RE: Impotant Update from the SSA

[John Dezzutti]

There is no question about it, the news is not good.

The idea of a CFO as an internal check on the ED made
sense to prevent a reoccurance of the problems that
led to the departure of the previous ED. Unfortunately
(with the benefit of hind sight) it allowed the opportunity
for a bigger problem. So now the CFO has resigned and
the process will run it's course and we will see what
happens to him. Who cares? I am more concerned about
what happens to the orgaization.

Apparently the ED was aware of the problem but did
not address it in a timely manner. Again with the benefit
of hindsight it should have been brought to the Executive
Committee sooner. Now what? We have a large financial
liability that threatens the organization. We can not
fix it by losing both key players on the staff as well
as the resignations of the members of the Executive
Committee.

Cooler heads need to take a step back and determine
what lead to the problem and how to address it and
how to move on. Grinding around in zero sink at low
altitude until the weather cycles is better than making
going off half cocked and landing out. Now is the time
for our elected unpaid volunters to work on the problem
and come up with a solution. The rest of us need to
figure out what we can do to help them and the organization
that fosters and promotes the sport we all enjoy.

I strongly urge all the members of the Executive Committee
to continue to do the thankless job of working for
our organization! We need them to navigate us out of
this mess!

7K

[alice]

John Dezzutti wrote:
> There is no question about it, the news is not good.
>
> The idea of a CFO as an internal check on the ED made
> sense to prevent a reoccurance of the problems that
> led to the departure of the previous ED. Unfortunately
> (with the benefit of hind sight) it allowed the opportunity
> for a bigger problem. So now the CFO has resigned and
> the process will run it's course and we will see what
> happens to him. Who cares? I am more concerned about
> what happens to the orgaization.
>
> Apparently the ED was aware of the problem but did
> not address it in a timely manner. Again with the benefit
> of hindsight it should have been brought to the Executive
> Committee sooner. Now what? We have a large financial
> liability that threatens the organization. We can not
> fix it by losing both key players on the staff as well
> as the resignations of the members of the Executive
> Committee.
>
> Cooler heads need to take a step back and determine
> what lead to the problem and how to address it and
> how to move on. Grinding around in zero sink at low
> altitude until the weather cycles is better than making
> going off half cocked and landing out. Now is the time
> for our elected unpaid volunters to work on the problem
> and come up with a solution. The rest of us need to
> figure out what we can do to help them and the organization
> that fosters and promotes the sport we all enjoy.
>
> I strongly urge all the members of the Executive Committee
> to continue to do the thankless job of working for
> our organization! We need them to navigate us out of
> this mess!
>
John,
I couldnt disagree with you more.I think the SSA should be allowed to
just implode under its current liabilities and go away.In the mean
time, a new national organisation could be started without all the
inherent problems of the SSA.
Let me give you a little backround. I was a member of an EAA chapter
that went through a similar ordeal. After months of trying to fix the
problem, the members brought in EAA national to (You guessed it), kick
out ALL of the officers and start over with new elections.They
esentially started a new EAA chapter . This would be the best thing for
the sport of soaring in the US because you have to consider who is the
most guilty here, The person who committed the fraud, or the people who
stood by and watched.This was the same issue with my EAA chapter and it
is why the national people felt it was best to start over.If a new
organization were to take over, they could fix alot of the inherent
flaws the SSA has.And to make sure they dont replicate the SSA,s dismal
record,checks and balances could be put in place (Like a complete ban
of any of the current SSA officers, management and staff).When you
think about it John, this probably would be best thing that could
happen to the sport.
A.

[[email protected]]

The SSA may not survive this incident that is either the result of
gross negligence or outright embezzlement. $300,000 is missing from
the accounts of the SSA. This scandal began three years ago. It is
clear that that the CFO and ED are directly responsible for this and
the board of the SSA also screwed up.

