interest they have lost over the years.

By: Val Wigton

Val Wigton — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:51:57 +0000

By Eva showing the letter sent to me, it is another perfect example of how this board twists things to their advantage.
Yes they did give me the letter but almost all of is untrue.
The record keeping they were refering to was from the previous year when a deposit had been made that didn’t show on the deposit slip, what monies came from where. No money was missing, it had only been deposited in a lump sum. There are other records that show how much money was made from the gates etc. This board also implied there was money missing from the OAM. We have a certified accountant that audits our books every year. While she made some minor recommendations she NEVER said money was missing or unaccounted for either from the OAM or the fair.
The money record keeping this board wanted to put in place was writing a receipt for any amount of money that people paid including someone paying their exhibit fee of $1.00.(which the board jumped from .75cents days before the fair). They also wanted to write cheques for any prize amount, yes even the $1.00 winners which would be done Sunday night. I talked to all my committe heads, long time volunteers, and some past board members, including both founding members who agreed with me this board’s recommended system was totally impratical and impossible to administer. Who gives a kid a cheque for a $1.00 prize? When paid in cash this money then usually gets spent back in the fair. Never mind who was going to write all these receipts because the board members weren’t volunteering. They also stated I was responsible for the money but the entire board was there in full force on Sunday taking over the vendor lists, etc before I had a chance to see them. I still do not know if all the vendors paid or how much was made. How do we trust a board that can’t even follow it’s own instructions?
The rest of the letter is also a lie as to what I supposedly did or didn’t do. I don’t think this is the place to air all of this but if anyone wants proof as to my honesty they can email me directly and I will be happy to show them copies of the board’s emails to me and my responses to them or you can call me. I have nothing to hide.
But it does show how underhanded this board can be. This is how gossip starts.They insinuated that monies from previous fairs and markets was mishandled and putting doubt as to the honesty of our hard working fair volunteers and market management. Yes they did say at another meeting that there was no market money missing but by then, possibly permanent damage to Julie’s character had already done by their own gossip.
As to your statement Eva that my contract wasn’t terminated it was only because I didn’t have a contract to terminate.

By: Val Wigton

Val Wigton — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:38:50 +0000

You state in your letter Eva that the board is bound by the associaton’s bylaws. Our bylaws clearly state that this board’s election was illegal. A motion stating this fact and requesting a new election was totally ignored even though it was seconded. Also this board has now been served with a registered letter with the required 10% of membership signatures demanding a new meeting for new elections. Again our bylaws say a meeting must be called within 21 days and all members informed. Has a date been set?
The reason for the lack of trust in this board’s leadership becomes obvious after reading your letter.
No one was fired? What a blantant lie. On the Friday of fall fair you told me I was in breach of contract until I pointed out I didn’t have a contract. Then Erin told me “that was it, I was done and I was out of here”. I replied to Erin “You can’t fire me I am a volunteer”. I was threatened by Erin to being escorted off the property by RCMP. I think most people would consider that at the very least, this was an attempted firing. There were also witnesses to these statements. It was because I care about the fair that I even stayed. This board’s lack of knowledge about the events or even who the key volunteers were would have left the fair in shambles. Your remark that your own personal money had to be used as floats is nonsense as some of the outside vendors paid their stall fees on Friday leaving more then enough money for floats on Saturday.
Secondly the OAM has never had a lease or contract with the ag association. It has just been an understanding that the market was held there. Again comments about no new leases or contracts being signed show this boards lack of understanding of the whole situation. You state that this board has made no decision on the OAM, yet the membership form you handed out in September had boxes that members could tick off for areas of interest. One of these was for market manager. If you weren’t looking for a new manager why even have that on there?
As for your comment that this board is always prepared to listen to any member over any concerns, I did try to talk to you about illogical changes you were making to the fall fair, 2 days before the fair. I was told the board’s decision was final and that my opinion was unimportant. How does this foster open communication between members and the board? Several emails were also ignored.
You stated that “speaking ones piece” was totally inappropriate for a board member. Does that include the very public shouting match Erin instigated when people were expecting to get paid after the fair?
I am using all of these personal instances as I know some people think we could have chosen a less drastic path to take.
As other people have pointed out this isn’t about a few things that could be written off as inexperience. It is months of ineptness,poor comunications and leadership and a board that doesn’t seen to be learning anything.
Also when was it decided to start calling the Ag association which it has been called for years to PR&DAA? Aren’t there enough acronyms in Powell River already?

