During my tenure at the ANA I have not violated the ANA employee handbook, or the code of ethics as stated in the ANA bylaws. I did not violate any provisions of the ANA conflict of interest policy. I did not violate federal EEOC anti-discrimination or harassment guidelines (sexual, age, race, etc.).
Including this in the statement was curious. It is implying that Shepherd was alleged to have said something inappropriate, as I speculated in a previous post. But this allegation may be something that was used as part of someone’s agenda. This is reinforced when Shepherd followed up the above paragraph with:
I offered to the general counsel that I would take a polygraph to clear up any issues or concerns that may have arisen due to unfounded rumors and innuendo, but I sensed they were more interested in finding a cause than in finding facts, as evidenced by my being told on Aug. 20 that I would not be coming back, even before the outside investigation took place.
This is the first act of newly inaugurated ANA President Tom Hallenbeck. Hallenbeck, who was previously ANA Vice President, may have not had a good relationship with Shepherd and wanted to find cause to terminate his contract. When reading between the lines, it is clear that Hallenbeck and allies on the Board was looking for a reason to fire Shepherd rather than try to work with him.
Welcome to the old ANA where it appears that the Board wants to micromanage the operations in Colorado Springs rather than being a body that sets the agenda and allowing the Executive Director to manage the day-to-day operations. It is a big strike against the Board whose two year term has just begun.
Finally, the Coin Collector’s Blog wishes Larry Shepherd well with his new job at Harlan J. Berk, Ltd. Berk’s gain is the ANA’s loss.
6 comments:
WHEN you know about the specific "charges" against Larry that were in the rumor mill, and IF they were factual, Larry had to go or the ANA might have had a staff mutiny on their hands.
And I think we can guess (and that's all we can do) that at least the Board of Governors felt the charges were true. Since they involved personnel matters of the association, the details must be left confidential, to protect those involved only peripherally. If the ANA were to violate those standards of confidentiality, they expose themselves to litigation from NUMEROUS plaintiffs, not only those directly implicated. Whistleblowers, too, would have standing to sue.
Ranting at the Board is supremely unfair. They are REQUIRED to know what members are not ALLOWED to know - such is employment law.
When Shepherd says that he offered to take a lie detector test regarding the charges then I am suspicious over the condition of this action.
Questioning the Board of an organization I pay dues to is not only my right but an obligation. Just because they are the Board with allegedly confidential information does not mean I have to agree with their action nor does it mean I have to sit idly by when I feel the Board was wrong based on public evidence.
Given the recent history of the ANA Board of Governors and executive directors, questioning their action on my soapbox is the least I can do!
Here's the crucial nub of the problem, Scott. If what I've been told is true about what happened, then yes, every word in Larry's response is true. What he is alleged to have done is 1) not contrary to any law, and 2) not in conflict with any written policy of the association. And that is what he offered to take a polygraph over. Period.
HOWEVER, what he is alleged to have done was A) stupid, B) possibly could subject the ANA to ridicule, and C) causative of a growing staff mutiny. Therefore, Larry had to go.
Just as in baseball, when the manager has lost the team's respect, you can't fire the team, you have to fire the manager. Not always the fairest outcome, but the one that had to happen.
No Scott, paying dues does NOT entitle you to know the details of internal personnel issues, just as paying taxes doesn't entitle the public to know internal personnel issues surrounding employees in local, state, or federal government service. Personnel issues are completely protected and sacrosanct.
Kurt: On your last comment we are going to have to agree to disagree.
As for other comments, please contact me via the "Email Me" link on the blog's front page under my bio. Thanks.
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