The SSA does not deserve to survive and the trail to the missing funds
should be followed right to the person or persons who made off with
them.


alice wrote:
> John Dezzutti wrote:
> > There is no question about it, the news is not good.
> >
> > The idea of a CFO as an internal check on the ED made
> > sense to prevent a reoccurance of the problems that
> > led to the departure of the previous ED. Unfortunately
> > (with the benefit of hind sight) it allowed the opportunity
> > for a bigger problem. So now the CFO has resigned and
> > the process will run it's course and we will see what
> > happens to him. Who cares? I am more concerned about
> > what happens to the orgaization.
> >
> > Apparently the ED was aware of the problem but did
> > not address it in a timely manner. Again with the benefit
> > of hindsight it should have been brought to the Executive
> > Committee sooner. Now what? We have a large financial
> > liability that threatens the organization. We can not
> > fix it by losing both key players on the staff as well
> > as the resignations of the members of the Executive
> > Committee.
> >
> > Cooler heads need to take a step back and determine
> > what lead to the problem and how to address it and
> > how to move on. Grinding around in zero sink at low
> > altitude until the weather cycles is better than making
> > going off half cocked and landing out. Now is the time
> > for our elected unpaid volunters to work on the problem
> > and come up with a solution. The rest of us need to
> > figure out what we can do to help them and the organization
> > that fosters and promotes the sport we all enjoy.
> >
> > I strongly urge all the members of the Executive Committee
> > to continue to do the thankless job of working for
> > our organization! We need them to navigate us out of
> > this mess!
> >
> John,
> I couldnt disagree with you more.I think the SSA should be allowed to
> just implode under its current liabilities and go away.In the mean
> time, a new national organisation could be started without all the
> inherent problems of the SSA.
> Let me give you a little backround. I was a member of an EAA chapter
> that went through a similar ordeal. After months of trying to fix the
> problem, the members brought in EAA national to (You guessed it), kick
> out ALL of the officers and start over with new elections.They
> esentially started a new EAA chapter . This would be the best thing for
> the sport of soaring in the US because you have to consider who is the
> most guilty here, The person who committed the fraud, or the people who
> stood by and watched.This was the same issue with my EAA chapter and it
> is why the national people felt it was best to start over.If a new
> organization were to take over, they could fix alot of the inherent
> flaws the SSA has.And to make sure they dont replicate the SSA,s dismal
> record,checks and balances could be put in place (Like a complete ban
> of any of the current SSA officers, management and staff).When you
> think about it John, this probably would be best thing that could
> happen to the sport.
> A.

[Mike Schumann]

I would agree that a whole new team needs to clean house.

One place to start is to take a close look at the budget. Here are some
samples:

$14,000 / yr for "Electronic Communications"
$16,800 / yr for "Equipment Rental"
$16,750 / yr for "Computer Maintenance"
$17,000 / yr for "Telecommunications"
$17,500 / yr for "Utilities"
$32,000 / yr for "Travel"
$21,500 / yr for "Building Maintenance & Grounds"
etc.....

How big of an organization is this? I would suspect that there is a lot of
economizing that could be done if someone started paying attention.

Mike Schumann

"alice" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> John Dezzutti wrote:
>> There is no question about it, the news is not good.
>>
>> The idea of a CFO as an internal check on the ED made
>> sense to prevent a reoccurance of the problems that
>> led to the departure of the previous ED. Unfortunately
>> (with the benefit of hind sight) it allowed the opportunity
>> for a bigger problem. So now the CFO has resigned and
>> the process will run it's course and we will see what
>> happens to him. Who cares? I am more concerned about
>> what happens to the orgaization.
>>
>> Apparently the ED was aware of the problem but did
>> not address it in a timely manner. Again with the benefit
>> of hindsight it should have been brought to the Executive
>> Committee sooner. Now what? We have a large financial
>> liability that threatens the organization. We can not
>> fix it by losing both key players on the staff as well
>> as the resignations of the members of the Executive
>> Committee.
>>
>> Cooler heads need to take a step back and determine
>> what lead to the problem and how to address it and
>> how to move on. Grinding around in zero sink at low
>> altitude until the weather cycles is better than making
>> going off half cocked and landing out. Now is the time
>> for our elected unpaid volunters to work on the problem
>> and come up with a solution. The rest of us need to
>> figure out what we can do to help them and the organization
>> that fosters and promotes the sport we all enjoy.
>>
>> I strongly urge all the members of the Executive Committee
>> to continue to do the thankless job of working for
>> our organization! We need them to navigate us out of
>> this mess!
>>
> John,
> I couldnt disagree with you more.I think the SSA should be allowed to
> just implode under its current liabilities and go away.In the mean
> time, a new national organisation could be started without all the
> inherent problems of the SSA.
> Let me give you a little backround. I was a member of an EAA chapter
> that went through a similar ordeal. After months of trying to fix the
> problem, the members brought in EAA national to (You guessed it), kick
> out ALL of the officers and start over with new elections.They
> esentially started a new EAA chapter . This would be the best thing for
> the sport of soaring in the US because you have to consider who is the
> most guilty here, The person who committed the fraud, or the people who
> stood by and watched.This was the same issue with my EAA chapter and it
> is why the national people felt it was best to start over.If a new
> organization were to take over, they could fix alot of the inherent
> flaws the SSA has.And to make sure they dont replicate the SSA,s dismal
> record,checks and balances could be put in place (Like a complete ban
> of any of the current SSA officers, management and staff).When you
> think about it John, this probably would be best thing that could
> happen to the sport.
> A.
>

