To the Editor;
This letter represents the opinion of the recent resigning officers
of the West Lincoln Chamber of Commerce. We feel that it is important
to set the record straight for the businesses and the community at
large in West Lincoln.
We have been dedicated long-term volunteer supporters of the chamber
and have not "quit because we were supporters of the Executive
Director, Carrie Aiello", as stated by Mr. Glazier in a recent
press release. For the past nine years we have devoted much of ourselves
to assist in the organization of, and growth of, the business relationships
fostered by the West Lincoln Chamber. Two of us have served, voluntarily
for 8 years or more on the Board.
It is an absolute shame that the current executive (John Glazier
and John Gardner) who were just recently elected onto the board would
act to disregard the strong wishes of the directors that have worked
so hard to grow the chamber consistently for the past nine years.
Five (5) directors resigned in a one-week time period under Mr. Glazier's
leadership… that alone should speak loud and clearly about his
leadership direction.
It is our understanding that the 2 remaining directors have been
kept in the dark of any changes being currently implemented. All alterations
are being put in place by John Glazier and John Gardner acting in
isolation from other directors and in isolation from the wishes of
our membership. These actions are specifically contrary to the by-laws
by which our chamber is incorporated and governed. If new directors
are being secretly sworn in, the remaining board member should at
least be apprised of the actions being taken. Since there are currently
only 4 board members out of 9 that remain, a quorum, (according to
our by-laws) cannot be attained (By-Law Section 26 "Any five
(5) or more members of the board lawfully met, shall be a quorum,
and a majority of such quorum may do all things within the powers
of the board), yet major decisions, that include hiring an administrator,
event planning and significantly restructuring financial responsibilities
are being unilaterally put in place by President John Glazier and
Treasurer John Gardner.
The recent chamber event (Business after 5 at Fort Erie Slots) last
week, will end up actually costing our Chamber money instead of being
profitable, because the administration and organization of this event
has been mismanaged. The event resulted in being a stressful time
for many of those who attended. It should be noted that Mr. Glazier
did offer to reimburse all guests for their cost to attend. The offense
to our membership is disastrous, especially since our focus has been
successful in growing events such as this in support of our membership.
Prior to Ms. Aiello's resignation, Mr. Gardner presented a budget
with a negative growth for 2004 which is less than our 2003 actuals.
Although she has been, almost exclusively responsible for chamber
income generation, Ms. Aiello was told directly by President John
Glazier that there was no need for her to attend any budget meeting.
Ms. Aiello has been directly responsible for achieving and surpassing
the budget for each of the past 9 years. In the opinion of these directors,
it is imperative that the individual(s) directly responsible for the
success of the activities attend such an important chamber meeting.
The success of this chamber through the past 9 years has been due
to dedicated directors coupled with an ambitious, loyal Executive
Director who all had a vision to grow a successful chamber that continuously
improved to meet the increasing needs of our members. Mr. Glazier
and Mr. Gardner clearly have something else on their mind.
Bits and pieces of information have filtered through about what the
President new plan for the Chamber will be. He mentions more deeply
involving volunteer members in the planning and execution of events.
The Board of Directors is to volunteer more, to eliminate the need
for an Executive Director and minimize the need for a paid administrator.
In our discussions with many of our members it has been made repeatedly
clear that in light of their busy work schedules, they attend events
when they can, give financially when they can and that is as much
as they wish to do. After all, we all have a business to run and families
that need us. Mr. Glazier has also mentioned to members that the chamber
cannot afford an administrator based on the current budget. The members
that we spoke with feel that with a strong budget for growth, they
see no reason why a staff person cannot be easily afforded. To date
our Executive Director has promoted /managed/orchestrated events,
promoted our members, provided press releases and has corresponded
with our members and other chambers through newsletters, assisted
in preparing the board for meetings and promoted the opportunity for
chamber membership.
Our resignations were not about the financial remuneration for our
staff person (Executive Director) but rather the fact that a deflating
budget clearly demonstrates a complete lack of faith in the ability
for our chamber to grow and continue to succeed. In our opinion, this
organization is in fact planning for failure not planning for success.
It is about the fact that two Directors, President John Glazier and
Treasurer John Gardner feel that things must change so dramatically
that they are willing to collapse the chamber to do it and it appears
that they are already achieving this goal. With 5 directors having
already resigned, potential members who were considering joining now
seriously reconsidering, a sad Business after 5 performance, members
who are seriously contemplating pulling their previously committed
sponsorship for future events, members withdrawing their chamber involvement
and decisions being made without consulting the board of directors
or the membership, it is extremely difficult to watch our chamber
continue in this direction.
The West Lincoln Chamber of Commerce is all about the members that
it serves. Anything else would be to serve individuals and therefore
damaging to the organization as a whole. It is our understanding that
there is a meeting being planned for March 10th. Although we're not
sure of the time and place, we urge you as members to exercise your
right to attend to represent yourself and the business community to
ensure that the actions of the present board of the West Lincoln Chamber
of Commerce will act to support what you want and in your business
interest. (By-Law Section 32 - "The meetings of the Board of
Directors shall be open to all members of the Chamber who may attend,
participate and voice opinions …")
We, as past Directors and members of the West Lincoln Chamber of
Commerce, strongly encourage you to exercise your right to speak and
act in your best interest as a member. It is YOUR chamber.
Respectfully;
Gina Merson, Grimsby Expressfit _____________________________
Bernie Laidman,B.Laidman Plumbing, _____________________________
Jamie Aiello, Aiello Engineering Inc., _____________________________
