From: | Hodge | e-mail: | myemail |
Subject: | Scott Lange Letter To AMCA President Richard Spagnolli | Date: | Sat Jan 14 11:55:45 2012 |
All, I received a copy of the original letter from Scott Lange to Richard Spagnoli a few days ago but wanted to be cautious about forwarding it to the Highlands Chapter not knowing if it was legit. This one actually came from Scott himself so I felt it was appropriate to share. The next Post will be an earlier correspondence from Scott to Richard; it will be labeled as such. Hodge Fellow members, My apologies if you have already received this. After my first attempt I received many "undeliverable" messages - many due to my error in not checking my distribution list against a more current list. From: Scott K. Lange [mailto:sklange@comcast.net] Sent: Sunday, January 08, 2012 6:08 PM To: Gary Michalak; Gerald Raino; gjchasteen@aol.com; Jeff Coffman; Michael Quinn; olddude; pat & jim; Paul Giffin; paulpempeit@yahoo.com; Steve/Sandee Dawdy; 'davidsonp9@msn.com'; 'Ken Welty'; 'Lee Lange'; 'davidbenassi@comcast.net'; 'cesherman@cox.net'; 'Carl Fronk'; 'chrisled68@hotmail.com'; Gary Michalak; 'Gary Campilongo'; 'gnomon47@hotmail.com'; 'Albee.b@portseattle.org'; 'Allegheny Mtn. Chapter'; 'AMCA/Cornerstone Registration'; 'Art Ray'; 'Bear Valoris'; 'Big Sandbar Chapter'; 'Bill Malmgren'; 'Bill Mosiman'; 'Black Hills Chapter'; 'Blue Ridge Chapter'; 'Bob Lannue'; 'Caitlin Brown'; 'Carl Carlsen'; 'Catawba Valley Chapter'; 'Cheif Blackhawk Chapter'; 'Cherokee Chapter'; 'Christopher Woodsum'; 'Chuck Brumfield'; 'Colonial Chapter'; 'Confederate Chapter'; 'Dan McCarthy'; 'Dan Sines'; 'Dave Clemons'; 'Dave Wedlake'; 'David Bunnell'; 'David Holzerland'; 'David Lloyd'; 'Del Schumacher'; 'Dennis Craig'; 'Diamond Chapter'; 'Dick Topness'; 'Dixie Chapter'; 'Don Doody'; 'Don Doody'; 'Ed Demello'; 'Empire Chapter'; 'European Chapter'; 'Everglades Chapter'; 'Fort Sutter Chapter'; 'Frank Mason'; 'Fred Metincourt'; 'Gary Palmer'; 'Gary Vallquist'; 'Gene Nelson'; 'HIghlands Chapter'; 'Hudson Valley Chapter'; 'Ian Davidson'; 'Ishi Chapter'; 'Jack Raino'; 'James Stanley'; 'Jeff Kaufman'; 'Jerry Chinn'; 'Jerry Jackson'; 'Jim Moore'; 'Jim Orcutt'; 'Jim Sullivan'; 'Joe & Ester Palkovich'; 'Joe Shanahan'; 'John & Marta'; 'John Bath'; 'John Crawford'; 'John Stanley'; 'Karen Davidson'; 'Kevin Cobb'; 'Kevin Valentine'; 'Kieth Kalanquin'; 'Lake Erie Chapter'; 'Larry Anderson'; 'Larry Russell'; 'Lincoln Heritage Chapter'; 'Los Angeles Chapter'; 'Mark & Patti Palmer'; 'Matt Olsen'; 'Matt Smith'; 'Maumee Valley Chapter'; 'Michael Breeding'; 'Michael Taylor'; 'Mike and Shaun Brown'; 'Mike Brown'; 'Mike Carter'; 'Mike Kane'; 'Mike Tomas'; 'Morry & Kathy Fox'; 'Neshaminy Chapter'; 'Nicholes Hoffman'; 'Norm Gerlich'; 'Northern Rockies Chapter'; 'Ohio Valley Chapter'; 'Omaha Chapter'; 'Otto Allison'; 'P.J. Phillips'; 'Pat Williams'; 'Paul Bennett'; 'Paul Brodie'; 'Paul Edwards'; 'Paul Wright'; 'Perkiomen Chapter'; 'Peter Gagan'; 'Peter Mafleiu'; 'Phantom Canyon Chapter'; 'Prairie Chapter'; 'Preus'; 'Raymond Dhue'; 'Red Fred Johansen'; 'Reed Rothchild'; 'Richard Bombard'; 'Richard Gray'; 'Rick Najera'; 'Rick Ostrander'; 'Rick Schunk'; 'Rick Smith'; 'River Valley Chapter'; 'Robert Garrett'; 'Robin Markey'; 'Rocky Halter'; 'Ron and Sandy Dahlen'; 'Ron McBryan'; 'Ross Peaty'; 'Russ Allan'; 'Scott Hall'; 'Scott Lange'; 'Seaboard Chapter'; 'Shaun Brown'; 'So. California Chapter'; 'Steve Slocombe'; 'Steve White'; 'Sunflower Chapter'; 'Sunshine Chapter'; 'Terry Wright'; 'Thomas Deem'; 'Tom & Nancy Foote'; 'Tom Hookin'; 'Trudi Johnson-Richards'; 'Two Rivers Chapter'; 'Vaughn Smith'; 'Viking Chapter'; 'Vince Martinico'; 'Washington Vintage Motorcyclists Chapter'; 'West_Side_Cycle'; 'WrongWay (Tim&Jill Lien)'; 'Yankee Chapter'; 'Yerba Buena Chapter'; 'Ziggy' Subject: FW: AMCA Articles of Incorporation and By Laws Dear fellow AMCA members and Chapter representatives, Like most of you, the reason I joined the Club is because I have a passion for old motorcycles. I've had zero interest in politics, and as long as the Club seemed to be in the hands of good leadership, I didn't care what happened at the top. Sadly, that has changed. This message is to ask each of you to put down your wrenches for a moment and look at something serious that is happening in our organization. We need to have an open dialogue. The minutes in the Winter edition of "The Antique Motorcycle" included a section regarding the revocation of Charles Finney's membership. At the time he was the President of the Chief Blackhawk Chapter. Long aware of the Chief Blackhawk Chapter's standard of excellence, it seemed strange to me that the events described in the magazine could have actually occurred. This concerned me, so I took the time to learn what really happened. I found that the official description of events were grossly and maliciously mistated. I concluded that by printing an account that was clearly false, the BOD had abused its power and in so doing they had defamed Mr. Finney in print. Today, I