[Brian Glick]

Slow down here all of you, I can tell you from personally knowing some of
the board members, as well as 1 EXCOM member, that their work is hard,
timeless and comes with no pay. The board is spread all over the country,
and needs competent people they can trust to run their daily affairs. It
sounds to me like scrapping SSA and staring over will bring you the same BOD
management with people all over the country and in all areas of soaring
trying to have their own agenda as the agenda of all. Simply put, this is
politics at it's worst, and seems to be what happens in Washington. Pleasing
all of the members ALL of the time is just not something that can be
accomplished. The current SSA board is well aware of all that is wrong, and
all that needs fixed. They also are aware that the current lack of checks
and balances in regard to financial matters has failed them miserably.
Clearly we need good HONEST people in places that control the money at SSA.
It is also not fair or correct to point to a BOD of our own members as being
the reason for missing money that they clearly have nothing to gain by
embezzling. Why would they embezzle from themselves? It is also very clear
that some of the old guard needs swept out the door and replaced by people
that are not afraid to make the tough choices, and forget about what their
particular clubs have to gain. Everyone needs to look at the big picture and
vote for what is right for ALL of SSA and not what benefits their own little
click of "buddies". Unfortunately, congress has the same problem, that is
why we are currently trillions in debt with no end in sight. Sadly, this is
not a new problem, nor one that just SSA suffers from. Take a look in the
mirror next time and see if you would be able to manage all the pressures
that are put on these people. If you answer "yes" to that, then put your
name on the ballet for director next time and have at it. It may not be as
easy as it looks!!!

Brian Glick

> wrote in message
oups.com...
> The SSA may not survive this incident that is either the result of
> gross negligence or outright embezzlement. $300,000 is missing from
> the accounts of the SSA. This scandal began three years ago. It is
> clear that that the CFO and ED are directly responsible for this and
> the board of the SSA also screwed up.
>
> The SSA does not deserve to survive and the trail to the missing funds
> should be followed right to the person or persons who made off with
> them.
>
>
> alice wrote:
>> John Dezzutti wrote:
>> > There is no question about it, the news is not good.
>> >
>> > The idea of a CFO as an internal check on the ED made
>> > sense to prevent a reoccurance of the problems that
>> > led to the departure of the previous ED. Unfortunately
>> > (with the benefit of hind sight) it allowed the opportunity
>> > for a bigger problem. So now the CFO has resigned and
>> > the process will run it's course and we will see what
>> > happens to him. Who cares? I am more concerned about
>> > what happens to the orgaization.
>> >
>> > Apparently the ED was aware of the problem but did
>> > not address it in a timely manner. Again with the benefit
>> > of hindsight it should have been brought to the Executive
>> > Committee sooner. Now what? We have a large financial
>> > liability that threatens the organization. We can not
>> > fix it by losing both key players on the staff as well
>> > as the resignations of the members of the Executive
>> > Committee.
>> >
>> > Cooler heads need to take a step back and determine
>> > what lead to the problem and how to address it and
>> > how to move on. Grinding around in zero sink at low
>> > altitude until the weather cycles is better than making
>> > going off half cocked and landing out. Now is the time
>> > for our elected unpaid volunters to work on the problem
>> > and come up with a solution. The rest of us need to
>> > figure out what we can do to help them and the organization
>> > that fosters and promotes the sport we all enjoy.
>> >
>> > I strongly urge all the members of the Executive Committee
>> > to continue to do the thankless job of working for
>> > our organization! We need them to navigate us out of
>> > this mess!
>> >
>> John,
>> I couldnt disagree with you more.I think the SSA should be allowed to
>> just implode under its current liabilities and go away.In the mean
>> time, a new national organisation could be started without all the
>> inherent problems of the SSA.
>> Let me give you a little backround. I was a member of an EAA chapter
>> that went through a similar ordeal. After months of trying to fix the
>> problem, the members brought in EAA national to (You guessed it), kick
>> out ALL of the officers and start over with new elections.They
>> esentially started a new EAA chapter . This would be the best thing for
>> the sport of soaring in the US because you have to consider who is the
>> most guilty here, The person who committed the fraud, or the people who
>> stood by and watched.This was the same issue with my EAA chapter and it
>> is why the national people felt it was best to start over.If a new
>> organization were to take over, they could fix alot of the inherent
>> flaws the SSA has.And to make sure they dont replicate the SSA,s dismal
>> record,checks and balances could be put in place (Like a complete ban
>> of any of the current SSA officers, management and staff).When you
>> think about it John, this probably would be best thing that could
>> happen to the sport.
>> A.
>

