[NCDXA] Statements from K7REX running for ARRL NW Division Director.

[Phillip Barsky]

AMembers, I'm passing this along to you for your information. Feel free to
pass it 0n. This is from the PVRC Newsletter dated today passed onto PVRC
members by Ken Claerbout, K4ZW.

73 Phil K3EW

Message: 1
Date: Sat, 28 Sep 2024 08:41:36 -0400
b'From: Ken Claerbout <'b'kenk4zw at gmail.com'>
b'To: pvrc reflector <'b'pvrc at mailman.qth.net'>
Subject: [PVRC] ARRL's E&E requires a retraction - you should hear
        both sides
Message-ID:
b'        <CAML5bQPPsRnmGuoX7ujen=FfCT7sd7oyoYnq4u0-7QWFi3N='b'qg at mail.gmail.com'>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"

I generally don't like mixing this sort of thing with our hobby, which
for me is a retreat from the day to day problems in the world.  But if
you want another peak behind the curtain of what is happening at the
ARRL, here you go.  If not, hit delete.  This is from K7REX who is
running for Northwestern Division Director.

73
Ken K4ZW

Members of the Northwestern Division of our League

            I have received a demand from the Ethics & Elections
Committee to retract certain statements in my last email message
within 24 hours or suffer the consequences. The complaints of the
Committee are unfounded in my good faith view. But since they have the
power to disqualify me if I do not comply with their demand, I offer
each statement, their complaint, and my justification to them.  I
believe my statements contain nothing inaccurate, false or personally
accusatory.  Accordingly, I leave it to you to hear both sides in
fairness.

           Each of the five specific statements questioned by the E&E
state my opinion and belief as to certain matters that I believe do or
may adversely impact the ARRL and invites potential voters to evaluate
whether they share my concerns as to those matters.

Excessive employee turnover, expensive compensation, a decision to
engage in the sale of amateur radio equipment that competes with the
League?s advertisers, the extended absence of IT leadership that may
have contributed to a $1,000,000 ransomware attack that resulted in
damage to the League?s finances and operation, and the unacceptability
of handicapping Directors by withholding financial information are
what they demand is retracted. For your information as a voter, you
decide. as to each of my stated opinions below:

My Statement

1.    " If you are concerned about historically high personnel
turnover in Headquarters, where over 50 League employees have left
since the arrival of the present CEO, your views align with mine."


E&E?s COMPLAINT: As we discussed, there have been people leave the
ARRL, but this was through natural attrition and not due to the
arrival of the present CEO. It has been long known that we would
experience a higher number of retirements since there was a large
increase of employees hired in the 1970?s and 1980?s. This along with
the natural attrition of employees leaving for better pay or
advancements in their particular fields of employment has caused our
employee numbers to fluctuate some but is not the fault of the CEO.


MY RESPONSE:    The statement that employee turnover for the
prescribed period of time is historically high is accurate. The
statement that over 50 League employees have terminated their
employment during the prescribed time period is accurate.


           The statement does not identify any reason for the turnover
or attribute responsibility for the historically high turnover to any
specific cause or person. Your objection is based on the false
assertion that the statement attributes cause of the historically high
turnover to the ?CEO.? The reference to the ?CEO? merely establishes
the time period during which the employee turnover is excessive; it
does not attribute the turnover to anyone.


           As there are neither inaccuracies nor anything false in the
statement, my answer stating both sides of this issue here should
settle the concern.

 My Statement

2.    " If you are concerned that an annual salary of $350K plus
benefits for the ARRL CEO is substantially above what is warranted,
your views align with mine."

 E&E?s COMPLAINT: As we discussed, Mr Minster is not making $350,000
at this time. His salary is $315,000. This figure was verified today
and is correct.

MY RESPONSE:    The statement expresses my concern that the
compensation for Mr. Minster exceeds that which is justified for his
position and responsibilities. The dollar amount is sourced from
multiple Directors who advised that the Administration & Finance
Committee approved a $100,000 salary increase to Mr. Minster?s initial
base salary of $250,000. If that compensation package has been
modified, it appears the modification is unknown to multiple members
of the Board.

