At least three other candidates are running for 2nd VP next year, as Mike mentioned in his Saturday lunchtime entry during the convention.  Whether you plan on supporting Mike or not (I’m not supporting or endorsing anyone yet), his website will provide very useful information for anyone who wants to learn more about how Toastmasters International works.

The District 30 Toastmasters Nominating Committee meeting is held today at the Bensenville Library. Be interested in finding out who is running and if there will be any contested races for the Top 3 (I hope, even for DG).

The reason for the last statement was that last year (see report) there were contested races for both Lt. Governor positions as well as nine candidates for the six Division Governor positions.  This time I was expecting all the top 3 positions to be contested as the current Lt. Governor of Education and Training continued to be very unpopular with many in the district, in fact he was the topic of some of my blog posts such as this and this.

Well this year’s Nominating Committee report did surprise me – not only I was wrong that they did not slate any contested races, but there were no candidates slated for either District Governor or Lt. Governor of Education and Training!  So supposedly the current LGET was the only candidate who filed for the District Governor nomination and the current Lt. Governor of Marketing was the only candidate who filed for the LGET nomination.  And both were REJECTED by the Nominating Committee, a group I did not think had the spine and courage to take some serious action like this!  In fact, I’m not a fan of the committee chair at all as I believe she has a tendency to sweep controversy under the rug as her way to keep District 30 “one big happy family”, rather than confront and address them.

For months I’ve heard some stuff from those who attend the District 30 Executive Committee meetings about the rift between the District Governor and the two Lt. Governors.  I’ve also heard some grumblings about the way the Lt. Governors, especially the LGET, handle their business.  Some examples include:

• Putting down others, including past District 30 Governors and International Directors, for not agreeing with them or doing something that doesn’t match their view of the world, even commenting them at DEC meetings.
• Reports at their DEC meetings include false or exaggerated information.
• Not available to sign any paperwork required for submission to Toastmasters International, claiming that “they are busy” – in spite of being part of several Toastmaster clubs, some of which they are mentoring or coaching.

One current Area Governor I talked to a few times this year dreaded attending DEC meetings, and it took only the first one to make that impression!  No wonder only 4 Area Governors are willing to step up and run for Division Governor this year, as opposed to 9 last year.

So what is the next step with no nominated candidates for DG or LGET?  Well anyone eligible for District Governor or Lt. Governor of Education and Training can run from the floor at the Spring Conference business meeting the morning of May 22nd.  And both rejected candidates are expected to run from floor, the current LGET is supposedly taking his campaign to “the masses” by attending as many Area Contests as possible (it is rare for Top 3 district officers to attend Area Contests other than those that include their home clubs).  As far as others who could run include both defeated LGET and LGM candidates from last year, as well as some past District 30 Governors, all of whom can do a better job and restore order to District 30.

It is no secret that I’ve had major problems with the current LGET, the guy I once referred to as “Blagojevich” for many reasons (including appearance and ethics), though this past year I’m somewhat in speaking terms with him, at least I’ll say hi and shake hands and not much else.  I do get along with the current LGM, but I knew all along that he was the LGET’s henchman since they belonged to the same club and worked closely together as successive Northwest Division Governors.  I mentioned to several people a couple of years ago in which if the current LGET tells the current LGM to jump off the cliff, he would do so without any hesitation!

So what do I think of this whole thing?  Well since Toastmasters is no longer a major part of my life, I no longer feel bothered if those two ever become District 30 Governors.  My gripes against them are my own and if 99 percent of District 30 disagree with me, so be it.  I was part of District 30′s past, they are supposed to be part of District 30′s present and regardless of what I think of them, I hoped that they eventually do their jobs for the good of District 30 and not necessarily for their own personal gain.

Of course if they were doing those things I was told, they are not fit to serve in a top District 30 role.  I remember the current LGET telling me a couple of years ago when I considered bolting District 30 that “the past is the past” when it came to his troublesome actions.  However it only means something if that person did anything to address those actions.  It appears that was not the case and a more appropriate quote would be the Dennis Green’s “they are who we thought they were”!