[alice]

Brian Glick wrote:
> Slow down here all of you, I can tell you from personally knowing some of
> the board members, as well as 1 EXCOM member, that their work is hard,
> timeless and comes with no pay. The board is spread all over the country,
> and needs competent people they can trust to run their daily affairs. It
> sounds to me like scrapping SSA and staring over will bring you the same BOD
> management with people all over the country and in all areas of soaring
> trying to have their own agenda as the agenda of all. Simply put, this is
> politics at it's worst, and seems to be what happens in Washington. Pleasing
> all of the members ALL of the time is just not something that can be
> accomplished. The current SSA board is well aware of all that is wrong, and
> all that needs fixed. They also are aware that the current lack of checks
> and balances in regard to financial matters has failed them miserably.
> Clearly we need good HONEST people in places that control the money at SSA.
> It is also not fair or correct to point to a BOD of our own members as being
> the reason for missing money that they clearly have nothing to gain by
> embezzling. Why would they embezzle from themselves? It is also very clear
> that some of the old guard needs swept out the door and replaced by people
> that are not afraid to make the tough choices, and forget about what their
> particular clubs have to gain. Everyone needs to look at the big picture and
> vote for what is right for ALL of SSA and not what benefits their own little
> click of "buddies". Unfortunately, congress has the same problem, that is
> why we are currently trillions in debt with no end in sight. Sadly, this is
> not a new problem, nor one that just SSA suffers from. Take a look in the
> mirror next time and see if you would be able to manage all the pressures
> that are put on these people. If you answer "yes" to that, then put your
> name on the ballet for director next time and have at it. It may not be as
> easy as it looks!!!
>
> Brian Glick
>
> > wrote in message
> oups.com...
> > The SSA may not survive this incident that is either the result of
> > gross negligence or outright embezzlement. $300,000 is missing from
> > the accounts of the SSA. This scandal began three years ago. It is
> > clear that that the CFO and ED are directly responsible for this and
> > the board of the SSA also screwed up.
> >
> > The SSA does not deserve to survive and the trail to the missing funds
> > should be followed right to the person or persons who made off with
> > them.
> >
> >
> > alice wrote:
> >> John Dezzutti wrote:
> >> > There is no question about it, the news is not good.
> >> >
> >> > The idea of a CFO as an internal check on the ED made
> >> > sense to prevent a reoccurance of the problems that
> >> > led to the departure of the previous ED. Unfortunately
> >> > (with the benefit of hind sight) it allowed the opportunity
> >> > for a bigger problem. So now the CFO has resigned and
> >> > the process will run it's course and we will see what
> >> > happens to him. Who cares? I am more concerned about
> >> > what happens to the orgaization.
> >> >
> >> > Apparently the ED was aware of the problem but did
> >> > not address it in a timely manner. Again with the benefit
> >> > of hindsight it should have been brought to the Executive
> >> > Committee sooner. Now what? We have a large financial
> >> > liability that threatens the organization. We can not
> >> > fix it by losing both key players on the staff as well
> >> > as the resignations of the members of the Executive
> >> > Committee.
> >> >
> >> > Cooler heads need to take a step back and determine
> >> > what lead to the problem and how to address it and
> >> > how to move on. Grinding around in zero sink at low
> >> > altitude until the weather cycles is better than making
> >> > going off half cocked and landing out. Now is the time
> >> > for our elected unpaid volunters to work on the problem
> >> > and come up with a solution. The rest of us need to