received a copy of the just released "Policies and Procedures" manual. It was timely, as the one question I had remaining was "What is the standard within our organization for expelling a member?" Americans expect due process in matters that can significantly impact our lives. It is our culture. Did the Board do the right thing, and did they have the right to do it? In short, the BOD has absolute power in the AMCA. There is not a single provision in our by-laws that establish any right of members or Chapters to object to or challenge Board decisions, nor any provision that allows the input of members in the selection of the Board or Officers. This structure relies exclusively on the trustworthiness of the Board to do the right thing, but provides no safeguards if that trust is broken. If a President can stuff the Board with other members that will defer to his wishes, the President can gain complete control over the Club and its assets. Yes, these same by-laws have been in place for many years. By and large, we've had good leaders, whose leadership met the degree of trust we placed in them. However, these days the Club has substantial assets, mostly derived from membership dues and income the AMCA derives from Chapter sponsored events. A good system of controls provides for checks and balances to assure those assets are not misdirected or improperly used. Today, the BOD polices itself, we have no such controls. The Board has the power to do whatever it wants. So, in answer to my questions above, yes, the Board has the right and power to expel Mr. Finney, along with anyone else they decide they don't like. They didn't even have to give the reason they gave in Mr. Finney's case - which was simply that he "violated the philosophy of the Club". Was it the right thing to do? I've seen much more egregious behavior than Mr. Finney's that did not result in expulsion. And, the written justification of the act, as contained in the magazine, was a lie. In my opinion, Mr. Finney's summary expulsion was inconsistent with past situations, outright vindictive, and a poor example of leadership. Believing our leadership made a mistake, I wrote to Mr. Spagnolli and the Board and voiced my concerns. I requested that they admit their mistake and reinstate Mr. Finney as soon as possible. That was a couple of weeks back and I still haven't received a single written response from anyone on the Board. I know several others have expressed their objections as well and there is much talk around the country about what is going on with our leadership. I think the time has arrived where we need to address this. We need to add Board and officer accountability and provisions for member input into our organization's articles of incorporation, by-laws, and official policies and procedures. Please find below a direct message I sent earlier today to the President and Board. Note that I'm not just making trouble, I am proposing a solution to fix the problem. My comments are constructive and offered in the best interests of our Club. They are not political. My suggestion may not be the best, but it is one way to approach the matter. I think it is important that we - the members - come together to find a solution that provides greater accountability and balance than we have today. Power at the top rarely consents to sharing of power, so we will have to do this from the bottom up. For that to happen, our members need to know what the issue is, and to begin discussing it among fellow members. Once a consensus is reached, we need to distill it down to an action plan and make the changes that are needed. It is my sincere hope that the Board takes note of what the members decide on this matter, and acts pragmatically to embrace the changes that will assure responsiveness of the leadership to its members well into the future. Please, as a fellow enthusiast, I ask that all of you takes steps to initiate and facilitate the dialogue that needs to occur across our Club membership. I am a nobody in this Club - but I've shown the courage to speak out and challenge the mistreatment of Charles Finney. I also ask you to join me in demanding his reinstatement. After what he has been through, we should make him an honorary Club member for life, if he will still have us. We are not such a big organization that we should all lose our consciences and look the other way when something like this happens. Let's join together to fix the mistake that was made, and to make the fixes we need to make sure our Club reflects who we are and the reasons we joined. Respectfully, Scott Lange #6954 From: Scott K. Lange [mailto:sklange@comcast.net] Sent: Sunday, January 08, 2012 3:48 PM To: 'rspagnolli@aol.com' Cc: 'trudijr@visi.com'; 'jamesgraulty@msn.com'; 'loride17@aol.com'; 'redfred47@gmail.com'; 'amcayouthprogram@hotmail.com'; 'LMHarley@truvista.net'; 'jandmmoore@att.net'; 'frednan3@aol.com' Subject: AMCA Articles of Incorporation and By Laws Dear Mr. Spagnolli, After reading the recently released articles of