While I don’t feel vindicated despite having serious issues with the current LGET and LGM before most others realized who they are really like, it does give me pleasure that serious action is taken and I’m glad there is a “tea party” rebellion in District 30.  Perhaps there really is hope, we’ll see on May 22nd.

I admit that part of what got me interested in this discussion is that the tactics Toastmasters International and its board used in promoting Proposal A reminded me of a set of tactics a past District 30 Governor and Lt. Governor of Education and Training have imposed on other District 30 officers in which there was no transparency, no input from the rank-and-file, and a possibility of a large schism between the leaders and the members.  I was going to write an entry about this as a reason to oppose Proposal A, but now I think I’m better off directly addressing the issues I have with this:

1. Best and worst case scenarios – While TI has mentioned what is great about implementing the proposed changes and claimed they used their own figures to justify them, there is always a possibility that things may not go well as planned.  As a software engineer, whenever I have to add new code or fix bugs, I have to look at not just the ideal or expected way to input and interface with the code but also look at how the code handles an error or an improper input so the program would not crash or cause problems.  TI has done very little in addressing what could go wrong with what they are proposing and whether the potential problems can keep the proposed system better than the current system.
2. Consolidating all District Top 3 training – In the past at least those who belong to a Region could attend a different Regional Conference if they are unable to attend their own Regional Conference for their training.  Now that it is all in one week in August, what would happen if a Top 3 officer is unable to attend?  I remember in 2006, the District 30 LGET couldn’t attend the International Convention in DC due to work demands, so it could happen very easily.
3. Costs – TI has not unveiled the costs of keeping the current Regional and International conventions vs. the new plan of consolidating speech contests and training to International – especially with paying all or some of the costs the speech contestants and the Top 3 District officers.  What if transportation costs, especially gasoline, skyrocket?  What if we have another 9/11 in which airline service can be suspended during the conventions?  Can the convention site adequately house all the 70+ contestants and the 200+ Top 3 officers along with thousands of other attendees, and are there neighboring hotels that can be used?
4. Interational Leadership Committee (ILC) candidate survey – This year, many considered the candidate survey to be a complete joke – one 3rd VP candidate, John Lau, received more than 70% of the survey vote and was not nominated for that position, while the 4th and 6th vote getter were.  Will the ILC take the candidate surveys seriously, or the scenario that apparently took place this year could happen again?
5. ILC candidate search – What if the ILC cannot find candidates?  Is it possible they can resort to “bullying” tactics if they were desperate to find someone?  That could be embarrassing to TI as the ILC was formed to find candidates to fill the officer roles, especially International Director.
6. ILC recommendations – Can the ILC set up recommendations or have any authority to make it easier for candidates to run?  What appears not to be addressed by TI is why there are so few candidates for each of the International Director spots and try to remove barriers that may prevent a potential candidate from running for office.
7. Region Advisor Marketing (RA) – If the RA conflicts with districts or the Board, what steps can be taken to resolve them?  TI can’t just assume that the RA can easily work with each of the Districts in a Region as each District and its leadership can be different.  Even neighboring districts can be radically different.
8. RA selection – Can the Districts in a Region have input on who should be selected as their RA?  It does not say in their FAQ.  Plus for the RAs to work well with their Districts, they should visit them at their conferences and other events prior to their selection, which can cost them plenty of money with no assurance that they will be selected.

I am not convinced that Proposal A can address the problems regarding costs of running their events, recruiting candidates for International office and serving the needs of the Districts as well as the members.  The way the Board of Directors unveiled this proposal is abysmal – they never publicize any sessions or any way for members to give input on how to fix what’s wrong, then when they unveiled this proposal they should have given more details as to why they came up with their decision.  They should have unveiled comparison of costs between the current system and the proposed changes as well as how the ILC is better at recruiting candidates than the current process, in an ideal situation and especially in some worst-case scenarios.  They also should have explained alternatives that they considered and why they were not used.  TI has done a poor job in addressing the complaints regarding Proposal A and have not given adequate examples of why this proposal can address these concerns.