> >> > figure out what we can do to help them and the organization
> >> > that fosters and promotes the sport we all enjoy.
> >> >
> >> > I strongly urge all the members of the Executive Committee
> >> > to continue to do the thankless job of working for
> >> > our organization! We need them to navigate us out of
> >> > this mess!
> >> >
> >> John,
> >> I couldnt disagree with you more.I think the SSA should be allowed to
> >> just implode under its current liabilities and go away.In the mean
> >> time, a new national organisation could be started without all the
> >> inherent problems of the SSA.
> >> Let me give you a little backround. I was a member of an EAA chapter
> >> that went through a similar ordeal. After months of trying to fix the
> >> problem, the members brought in EAA national to (You guessed it), kick
> >> out ALL of the officers and start over with new elections.They
> >> esentially started a new EAA chapter . This would be the best thing for
> >> the sport of soaring in the US because you have to consider who is the
> >> most guilty here, The person who committed the fraud, or the people who
> >> stood by and watched.This was the same issue with my EAA chapter and it
> >> is why the national people felt it was best to start over.If a new
> >> organization were to take over, they could fix alot of the inherent
> >> flaws the SSA has.And to make sure they dont replicate the SSA,s dismal
> >> record,checks and balances could be put in place (Like a complete ban
> >> of any of the current SSA officers, management and staff).When you
> >> think about it John, this probably would be best thing that could
> >> happen to the sport.
> >> A.
Brian,
I forgot to mention that the EAA chapter that recieved the overhaul
came back much bigger and better than before.They had the $$$ to finish
projects (Like a club hangar) that had been proposed for years but not
funded.I think SSA management has alot to gain by embezeling funds or
directing contracts to friends etc..Why do you think that only
prominent SSA bussiness members have regular columns in the magazine.I
am a member of several national organizations, EAA, AOPA,AMA, and
ALPA and of all of these, only Airline Pilots Association is run as
poorly as SSA (With fully paid staff no less).Of course no organization
is going to keep everyone happy, but lets take a look at what SSA has
acomplished for its members.1; Failed to grow the sport of soaring by
any meaningful amount. 2 The wonderfull magazine which has a fraction
of the useful information of its British and Austrailian
counterparts.3;Two financial scandals (I consider stealling from SSA or
alowing it to happen is the same as stealing from the members like you
and me).4;Never (At least lately) getting an answer to phone calls or
emails to SSA staff.The list could go on but let me just say that I
will probably not renew my membership and I am going to encourage my
member buddies not to either.My only concern is if this will affect
contest participation.
A

[Bob]

"John Dezzutti" wrote in message
> .
>
> I strongly urge all the members of the Executive Committee
> to continue to do the thankless job of working for
> our organization! We need them to navigate us out of
> this mess!
>
> 7K

I couldn't disagree more, their lack of oversight and willingness to break
the bylaws of the SSA
have navigated us to the point we are at now.
BB

[Eric Greenwell]

alice wrote:
..
> Brian,
> I forgot to mention that the EAA chapter that recieved the overhaul
> came back much bigger and better than before.They had the $$$ to finish
> projects (Like a club hangar) that had been proposed for years but not
> funded.I think SSA management has alot to gain by embezeling funds or
> directing contracts to friends etc..Why do you think that only
> prominent SSA bussiness members have regular columns in the magazine.

The regular columnists are Bob Wander, John Cochrane, George Thelen,
Frauke Elber, and Charlie Spratt. Bob Wander probably qualifies as a
"prominent business member", but the rest of them?