incorporation and by laws, I understand why you and other members of the BOD have ignored my communications. (Your failure to acknowledge or respond, by the way, is a violation of the Club policies.) You and the board have absolutely no accountability but unto yourselves. I find that amazing. It may have worked in the past, but I think it is time our organization has gotten big enough that we change things. Why? Because an organizational structure that has *zero* accountability to those it governs opens the organization up to a totalitarian regime. Under the by-laws, it is quite easy to stack the Board with members who will defer to the President on all matters. When that occurs, there is no provision for removal or change of regime. The only option is for members to quit or to wait for the rulers to die of old age. Without accountability, the BOD has total control of the organization. It can expel members without cause and there is no manner of challenge. Should you be challenged, you can ignore it with impunity. If someone sues, you are fully indemnified by the club, and that is backed by Directors and Officers Liability insurance. Now that is cozy. Whatever you say goes. It is possible for such an organization to exist, but it would be necessarily built on trust. After the lies you printed about Mr. Finney, do you think you are worthy of trust? There is a good many in this club who don't think you are. To me, that's a problem. Technically, there is nothing stopping you and the BOD from making a decision to wind down the organization and distribute the assets among the directors or anyone else the BOD selects. If you were sued by the club as a result, you can tender to the insurer knowing you are indemnified if insurance coverage is limited or denied. To the extent that you have made the local chapters sub-organizations of the Club, there is an argument that you could even raid their assets before winding down. I understand you are an attorney. That means you are smart enough to understand what I am saying. You also know the validity of it. I'm sorry, I don't think many in the Club will want to be serfs in an organization where you are the Lords with absolute control, including who can be a member of the Club. My apologies, but in this structure, you might as well be Saddam Hussein or Joseph Stalin. Anytime anyone disagrees with you, you can simply crush them with lies and expel them. I've now had an opportunity to read a number of communications involving the Finney matter. You guys have messed thing up even worse than I had thought. You have created the very files necessary to have the lack of accountability issue resonate across our entire membership. Before it was just about your abuse of power involving Mr. Finney. Now the story is you can do that to anyone - and much more - and it isn't abuse because you have ABSOLUTE POWER. No doubt you will all be reviewing the manual to see what reasons you can come up with to run me out. As you all see it, to challenge your authority and to make articulate comments as to why our club more closely resembles the Kremlin than the Constitution, is probably an offense. Of course, you won't allow this on the AMCA forum, because you will label it political. Well, technically it isn't, but I doubt you care. Nor do I. I like a challenge. Last year I sent FEMA packing, and today I perfected my writ of mandate compelling one of our poor counties to follow the law. Dealing with your situation will be a piece of cake in comparison. I am acting in the best interests of AMCA. Our articles of incorporation and by laws are flawed and they need to be changed to provide for member input and leadership accountability. I request that the BOD appoint an independent committee selected at random from among club members to address this issue. That process should allow for independent counsel advice regarding the issues of accountability and should strive to make our by laws comparable to other comparable associations in this country. The changes proposed by the committee shall be subject to a vote of the membership and not made a matter of BOD approval, except to the extent that as members each member of the BOD shall have one vote. I am happy to volunteer to lead this committee and I can assure you we will have our work done promptly. If you reject this suggestion, let me know why. If I don't hear from you, I'm going to start a digital storm. If the only way the members can get your attention is to withhold their dues, then that is a possibility. Sure, you've stacked up resources to weather the storm, but it will have been a pyrrhic victory. Is the concept of leadership accountability so radical we should have to explode the club to achieve it? Time to start a dialogue boys and girls. I appreciate the comments and support from the un-named traitors among you, but I would like to see something official and written in response to my writings. Sincerely, Scott Lange #6954 Attachments: untitled-[2] 21 k [ text/html ] Download | View |