With that I recommend a NO vote.

My initial plans at the conference was seeing both the Table Topics and International Speech contests and being at the DTM ceremony where we had five people who received their ribbons.  I really wanted to be there for two of the five, Ron Lorsch and Keri Silk, both who I’ve known very well over the years.  I did not have any intention to do much at the conference, say hi to some old friends and meet some newer folks and stay in the sidelines as my days of having any role in a conference are long over.  Sherry Jost, one of my Area Governors who was an unsuccessful candidate for Division Governor, along with current District 30 Governor Pat Martin, mentioned about having me be part of the District 30 Wall of Fame as the 2005 D30 Toastmaster of the Year.  I replied “that was 4 years ago, I’m irrelevant in District 30 these days and I’d like to keep it that way!”

Well not long after I showed up at the Saturday night portion of the conference, Past D30 Governor Hugh Dunbar, who was the Chief Judge for the International Speech Contest, asked me to be a judge for the contest.  Having served as the Chief Judge for that contest two years ago, be one of the judges the year before that, and the Tiebreaking Judge even several years ago, I wouldn’t mind seeing different people getting the experience of serving as a judge for the most prestigious contest we have.  Hugh was someone who helped me out when I was Southwest Division Governor years ago as it was his home Division, and has encouraged me to stay involved in District 30 the last couple of years in spite of my problems with the people running D30 and their priorities.  So I accepted serving as a contest judge, which made me somewhat relevant in District 30, at least for that night.

But what made my comment that I was irrelevant to District 30 more contradicting was that I spent plenty of time at the conference discussing Toastmasters with many of the attendees, whether it is old friends that I haven’t seen or talked often or those who I only met last weekend.  I planned to leave the hotel both nights right after the contests, however I ended up staying longer because I still was talking with different people.  Saturday night’s contest ended just before 10pm, I left the hotel just after midnight!

When I talked with those who are currently serving as an Area or a Division Governor, I asked them how they liked their job and mentioned some of my stories from my days in those positions that may relate to theirs.  For those who I’ve known for years, we discussed about District 30 and Toastmaster International issues as well as what we’ve done since we last met and what our future plans are.  Many of them, even a few who barely know me were asking me questions such as:

• When will you ever become District Governor?
• When are you going to be involved in District 30 again?
• How come we don’t see you much anymore?  We used to see you around a lot!

I even had a couple of suggestions to run off the floor against the current Lt. Governor of Education and Training for District 30 Governor as I’ve heard many people having concerns about his work (or lack thereof) in his current and previous Top 3 positions.  Well my replies to all of that appear in previous blog entries.

I realized after I left the conference that I do spend more time than I planned to when going to events outside of my clubs, and most of it had to do with talking with others.  There is always something I could learn from them, while I can make some contribution in return.  At the North Division winter officer training a couple of months ago, I was there in case I was needed to train officers.  Since my services were not needed, I planned to leave when training started and after finishing my pizza that was provided there.  Well I ended up leaving an hour later after discussing Toastmaster issues with the District 30 Secretary who is an employee of the facility where the training took place!

I’m still irrelevant in District 30 in terms of having a formal role, but I get the impression that many who know me would disagree with that in general.  It’s hard for me to turn down engaging others in a one-on-one or a small group discussion about Toastmasters, or taking a role in a contest or a conference if it was offered by someone who I greatly respect.  Regardless of whatever problems I have in Toastmasters, there is always something for me in that organization to deal with and that is why it seems impossible for me to ever leave.

If you ask me, however, if I want to run in a contested race, the answer would be a big, fat, solid NO!  It was not because I don’t really want to match my candidacy against others, or afraid to lose if I ran.  It had to do with my experience dealing with a contested race in my home club 8 years ago which at times I remained scarred by it to this day.

