Letter to the IBT/EC7

[rideair]

I had planned to send this letter to the IBT, but then thought there were many others that might be doing the samething. With that, I thought I'd start a thread where everyone could post their letters to the IBT. In a couple of weeks, I'll print them all off and send them via US Post Office to WBCCI HQ.

So here's mine.

Members of the IBT/EC7,

I’m writing to you about the subject of Leo G’s membership expulsion from the WBCCI. I can understand you may not like what he has to say, how he says it and what he thinks about the leadership of this club at the International level. The point is, he has the right to stand up and say so as a member of this club. You’re always asking for input from the members, well, he gives it to you. You just don’t like what he has to say.

If it was not for Leo and others, many of us would not know really what is going on with the $$ at the leadership level, the name change issue, wanting to bring Fourwinds motor homes into the club, etc… The bottom line, he has exposed much of what goes on at your level to the rest of the club to see. I’m sorry if you don’t like that, but many of us don’t have the time to track everything you are doing on a daily bases. I find it appalling that you find it easier to “shoot the messenger” than it is to fix many of the problems that he so clearly has pointed out.

So often you speak about “At the Unit Level” is the heart of the WBCCI. If that’s the case then, let the NY Metro Unit decided what “they” want to do with Leo’s membership in the club! To my knowledge, the NY Metro Unit has “no” problem with Leo G so why should you?

Many think the reason why you want Mr. Garvey out of the club is because he has exposed mismanagement of the club at the IBT/EC7 level. This thinking, along with the fact many members are getting tired of paying dues much of which goes to support your travel, you have done nothing but add fuel to the fire by kicking him out of the club.

Also, if it’s “about the Unit”, then why does most of the membership $$ go to you? The dues in the WDCU are $56.00, $1.00 for us and $55.00 for you! Even if we were like some units that charge 10, 15, or even 20 dollars, that’s $20.00 for them and $55.00 for you! I understand the cost of the office staff, the Blue Beret and such, but when you the IBT/EC7 gets over 100K (over 20% of the dues) to go travel around and promote a bunch of rallies and the club, that I don’t understand. That’s why we have the Blue Beret, remember?

Do us all a favor, if you’re going to lead, then lead us. If you going to take our money and give nothing in return, then shut-up, take the money and say “Thank You”. But don’t, take our money, not lead us and kill the geese that are giving you the Golden Egg!

This is “our” club too!


Paul Waddell
WBCCI #1270
WDCU Past Prez
Region 2 VAC Guy

[Silverhobby]

Well said, Paul. Thanks for expressing your thoughts in this open forum.

[dufferin]

Can't we replace Leadership by Dictatorship...

[robandzoe]

Paul,

Now, YOU ARE ON THE LIST.

Good letter. I know mine went un-noticed... let's see where this goes.

Rob

[Buttercup]

Thanks Paul! Expect a certified letter from some lawyers in Ohio shortly....

[dufferin]

: angry:


that list thing is just amazing... it just is the darkest part of european history... I am so pissed at those people...

Paul you wrote a nice letter but a little bit too nice for their practice.

[pmclemore]

I think your letter was spot-on, both in content and tone.

Will you post it on the Pleasantville site?

Pat

[HowieE]

Paul

Can I ask you to just solicit additional signatures to your letter?

If you chose to do this may I be the first one that appears under yours.

That way they will have a concise list to hand the Lawyers. I sure don't want to be responsible for bankrupting the club by forcing the Lawyers to read each letter to create a list. The $500.00 or so they get for producing each letter is enough

[firedog]

How do I get to Pleasantville?

Originally Posted by pmclemore

I think your letter was spot-on, both in content and tone.

Will you post it on the Pleasantville site?

Pat

[robandzoe]

Blah, Blah, Blah

YouTube - Antsy McClain & the Troubs - The Blah Blah Song

[Buttercup]

Originally Posted by pmclemore

I think your letter was spot-on, both in content and tone.

Will you post it on the Pleasantville site?

Pat

Oh yea, good luck for THAT! Dollars to doughnuts it is off in an hour.

[rideair]

HowieE,

That's up to you. You are welcome to sign mine, or write your own. I plan to print off and send in anyone's letter that is posted here in a couple of weeks and send it to the IBT/EC7 at WBCCI HQ.