> I
> am a member of several national organizations, EAA, AOPA,AMA, and
> ALPA and of all of these, only Airline Pilots Association is run as
> poorly as SSA (With fully paid staff no less).Of course no organization
> is going to keep everyone happy, but lets take a look at what SSA has
> acomplished for its members.1; Failed to grow the sport of soaring by
> any meaningful amount.

A very tough job, when you see how it's going in the hang glider world
and in other countries. Just staying even takes a lot of work.

2 The wonderfull magazine which has a fraction
> of the useful information of its British and Austrailian
> counterparts.

I don't know about the Aussie magazine, but compare Sailplane & Gliding
six issues a year to the twelve the SSA puts out, and it seems pretty
even to me. S&G has many good articles, but there is a lot of pages
devoted to club stuff, airspace, and regulatory issues that don't have
any value to me.

--
Note: email address new as of 9/4/2006
Change "netto" to "net" to email me directly

Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA

"Transponders in Sailplanes" on the Soaring Safety Foundation website
www.soaringsafety.org/prevention/articles.html

"A Guide to Self-launching Sailplane Operation" at www.motorglider.org

[Eric Greenwell]

Mike Schumann wrote:
> I would agree that a whole new team needs to clean house.
>
> One place to start is to take a close look at the budget. Here are some
> samples:
>
> $14,000 / yr for "Electronic Communications"
> $16,800 / yr for "Equipment Rental"
> $16,750 / yr for "Computer Maintenance"
> $17,000 / yr for "Telecommunications"
> $17,500 / yr for "Utilities"
> $32,000 / yr for "Travel"
> $21,500 / yr for "Building Maintenance & Grounds"
> etc.....
>
> How big of an organization is this? I would suspect that there is a lot of
> economizing that could be done if someone started paying attention.

You can tell that just by looking at a budget? OK, what is the proper
amount for travel? For building maintenance & grounds? Or just pick an
easy one and tell us...

--
Note: email address new as of 9/4/2006
Change "netto" to "net" to email me directly

Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA

"Transponders in Sailplanes" on the Soaring Safety Foundation website
www.soaringsafety.org/prevention/articles.html

"A Guide to Self-launching Sailplane Operation" at www.motorglider.org

[Mike Schumann]

I don't know. No where on the SSA web site is there any indication of how
many employees the SSA has.

What I do know is that I have a business with 3 locations and 15 employees.
My annual telecommunications budget, including all of my phone lines, phone
systems, long distance, and cell phone service, is less than half of the SSA
budget. I don't know what "electronic communications" is, but my total
Internet budget, including DSL lines to all of my locations, web hosting and
e-mail hosting is less than $2,000 per year. My computer hardware budget
averages less than $2,000, including the cost of a couple of replacement
laptops in the last few months (which cost me $399 each).

I suspect that there are significant opportunities for savings, but without
knowing more details, that's just speculation on my part.

Mike Schumann

"Eric Greenwell" > wrote in message
news:d3sMg.254$c22.217@trnddc07...
> Mike Schumann wrote:
>> I would agree that a whole new team needs to clean house.
>>
>> One place to start is to take a close look at the budget. Here are some
>> samples:
>>
>> $14,000 / yr for "Electronic Communications"
>> $16,800 / yr for "Equipment Rental"
>> $16,750 / yr for "Computer Maintenance"
>> $17,000 / yr for "Telecommunications"
>> $17,500 / yr for "Utilities"
>> $32,000 / yr for "Travel"
>> $21,500 / yr for "Building Maintenance & Grounds"
>> etc.....
>>
>> How big of an organization is this? I would suspect that there is a lot
>> of economizing that could be done if someone started paying attention.
>
> You can tell that just by looking at a budget? OK, what is the proper
> amount for travel? For building maintenance & grounds? Or just pick an
> easy one and tell us...
>
> --
> Note: email address new as of 9/4/2006
> Change "netto" to "net" to email me directly
>
> Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA
>
> "Transponders in Sailplanes" on the Soaring Safety Foundation website
> www.soaringsafety.org/prevention/articles.html
>
> "A Guide to Self-launching Sailplane Operation" at www.motorglider.org