05/11/2014
As an ABATE member, I have concerns about certain people who are appointed by ABATE to perform certain functions that do not follow through with their responsibilities. ABATE members pay dues every year, and ABATE Chapters pay 10% of their profits from their events to the ABATE State Treasury. This money is used to support ABATE activities. From this treasury comes reimbursement for travel, which may include mileage, meals and hotels. If an appointed representative travels to a meeting on behalf of ABATE, that person is required to submit a written report to the ABATE Newsletter and to the ABATE Webmaster* for publication so that all ABATE members can know what was accomplished during that meeting that we, as ABATE members pay for. When that representative does not follow through with his duties and submit a report, it seems to me that this is a form of theft. Here we are, as ABATE members, paying for this person to travel and go to a meeting and gather information, and we never receive any information on the results of that meeting. Now I can see this happening once in a while, however, as newsletter editor, I can say that I have not seen any report from this person in almost three years; yet this person still collects thousands of dollars from ABATE for his travels, and ABATE members have yet to see any reports.
Instead of writing informational reports, this person chooses to criticize people he does not like with half truths and boldface lies all over Facebook. I have chosen not to respond to these false accusations in the past, however, this person is degrading ABATE and ruining our fine reputation. Therefore I must now speak up to try to stop all this gossip and drama. That is not what ABATE is all about.
Now, if you were the State Coordinator, would you be inclined to keep this person in that same position and allow him to continue taking money from ABATE and not provide any reports? Or would you find somebody who would do the job the right way? My thoughts are to give this person a warning and see if they will correct the situation, and if they do, that’s fine. But if they do not, I would replace them with someone who will perform all the duties of that position.
One way to correct this situation is to vote for me, Ron Fryer, as State Coordinator.
*ABATE Policies Section 30 number 11 on the State Website.