It just appears to me the IBT/EC7 has now moved into an era of sending C&D letters and kicking out people they feel are a problem.

Again, if the "Heart of the WBCCI is in the Units" as they all say, then let the Units deal with their members as they see fit!

If the IBT/EC7 can't stand the heat, they need to get out of the kitchen.

Time for them to put their big boy pants on and do the needed changes to make this club grow. Maybe if they had listened to what Leo and others have been saying for the past four years, we might have the 8,000-10,000 members we want. One things for sure, what they have been doing in the past "is not" and "will not" work. Make the changes BOYZ!!

[dufferin]

I actually think it's a good idea to put the club down. It's the only thing that give them their power. Without it they don't have any.

They have all the right, they can do whatever they wan't and all we have left is to stay gentle!

How long ago it started... Name, MOHO, Bob Thompson, Leo G, "Quality not Quantity"... it's been to long that they laugh at the membership because we stay gentle.

Paul's letter is well done, I agree, in content tone... like some other were sent before... for what change?
What's different?
They want to kick out every one that is at risk for them. Leo wanted to run for nominating committee in 2010... Result : OUT.

There is limits! They must laugh at all the noise that is made. They do not give a flying s...

So I think, and it's the saddest thing that could happen, the best way to change the club is to let this one die and start it over or start another one.

They already killed that club. It's already dying. It would have happen before if members didn't save it downturning the MOHO issue.

It's already too late. Sadly. Their goal is not the club it's their own personal comfort that the club give them.

And what I am confortable to write... I am to say. At my age, I am not that old, for those who knows me, I don't make compromise anymore on certain aspect of life.

In PEI - Region 1 - I had to come to the members I did recruit to present them my excuses about what was going on (Bob Thompson eviction) and all the bad mood it did create, when I sold the Club to be a nice place to have fun. I had to handle that...

I am done being gentle with those little brain.

To the other lets start a fire camp and talk about what we like : Airstream!

Originally Posted by HowieE

Paul

Can I ask you to just solicit additional signatures to your letter?

If you chose to do this may I be the first one that appears under yours.

That way they will have a concise list to hand the Lawyers. I sure don't want to be responsible for bankrupting the club by forcing the Lawyers to read each letter to create a list. The $500.00 or so they get for producing each letter is enough

[wheel interested]

Dufferin thank you for your response. I totally agree with you. I could not ask my friends to join WBCCI to be treated so casually and so thoughtlessly. I have said that to Leo for years through his membership drives and always he works at his own expense long hours and very diligently to improve WBCCI to only be rewarded with the big boot and no recognition for preserving the club's name, brand identity and membership guide and pulse of the current membership, when everyone else covered their mouths with their hands and shhhhished everyone else from speaking up.

It is members like Leo and yourself that are a glimmer of hope for the future. The tradition has devolved into hit men and sorry losers unable to let go their death grip upon the club and open the way for the younger generations because of their feelings of entitlement from their tenure of "volunteerism!"

Looking forward to sharing a campfire with you again. I want to say I think your comments are well said and that your post on WBCCI that was edited and basically deleted of all commentary, is indictative of a totally ludicrous and petty procedure and micro managing of the WBCCI to control every opinion given. Your post was edited because it was a political comment... I challenged what makes an opinion political before and also never received a response about the chairman's discerning opinion outweighing all other opinions, observations, and discussions.


Thank you for your posts!

[dufferin]

thanks Carol...
anytime for a campfire...

Originally Posted by wheel interested

Dufferin thank you for your response. I totally agree with you. I could not ask my friends to join WBCCI to be treated so casually and so thoughtlessly. I have said that to Leo for years through his membership drives and always he works at his own expense long hours and very diligently to improve WBCCI to only be rewarded with the big boot and no recognition for preserving the club's name, brand identity and membership guide and pulse of the current membership, when everyone else covered their mouths with their hands and shhhhished everyone else from speaking up.

It is members like Leo and yourself that are a glimmer of hope for the future. The tradition has devolved into hit men and sorry losers unable to let go their death grip upon the club and open the way for the younger generations because of their feelings of entitlement from their tenure of "volunteerism!"