By: Norma Sorensen

Norma Sorensen — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:00:19 +0000

Wow–interesting that now individual board members can’t “speak their piece.” Maybe all of the directors should have been told that from the beginning, because it sure didn’t stop a number of them from talking all over the place all summer long.
As for the president being late–the meeting could have started without her. Most of the members are also farmers or other such home based people and it was disrespectful to keep them waiting so long. Five minutes is one thing, but it was about 25 minutes before the meeting actually started.
The board has received a registered letter requisitioning another meeting. According to our bylaws, you must call this as the letter was signed by at least 10% of the membership. Otherwise, the membership can have its own meeting. In any case, I would suggest, once again, that we just get on with it.

By: E. van Loon

E. van Loon — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:29:26 +0000

It appears yet another fact bears reiteration, regarding the Board’s alleged attempt to fire the Fall Fair Co-ordinator “on the eve of the fair.”

As the Board said at the EGM (the October meeting), the PR&DAA’s wrists had been slapped for poor record-keeping of the 2008 Fall Fair finances. The Board was trying to avoid a repetition of that failing. The following letter, copies of which appeared to be circulating at the EGM, arose from the Fall Fair Co-ordinator’s refusal to accept any suggestions for improving the record-keeping.

Powell River District Agricultural Association
PO Box 221
Powell River, BC, V8A 4Z6

September 25, 2009

Ms. Val Wigton,
Fall Fair Co-ordinator

Dear Ms. Wigton:

Re: Fall-Fair Accounting and Records

At today’s meeting of the Board of the PRDAA, the following facts were noted:
1. You wrote by email to the Board on September 24, 2009, indicating, among other things, that you would not accept the Board’s decisions on how the accounting and record-keeping for the Fall Fair would be done (copy attached);
2. Today you refused the Treasurer’s requests at least three times when she asked for a copy of the lists of vendors, non-profit organisations, and volunteer committee-heads;
3. You denied that your decisions as Fall-Fair Co-ordinator are subject to the Board’s approval;
4. You claimed that three members of the Board told you they would support your decision to keep records and carry out accounting just as it was done in the past (this subsequently proved untrue);
5. You refused to meet with your heads of volunteer committees and Board members to work out a solution to the record-keeping problem;
6. You carried on an argument with Board members, making accusations, interrupting, and loudly displaying anger within sight and hearing of Fall-Fair participants;
7. You categorically refused appeals for co-operation by Board members; and
8. You were overheard exhorting participants in the Fall Fair to withdraw their participation and/or to side with you in your disagreement with the Board.

The Board has made the following decision as a result of the above:
a. you will be provided with the receipt books prepared by Board members and $130 in floats;
b. necessary cheques will be provided by the Board as soon as possible upon submission to them of adequate documentation to warrant those cheques;
c. you will provide the Treasurer with the funds from the Fall Fair no later than Sunday, September 27, 2009;
d. you will deliver to the Board complete, detailed, and accurate records of all monies taken in at the Fall Fair and all monies disbursed, as soon as possible after the Fair, and these records will include the following:
i. records of entry fees taken at each gate on each day;
ii. a list of 10% payments by vendors with the name and phone number of each vendor;
iii. a list of non-vendor payments for stalls or spaces;
iv. a list of non-profit exhibitors, their payments, names and phone numbers; and
v. a table or list of winners and their amounts.
e. You will be paid by cheque immediately upon receipt of the above records (provided you have also complied with (f) below); and
f. You will immediately cease all slander or complaint about the Board, individual Board members, or the PRDAA itself to Fall-Fair participants, guests, or the public.

