|
|
Post by Admin on Sept 17, 2017 8:33:49 GMT -7
Election Committee meeting, Monday, Sept. 25th, 2017 At 12 Gemini Road in North Glastonbury. 7 - 9 PM
Agenda
1. Review instructions for Ballot Counting, Sign-in table and Verifiers **** Timely
2. Review Annual Meeting Agenda
3. Discuss posting of Bios to the website as has been done in the past and make a recommendation to the Board.
4. Logistics of Annual Meeting
a. Will try having all candidates sit up front, need stand -up name cards
b. No question box
c. President asks guests to identify themselves
5. Discuss chronic absentee committee members
6. Discuss having a candidate forum 3-4 weeks before the Nov 11 election
7. Determine next Committee meeting date, suggest: October 23, 2017
8. Edits to Election mailing for next year
9. Additional topics from landowners and committee members present.
Download the Election Committee Agenda here.
As meeting documents become available we will post them below.
Normally absentee votes are tabulated BEFORE the Annual Meeting voting ends. This opens up an avenue for mischief. If a certain candidate or group of candidates is trailing in the tabulated absentee votes then someone could call, text or even visit landowners and tell them to get down to Emigrant Hall and cast their vote(s) for the trailing candidates immediately. Tim Brockett authored the paper below to address this issue and other opportunities for mischief.
Download handout titled Election Procedure Suggestions - Improving the integrity and transparency of the vote. |
|
|
|
Post by Admin on Sept 26, 2017 10:49:05 GMT -7
Val O'Connell publicly vows to "obliterate" those who oppose CUTMany see this as an escalation of her husband's recent death threats against the GLA President All North Glastonbury landowners will soon receive their 2016 Election voting packet with bios for each candidate. The envelopes were stuffed, sealed and stamped on Saturday. Val O'Connell submitted a bio that exceeded the 200 word limit and contained libelous material and death threats. Before the bios were printed the GLA Board decided to omit Val's bio; it was not included in the original mailing. After the mailing was completed, Val threatened the GLA Board with yet another lawsuit. According to an unnamed GLA Director, Director Dan Kehoe made a motion to allow Val's bio to be included in the Election packet. The rest of the CUT affiliated GLA Board fell in line like dominoes. Dan Kehoe made the motion, Richard (RJ) Johnson seconded it, Charlene Murphy, Kevin Newby, Gerald Dubiel, Paul Rantello, Mark Seaver and Charlotte Mizzi voted for it. Only Regina Wunsch and Leo Keeler voted against it. Before Regina Wunsch and Leo Keeler had a chance to vote, the GLA Board rushed the news to Val that her bio was accepted, would be published and distributed. After the vote Kevin Newby stated that he regretted his vote. The majority of the directors who voted for allowing death threats in a bio are affiliated with Church Universal and Triumphant (CUT), as is Val and her husband, Dan O'Connell.
Val O'Connell's bio listed several names of people she publicly disagreed with including the administrator of the Forum. All are not affiliated with CUT and some have criticized CUT. All appear to be on her list of people she would like to "obliterate...once and for all!". She characterized the words of those who disagreed with her as "attacks, humiliating abuse of members and family that must stop!". Non-CUT directors were referred to as "atheist" and accused of being bent on removing CUT affiliated directors from the GLA Board. Several landowners we spoke with interpreted her bio as an attempt to stoke the fires of religious hatred and incite violence.
One landowner characterized Val's bio statements as "libelous and a clarion call to violence". When considered in the context of her husband's recent public statements about "having a plan to kill everyone you meet" they should be frightening to all sane people. At the Election Committee meeting several participants faces were creased with fear and their voices often wavered. The entire two hour meeting was stuck on the subject of Val's hateful bio. Critical business and a full agenda was set aside while members discussed actions that included cancelling or postponing the election until the GLA Board can assure landowner safety.
Fear is a tool often used by oppressors to maintain power and control. At least one person we spoke to thought that CUT was using Val and Dan as tools to stoke fear and resentment in the community against non-CUT candidates. Another spoke of the danger of inciting rage amongst members. "All it takes is a single spark" she stated "to set off a violent confrontation". A landowner spoke of the need to bring a gun to the Board Meetings to defend himself against Dan and Val. He went on to say that Emigrant Hall is a cinder block building where bullets could ricochet wildly off the walls and injure or kill many people. He urged several GLA directors to find a peaceful solution.
At another meeting that the Forum attended a landowner volunteered to bring a gun and asked that landowners "clear a spot around Val and Dan" so he could get a clean shot without having to shoot around people if Val or Dan started to make good on their death threats. At the last GLA Board meeting several landowners were afraid to go back to their cars because of Dan and Val. They were graciously offered escorts and happily accepted.
Unless the GLA Board, which is dominated by CUT affiliated members, takes decisive action to curtail libelous and over heated rhetoric, and protect non-CUT landowners from death threats, the current war of words may quickly turn violent. CUT has been losing power in Glastonbury for decades as non-CUT folks buy land and take up residence. Discrimination against non-CUT landowners is rampant and even part of the official GLA Board Road Policy. Directors have stooped so low as to prohibit maintenance and snow plowing on roads were non-CUT people live. One 2017 candidate from South Glastonbury embraces discrimination while others seek to take power away from the non-CUT directors and restore church "harmony".
CUT control of Glastonbury is disintegrating as is their economic fortunes at the Ranch in Corwin Springs. The CUT dominated GLA Board voted to allow despicable religious bigotry and a call to incite violence against non-CUT landowners. On Sunday, GLA Board Secretary Charlene Murphy carefully opened every election packet letter going to North Glastonbury landowners and replaced the original bio sheets with ones that contained Val's hateful words. She did so with the guidance and approval of CUT members on the GLA Board.
Glastonbury is descending into madness. Will CUT end like Jonestown where over 900 people died when their "Paradise on Earth" could not be realized? Or will it erupt in violence and go up in flames like Waco, Texas where 76 members of the Branch Davidian cult met their fiery end? What is clear is that the CUT dominated GLA Board does not wish to protect non-CUT landowners nor stop rampant discrimination against them. Some landowners are arming themselves for self defense while others are searching for help outside of Glastonbury. Many landowners see the likelihood of a violent confrontation with CUT inspired fanatics as coming ever closer.
Glastonbury needs assistance and it is needed NOW. The Forum urges all who are reading to help our community find a way to peacefully co-exist, end the discrimination and defuse the escalating tensions.
|
|
|
|
Post by observer on Sept 26, 2017 14:26:22 GMT -7
I hear more and more talk from landowners about moving out of the community. I'm one of them.
Thank you for the update. Might be time for a landowner town hall meeting.
|
|