Looking forward to sharing a campfire with you again and well said. I also wanted to mention that your post on WBCCI that was edited by the communications chairman until there was not a thought left that you intended, is totally ludicrous and petty and micro managing of the WBCCI to control every opinion given there. Edited because it was a political comment... I challenged what makes an opinion political before to the chairman and also never received a response about his discerning opinion trumping all other opinions, observations, and discussions.


Thanks for your posts.

[Buttercup]

Paul,

Might I suggest that you send copies to WBCCI's lawyers with the request that they also forward the letters to WBCCI leadership. Perhaps, by using that most official channel, they might also pay a little more attention.

[robandzoe]

I did not give THEM the chance to TERMINATE me... I took their power from them along with the satisfaction they are probably feeling sitting around the table talking about Leo and their list. Don't you let them think that they have that power... that's the main point from Day 1 of my Good-bye WBCCI thread.. Leo let them show him... Why he let them feel that satisfaction is beyond me. Will others give them the same satisfaction? Only time will tell. Money to them is their strength... take it away... 1) by BOYCOTTING the International (that will hurt them the most) and refunds can still be had, and two, do NOT re-new next year.

[firedog]

I will renew, late very late, or not at all. It all depends how they use the hit list.I see many members getting the letter of probation or the axe.I prefer the guillotine since I am French.

[dufferin]

Originally Posted by firedog

I will renew, late very late, or not at all. It all depends how they use the hit list.I see many members getting the letter of probation or the axe.I prefer the guillotine since I am French.

John what do you mean You are french?!?

[Frank's Trailer Works]

Not that I really matter, but I thought I would add one to the mix.Hope you will pass it along also.

Dear Leaders That Be,

You may remember me or you may not.

My name is Frank Yensan and I reside in Baltimore MD. I am attaching some photos to this letter so that you can see what I am saying to you. I am a visual guy and believe that a picture is worth ten thousand words.

My former member number was 7183. I am the father of two girls and as a family we have attended 26 Rallies in the two and a half years we were a part of the club. I want you to know that we fit right smack in the middle of the demographic Airstream targets with their products today.

I was very blissful attending rallies with the WDCU and other Units in my region. My participation has been about a 15 on a scale of 1- 10. In every Blue Beret I have read how I needed to attend the next International. My first chance was Bozeman, but due to limited vacation time I could not attend. We both work and close to 10 days would have been required to just drive out and back. The following year we went to Madison because it was much closer to us.

Here we are in the VAC parade. You cannot see him, but Dale Schwanborne is sitting in the passenger seat. He was the Scout and I was the Wagon Boss on a caravan Rob Baker and I organized and recruited 14 trailers to participate in.

We had a great time all caravanning together at a very leisurely pace making stops at the Motheship, the RV Hall of Fame, and the VAC rendezvous in Jefferson.

I had read month after month how important it was for me to be there. I had been asked repeatedly by officers that, unknown by me, were compensated to recruit me to go. For all the money I paid to attend, I received a bag of trinkets and the honor of parking in a huge parking lot.

While in Madison I came to a huge epiphany. I am not sure if it was seeing Monona Place where you folks drank cocktails and had finger food that I paid for. I am not sure if it was seeing the gift baskets being wheeled into the hall where you had your meeting. Maybe it was the volunteers telling me how wonderful the pancake breakfasts had been for the previous two weeks. Not quite sure where the realization came that I had been a part of paying for the rewards that I was not given also. I do know that when I found out that the International lost $103,000 that I decided I had enough of supporting people who do not support me. To add insult to injury, the members also compensated you over $126,000 to promote something that lost $103,000. For shame. How do you sleep at night allowing such things?
You most likely never even glanced at my letter of resignation when it came to your email box.
Now you have kicked a member from your club. Do you actually think your club has a future? I feel Mr. Garvey is very fortunate to have been terminated from the club you have made yours. Hopefully, you wake up to the reality that your actions are not viewed in a favorable light by most of the members. Hopefully you will gain a consciousness about your actions.
I had hoped to someday become a member again. After listening to every minute of the Mid winter meeting, I realized that as excellent a fit our Airstream is for our family, that the club is just not for me. Good luck with your future. I sure hope you do the right thing. I will close this letter with a photo of the true future of your club.

Unfortunately, my two will not be a part of it.
With extreme restraint, Frank Yensan