We trust that the above documentation will avoid the record-keeping problems which besmirched the PRDAA’s Fall-Fair record in the past. We hope that you are right and that everything balances the first time. In any event, better record-keeping will greatly ease an audit should the PRDAA be subject to one.

Be advised the Board takes no responsibility for any errors in financial record-keeping for the Fall Fair from this time on.

Yours Truly,

Erin Wilson, President,
for the Board

Note that Ms. Wigton’s ultimatum was made just two days before the Fall Fair. You may judge for yourselves how such an ultimatum could have affected her contract. The Board’s letter dated the day before the Fair, however, clearly does not terminate her contract.

There was no “firing” of any kind.

By: E. van Loon

E. van Loon — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:53:21 +0000

While Norma is correct in that there are many other facts possibly pertinent to this situation, individual Board members cannot wade into that area. “Speaking one’s piece” as an individual is inappropriate for a Board member of any society. You doubtless understand that posts from Board members are restricted to what is already public knowledge. Any new material would come from the Board as a whole.

Norma has raised a couple of issues, however, to which facts stated at the meeting can be reiterated. First, President Erin Wilson is a farmer. Second, as she was driving into town for the meeting, her truck broke down. That was the reason for the twenty-minute delay in her arrival.

If Norma is indicating a wish to mediate a grievance, I will convey that to the Board.

By: Norma Sorensen

Norma Sorensen — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:46:18 +0000

By the way, it is not true that the board did not attempt to actually “fire” someone–what about the President “firing” the Fall Fair coordinator on the eve of the fair and then threatening to have her removed by the police when she refused to abandon the volunteers? I notice no one is talking about that. I wasn’t going to bring it up either, but I think it speaks volumes about the situation and what this board thinks it can do, and why people are being so “vicious” (to quote David) about it.

By: Norma Sorensen

Norma Sorensen — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:28:51 +0000

Yes, the Market is informal and has operated for many more years than the Association has in this manner. If we want to talk about facts, there are more than a few you don’t address. The fact still remains that the Board attempted to “dissolve” the Market Management Committee this summer. The fact still remains that the board angered a lot of community groups and volunteers at Fall Fair, and the fact still remains that there was a lot of talk (and a certain email) that went around about removing the Open Air Market and replacing it with a different, board operated market. That same email commented on the current management and stated in no uncertain terms that the current management was doing a poor job.

When I spoke of people getting “fired” in my post, I used the word somewhat ironically as the board was acting as if it had the authority to remove people (the Market committee, for example) who were doing things on a volunteer basis. As for “dismissing” people: there are many ways to do that, and I would submit that this board certainly did that. I don’t think anyone believes the board fired the administrator.

Whatever individual directors now want to say about things, I was there every day during Market season and got it from all directions. The situation was not good, and we can all agree with that. One director went so far as to state (again, in an email) that the board made all the decisions, not the membership. I don’t know about you, but it wouldn’t even occur to me to approach a group with such an attitude about “mediation.”

I understand that this group of people walked into a huge mess, and I have empathy for that. However, I also think that there was a certain amount of treating members like they are ignorant or don’t care what happens, and a lot of listening to individual members who are NEVER happy with anything. Every organization has these people, but if you start believing that every thing they say is how it is without speaking with everyone else (happy people tend to be busy and quiet), you are going to run into problems.

Yes, Al’s comments look okay in print. However, once again it was a case of acting like members have no brains or awareness of anything going on: I think it was quite clear that there were more than just a few “detractors” in the room. I also notice you don’t mention his later tirades, in which he seemed to be claiming he was the only person who ever did anything and that the whole place would not exist without him. As for what the “minutes” of board meetings say: we all know that, unless they are actually recorded word for word by a device of some sort, they can say whatever they want. Normally, this wouldn’t even occur to me, but as one member (one of those normally quiet ones) said: “I’m sorry, but I don’t trust you guys.” I think that’s the bottom line, Eva.

Any way, enough of this. Call the meeting and speak your piece, Eva. I understand that you have a different perspective on things. Get your chair to control the meeting (and maybe show up on time), and lets do it. This situation is serving no one, least of all the directors. We all need to know where we are heading next.