If the $350,000 amount is not current, and if no increase to the
$315,000 salary amount has been formally or informally agreed to, I
have no objection to correcting the dollar amount, but a concern about
executive compensation being too high will not be withdrawn or
restated. I ask for verification of Mr. Minster?s current salary and
benefits and any approved increases that have not yet taken effect.
This will allow me to accurately respond to the membership.


My Statement

3.    " If you think there is no need for the League to sell antennas
competing with its advertisers, your views align with mine."

 E&E?s COMPLAINT: As we discussed, we are selling ?kits? to encourage
folks to get back into building again. These ?kits? are also being
used for our STEM projects for students and teachers as well. Our
advertisers do not have issues with us doing this, therefore there is
no competition.

           MY RESPONSE:    The statement accurately reflects my
concern that the ARRL, financially dependent on advertising revenue,
has - or may have - erred by choosing to sell amateur radio equipment
similar to that offered by the ARRL?s advertisers. All antennas
require some assembly, so attempting to differentiate the League?s
offering by characterizing it as a ?kit? is disingenuous. I would
point out that JK Antennas? JK803 is also a ?kit?. The ARRL?s
rationale for offering the ?kit? doesn?t alter the fact that it is
amateur radio equipment of a type available from the ARRL?s
advertisers.

           The fact, if true, that none of the ARRL?s advertisers have
publicly, or perhaps privately, objected to the ARRL?s conduct does
not alter the reality that the ARRL is selling a product, an antenna,
that is offered by multiple ARRL advertisers. It is competition
whether anyone complains about it or not: a rose by any other name...

            As there are neither inaccuracies nor anything false in
the statement, my answer here should settle the concern. But members
should decide.


My Statement

4.    " If you feel that not having an Information Technology Manager
for the majority of the present CEO's term is unacceptable and may
have contributed to the ransomware attack damage, your views align
with mine."

 E&E?s COMPLAINT: As we discussed with this question and question 1,
employment today is much different than it was for you and me. Young
adults today jump from one job to another regularly for advancement,
benefits or just plain old salary increase. The loyalty to stick to a
single employer as you and I did in the past is not the philosophy of
today. Today, these young adults, many of them in high-tech jobs, go
to the highest bidder and the ARRL isn?t usually the highest. So, to
imply that this is the CEO?s fault is something that just isn?t so.

MY RESPONSE:    Once again, you are inferring causation, which I did
not assert. I made no statement or implication that any of the
foregoing was the fault of the current CEO. That said, lacking an IT
manager for an organization of the size and importance of the ARRL for
a substantial period of time, in this case a period measured by the
term of the current CEO, is unacceptable because of the risk that the
absence of such leadership, oversight, and knowledge poses to the
organization.

My statement also conveys my belief and concern that the absence of
such a Manager for such an extended period of time reasonably could
have contributed to the lack of maintenance or installation of
protocols that could have prevented a $1,000,000 ransomware attack.

As an aside, your comments regarding young adults are remarkably wide
of the mark, as neither of the two IT managers since 2016 met the
definition of young.

My statement contains nothing inaccurate, false or personally
accusatory  Accordingly, I leave it to the voters having sent the E&E
concerns.

 My Statement

5.     ? If you feel that keeping any League financial information
from ARRL Directors is unacceptable, your views align with mine. ?

 E&E?s COMPLAINT: As we discussed, this is a very misleading
statement. If you or I are asked for information at a meeting that we
aren?t able to provide immediately with but was willing to get that
information and report back at a later time, is that refusing to give
you the information? If the person wanting specific financial
information demands information on the spot as has been a few times by
a specific Director, is that fair to state later that you asked for
and was refused the information?

MY RESPONSE:    My statement accurately reflects my belief that
failing to provide financial information to the Board of Directors is
unacceptable. Although my statement does not explicitly allege that
such conduct has occurred, in fact I previously provided the Ethics &
Elections Committee with multiple, verifiable instances in which
financial information had been withheld from or denied  - not delayed
- to Directors.  E&E Chairman Baker did not disagree or advise me that
any of those examples were not true and further advised me that he
would allow them to stand. There are multiple Directors prepared to
publicly verify the accuracy of those instances.

It is my opinion that my original statements do not contain any
inaccurate, false, personal accusatory comments.

I leave it to you to evaluate the validity of E&Es complaints. Please
make your own decisions.

I thank you for your time, your consideration and I again ask for your
vote for Northwestern Division Director.