During my first term as Club President, there were two ladies that wanted to run to succeed me in that office.  The first person to display her interest, and display it very publicly, was someone who had not held an officer position.  For whatever reason, she seemed to want to take the top club post rather than starting off at a lower position and work her way up.  The second person was the club’s Sergeant-At-Arms.  I considered both candidates “less than desirable”, the former having no experience and no interest dealing with club matters or getting involved outside the club, the latter being at times absent-minded.  Neither of them was willing to move to a lower position to avoid a contested race.

I got the feeling from a few longer-serving members that this was going to be a very ugly race.  As the Club President presiding over the club officer elections, I tried to make the effort on having this as fair as possible.  When the elections took place, I thought I read everything about presiding over the elections from the Club President manual, but it turned out I didn’t and ended up winging it to the best I could.  At the end the SAA won the election for Club President and the runner-up became our VP of Education as it was an open position due to the other officers not wanting her to be left out if she did not win as she threatened to leave the club if she ended up empty-handed.

Well the runner-up did not take the defeat well and e-mailed me a laundry list of complaints the next day about the election.  Three of them I still remembered in particular.  One was that I had her speak about her candidacy first, she didn’t think it was right for her to come up.  At the election, I had her speak first because she was the first to be nominated.  Actually it was supposed to be by last name first, which would not change the order anyway.

The second complaint was that if she was speaking first, her opponent must leave the room while she speaks, claiming that this is no different from the Evaluation or Table Topics contest.  I replied that it doesn’t happen in any election, from the President of the United States all the way down to Student Council President.  Her reply to that was “it’s different because it is Toastmasters!”

The third complaint was basically accusing me of fixing the election.  That was when I blew a fuse and replied she was “damn wrong” that I fixed it and tried very hard to make this fair.  Obviously she was only interested in what she wanted to hear and refused to accept anything otherwise and told me she was leaving the club.  I sent her an apology, she refused not once but twice the following day!  I had a special officers meeting to try to do damage control and asked the other officers for help.

She was willing to stay, however she seemed set to find ways to make me look bad.  The last month of my term, she complained to me three times in one morning that I replaced her on a meeting agenda for Grammarian and AH Counter as mentioned in our club newsletter.  I never signed up for that, it was assigned to me to fill up the meeting agenda.  The newsletter editor mentioned that no one initally signed up for the roles.  The final straw was the month after when the new officers were supposed to start their terms.  The first July meeting the new Club President was going to be out-of-town and I offered to preside over the meeting, then I forgot that the VP Education was suppose to preside.  I asked her if she could take the role and allow me some time to go over the Distinguished Club Program.  She was bent out-of-shape again as she accused me of being heavy-handed and again accused me of fixing the election.  I was willing to reach out to her, accept responsibility and apologize for my handling, but her personal attacks against me led me to get help from the other officers, basically telling them “she goes or I go”.  One of the officers tried to resolve the issue but it was too late, the lady who had not yet hold a club officer role decided to storm out of the club, never serving as one.

I never felt vindicated from this mess.  Even though none of the officers or members scolded me for what happened, only that I could have responded differently, I also had the feeling that I’ve lost some of their respect and my credibility would always remained in question.  As I started my role as Area Governor, I was driven to get more involved beyond the club as a way to forget about what happened.

A year later, I enjoyed my Area Governor role so much that I wanted to run for Northwest Division Governor.  I asked the Division Governor if the other Northwest Area Governors were planning to run, he replied that it was unlikely and encouraged me to go ahead and file my paperwork.  However, the District Governor mentioned to me a couple of times that a past Division Governor, Carole Schwartz, wanted to run for that post.  At the Nominating Committee meeting, Carole was there to run for Northwest Division Governor.  Still stung by what happened the previous year, I was left wondering if I should continue my run, see if there was an open Division Governor position available, or drop out of the race.  When my turn came up to present myself to the committee, I was fumbling along with my candidate statement and answering their questions.  Probably the only question I answered very easily is if I was willing to run for another Division Governor spot, which I replied with a resounding yes.

