Post by Admin on Jul 24, 2019 20:28:22 GMT -7
2019 Election Committee Bites The Dust - Hard Work Rewarded Again
As countless landowner volunteers have discovered, hard work done for the Glastonbury Landowner's Association(GLA) is a sure ticket for failure. The longest serving Directors are proof positive that those who do little to no work, will be reelected for decades.
On Monday night the GLA Board held a special meeting at Emigrant Hall to deal with Election procedures. The official 2019 Election Committee which was approved by the GLA Board, wanted to use procedures that closely followed Montana state law. The shadow election committee wanted to allow landowners to recast their absentee ballots.
The meeting felt like a wake. Many already knew that the 2019 Election Committee was sentenced to die and the verdict was long since decided. Still some may have attended with the hope that justice would prevail over darkness and the corpse could be brought back to life.
The meeting was called to order by President Dennis Riley at 6 PM. Director and official Election Committee chair Kevin Newby read a written statement outlining their research and arguements.
On Monday night the GLA Board held a special meeting at Emigrant Hall to deal with Election procedures. The official 2019 Election Committee which was approved by the GLA Board, wanted to use procedures that closely followed Montana state law. The shadow election committee wanted to allow landowners to recast their absentee ballots.
The meeting felt like a wake. Many already knew that the 2019 Election Committee was sentenced to die and the verdict was long since decided. Still some may have attended with the hope that justice would prevail over darkness and the corpse could be brought back to life.
The meeting was called to order by President Dennis Riley at 6 PM. Director and official Election Committee chair Kevin Newby read a written statement outlining their research and arguements.
Director Newby reads a written statement
Director Charlotte Mizzi quickly interrupted Newby when she discovered that the Forum was taking non-flash photos. Newby assured her that he did not mind and continued reading. Mizzi appeared aghast that the press was allowed to take photos.
A clearly disturbed Director Mizzi.
Election Committee member Claudette Dirkers presented her commentary on the Election Survey and Cover Letter. Many members of the audience listened carefully and asked insightful questions afterwards. Download Dirker's comments here.
Directors Sedlak, Seaver and Ladewig were on the phone. Sedlak presented their arguments in a shrill and tinny voice that was often inaudible. While she droned on one director fell asleep and two more were fighting back yawns. It is doubtful that many audience members could hear what Sedlak said. Most knew that it really did not matter what Sedlak stated for the fate of the 2019 Election Committee was decided before the meeting was called to order.
Directors Sedlak, Seaver and Ladewig were on the phone. Sedlak presented their arguments in a shrill and tinny voice that was often inaudible. While she droned on one director fell asleep and two more were fighting back yawns. It is doubtful that many audience members could hear what Sedlak said. Most knew that it really did not matter what Sedlak stated for the fate of the 2019 Election Committee was decided before the meeting was called to order.
Some directors called in...
Noticeably absent from the meeting was 2019 Election Committee member Charlene Murphy. Her detractors nick named her Lizzie because like a chameleon she changes colors to suit her surroundings. Murphy is a masterful politician and for years ran the GLA annual elections. It was her job to see that the "right" people were elected and the wrong ones lost. Up until a few years ago voter intimidation and fraud was easy to accomplish. Ballots were not confidential; they had the landowner's name and address on them. Murphy knew who voted and whom they voted for.
Then the Glastonbury Landowners for Positive Change(GLFPC) took notice and volunteered hundreds of hours. The ballots became confidential and the annual elections more representative of the will of the people. Last fall Murphy worked diligently to keep candidate Dirkers from gaining a seat on the Board. The night before the election Murphy changed the Election rules without the approval of the Election Committee or the GLA Board. Amongst other dirty tricks, people were allowed to recast ballots and Dirkers lost by just a handful of votes. Now the shadow election committee wanted to take one of Murphy's dirty tricks and codify it into a new election procedure.
Then the Glastonbury Landowners for Positive Change(GLFPC) took notice and volunteered hundreds of hours. The ballots became confidential and the annual elections more representative of the will of the people. Last fall Murphy worked diligently to keep candidate Dirkers from gaining a seat on the Board. The night before the election Murphy changed the Election rules without the approval of the Election Committee or the GLA Board. Amongst other dirty tricks, people were allowed to recast ballots and Dirkers lost by just a handful of votes. Now the shadow election committee wanted to take one of Murphy's dirty tricks and codify it into a new election procedure.
Murphy, living up to her nickname, changed colors and wrote a two page paper against codifying the election rule changes she used so successfully in 2018.
Charlene Murphy was noticeably absent from the meeting
The 15 or so people in the audience unanimously spoke in favor of the procedures advocated by Kevin Newby and the 2019 Election Committee. Director Seaver became angry and started to interrupt and talk over people in the room. President Riley had to calm him down several times so the meeting could proceed.
The corpse remained in the casket; dead and getting stiffer by the minute. There was no way this corpse could rise and soon it would begin to smell.
After the audience had a chance to comment directors were allowed to add their two cents. Mizzi spoke passionately about how the GLA should never disenfranchise voters without seeming to understand the meaning of the word. No one called her out on it. Director Dubiel woke from his nap and muttered a few unintelligible words.
President Riley called for motions. Two competing ones were presented and of course the one that allowed for recasting ballots won. Both Deb and Kevin Newby resigned from the 2019 Election Committee. Director Sedlak and Mizzi asked to be on the new committee. Mizzi then asked if Charlene Murphy could join them. With Murphy back at the helm, fixing the outcome of GLA Annual elections should be a lot easier.
The corpse remained in the casket; dead and getting stiffer by the minute. There was no way this corpse could rise and soon it would begin to smell.
After the audience had a chance to comment directors were allowed to add their two cents. Mizzi spoke passionately about how the GLA should never disenfranchise voters without seeming to understand the meaning of the word. No one called her out on it. Director Dubiel woke from his nap and muttered a few unintelligible words.
President Riley called for motions. Two competing ones were presented and of course the one that allowed for recasting ballots won. Both Deb and Kevin Newby resigned from the 2019 Election Committee. Director Sedlak and Mizzi asked to be on the new committee. Mizzi then asked if Charlene Murphy could join them. With Murphy back at the helm, fixing the outcome of GLA Annual elections should be a lot easier.
The 2019 Election Committee volunteered hundreds of hours researching and writing new procedures so Glastonbury elections could be transparent and ballots 100% confidential. They were rewarded for their diligent hard work by being discarded like yesterday's newspaper.