It turned out that no one filed to run for Southwest Division Governor, which at that time covered most of DuPage County, just south of where I live.  The Nominating Committee Chair, Deb Churan, called me later that night and asked me to run for that post.  I immediately replied yes, which probably surprised her as she was planning to talk me into running for that post as she held that position years before despite living in Crystal Lake and, like me, had no connections to the Southwest Division.  I told Deb that since the opportunity was there I should take advantage of it.  If it wasn’t there, I would be happy not to run and get back to being a “plain old Toastmaster”.

So Carole ran for Northwest Division Governor unopposed while I ran for Southwest Division Governor unopposed – at that time Division Governors in District 30 ran for individual divisions rather than at-large which will be the case in the upcoming election and for the previous two years.  The reason why Carole ran that year was that the incoming District 30 Governor, Earl Bateman, was one of her Area Governors the previous time she held the post.  That time Carole was hit with breast cancer while Earl and her other Area Governors stepped up and helped her out, so Carole wanted to return the favor.  We both got elected and it turned out to be a good thing – Carole earned Division Governor of the Year, while I learned more about the Southwest Division clubs and its members, gaining many friends who I’m still in touch with to this day.

While I wished I could have gone back and rewrote what happened with the contested race for Club President, it provided valuable lessons for me to learn along the way.  While I hope the contested races this year bring out the best in District 30 and Toastmasters International, if you ask me to run against someone, I could reply to let that someone have that job as I don’t need it and the possible aggravation that comes with pursuing it.

Well I just found out today that he is going to have an opponent in the race for Lt. Governor of Education and Training.  District 30 had their Nominating Committee meeting last Saturday and they slated a current Division Governor to run against the current LGM for that race.   This is the first time in the 10 years I’ve been in Toastmasters that there is a contested race for LGET.  I know a little about the Division Governor and met her once, she seems to be a nice person who is willing to do her job properly from my past conversation with her, but all I can say is she’s got to be a much better person than the LGM.

I’m hoping that this will be a real race and that we have someone completely new for the LGET role.  I’m hoping that this will lead to change in District 30 that even I can believe in.  I’m hoping that this will make me be proud to be a District 30 Toastmaster.  Perhaps instead of looking to be like Rush Limbaugh, I could think about getting involved in District 30 again!

The most notable one currently campaigning this year is Jill Morgenthaler, who was with Argonne Toastmasters and past District 30 International Speech and Humorous Speech contest winner. She’s the Democratic candidate for Illinois’ 6th Congressional District currently held by Peter Roskam.

I don’t know of any other current or former District 30 members running for public office this year but there were several in recent years that did take a stab at it and didn’t win, more due to demographics and incumbency working against them than their campaign skills:

Jason Tabour – Former member of The Center Toastmasters Club in Palos Park. Was the Republican candidate for Illinois’ 1st Congressional District in 2006 against incumbent Bobby Rush. Also ran in 2004 for Illinois House in the 36th District against incumbent James Brosnahan.

Roberta Rekus – Former member of Talk of Lincolnshire club. Was the Democratic candidate for the 10th District seat in the Lake County (IL) Board in 2004 against incumbent Diana O’Kelly.

Ashur Odishoo – Former member of Toastmasters of Lincoln Park club and past Area Governor. Was the Republican candidate for Illinois House in the 11th District in 2006 against incumbent John Fritchey.

Don Sampen – Member of Speakers Forum Toastmasters Club in downtown Chicago and past District 30 Humorous Speech Contest winner. Was a Republican candidate for Judge in Cook County 12th Subcircuit against Mary Katherine Rochford to fill a 2006 vacancy.

For more local offices, there are at least two District 30 members currently holding office:

Sam Cunningham – Member of Relatively Speaking club that meets at Allstate in Vernon Hills, currently the 1st Ward Alderman for the City of Waukegan.

Rose Mosely – Member of Batmasters (downtown Chicago) and Maywood Library clubs, currently President of the Maywood Public Library board.

Let me know if there are other Toastmasters running or currently holding office here in the Chicagoland area or elsewhere.

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