ACHEMMIC and GIHN - Why Carl left

[Guest guest]

Jeanine and group,

Jeanine asked why I left GIHN.

Okay. I am strongly against " politics " intruding into Sickbuildings

but I've been getting the same question off-line for some time

now so I'll reluctantly respond just this once to the whole group so

maybe it will stop here and I won't have to keep responding over

and over again. If you are offended, please accept my apology.

If you want to take sides do it privately with whomever you

choose, not on the group. I really don't want to see any

responses, for or against, on Sickbuildings.

I didn't leave. But I was informed that I had " decided " to leave.

Then I was told that statement was a mistake but I could reapply

for membership. If it was a mistake why reapply? Just put me

back on the list. They refused.

Confused? There's more.

I was one of the organizers and on the initial formative Board to

create GIHN as a replacement of ACHEMMIC. In fact, the idea to

make the organizational change was my suggestion and was

readily accepted.

When Cheryl Wisecup - who once described herself as the

owner, then changed it to " only " the President, then the Chairman

of the Board, then the Executive Director, then all the above, then

only one of the above but not which one - disagreed with my

request for a Board meeting so I could introduce a motion for a

formal vote (about when to announce the changes, of all things!)

she informed me that the rest of the Board had voted against me.

When I asked who made the motion, when the vote took place,

and why wasn't I informed of a vote she responded with " I've

talked to the others and you are the only one opposed to our

decision. " I asked for minutes and she said GIHN wasn't official

yet so minutes weren't needed.

After further discussion I was informed that she had decided that

my talents and expertise would best be utilized by not being on

the Board and " she was not going to invite me " to be a member

of the Board of GIHN. Next thing I knew, I wasn't getting any

weekly updates or any other communication (after September

11). When I asked why I was ignored.

When I asked a third party I was told they were informed by

Cheryl that I had " decided " to " leave " as a member and from the

Research committee. Nothing was said about the Board of

Directors.

However, they told me, I was well thought of and was welcome

back at anytime. All I had to do was submit the bias disclosure

form identifying all the groups and organizations I belong to or am

involved with. (What? For a hoped-to-be eventual non-profit that

doesn't even have dues? And the leaders don't have to disclose

who they are and what their affiliations are to the members?)

However, I have had problems and concerns with misuse of

intellectual property so I am extremely reluctant to reveal all my

activities and connections to GIHN. I could lie but that's not who I

am.

It would provide them with information which they don't otherwise

have and which I fear they could exploit under their own name at

my expense, with possible misrepresentation, and subsequent

damage to my relationships with those who I disclosed. Until I

see what the Bylaws say about intellectual property issues and

confidentiality of disclosed information such as this by members,

and until I see a demonstration of what they claim, I'm not

disclosing.

Besides, to comply would be an implicit validation of their making

decisions about me for me and then claiming to others that I

made them.

All attempts to resolve this have either been ignored or greeted

with " give them time to figure out how to run an organization. "

Astounding!

None of the initial Board (who I knew of) has any experience with

running an organization. Although they are otherwise honorable

professionals they tended to agree with whatever Cheryl decided

after she talked with them one-at-a-time telling them what the

others had said. (A newer member is trying, however. But they

are just one and they don't seem to be making much headway.

BTW, how did that new person become a Board Member?). It

must be a two-way street, not a one-way street-or-the-highway.

So your questions are best asked of Cheryl Wisecup and her

Board of Directors. (copied on this e-mail, see below for why).

Here are the questions I asked and which I have never received

any answer other than, " the attorney is writing the Bylaws and I'm

sure you will like them. He knows what he is doing. " And, now

that I have " left " as a member they say non-members have no

right to know anything about the organization. To which I reply,

then how will anyone know if they want to join?

- Who is on the Board? How were they selected? What are their

qualifications?

- What industry segment do they represent?

- What is Cheryl's official position and what are her duties

according to the Bylaws?

- Is GIHN a membership organization, or a trade association, or a

charitable organization, or an educational organization, or

something else?

- What category of non-profit are they applying for?

- How do their current activities comply with the requirements of

that category for qualifying to become a non-profit?

- Do they understand the new 990 IRS requirements for non-

profits?

- Who is their attorney? What experience does he have?

- Who has been paying for all these expenses? Have they been

reimbursed? By who, since there are no dues or other sources of

revenue? In other words, who owns GIHN?

- Ask to see the Bylaws and other governing documents so you

can see for yourself.

- How was the original Board selected?

- What are their terms of service and when will they stand for

election?

- Are there at-large (or additional) Board positions available and

when will those elections take place? Length of term?

- Who can run for a Board position?

- Self-selected, write-in, nomination only? By whom?

- Will they have the same voting rights and priviledges as the

current self-selected Board?

- Will the Executive Director be required to follow the votes of the

Board or will the Board be a rubber stamp for the Executive

Director/President/Chairman of the Board/Owner?

Wow. Now that I look at the questions they were unable (or

unwilling) to answer no wonder I'm an outcast and undesirable!

But if they do respond to you, beware of subtle shifting of words,

meanings, and statements of intentions. In my experience you

get only one preferred side and interpretation of the story. For

example, the explanation given that I " decided to leave " as a

member when I didn't. That I can reapply, but only under onerous

requirments instead of simply correcting their " mistake " by just

putting me back on the membership list, on the Research

Committee, and on the Board of Directors. And an apology would

be nice.

Cheryl has never admited she might possibly be wrong. In my

experience it is always others who are wrong, or are

troublemakers who conspire against her, who want to destroy

GIHN. I saw no transparancy or fairness with me. Those

fundamental characteristics are a required cornerstone of any

organization offering themselves as providing benefits to their

" members. " Especially when they announce they are the

disseminators of The Truth About Mold, or the truth about

anything.

Finally, and on another note, every December, as a member of

the Editorial Advisory Board of Indoor Environment Connections

(www.ieconnections.com), I am asked to contribute my opinion

about the Best and the Worst of the preceeding year. I will place

GIHN in a new category I'm calling " The Most Disappointing. " My

hope is that by next December they will be in the " Best of "

category.

** I have included Cheryl and her Board (as best I know) as

recipients to this e-mail. I am directly requesting that they fact-

check the above before I submit it to the Editor and Publisher of

Indoor Environment Connections (my deadline is this Thursday).

Again, if any of you care and choose to get involved - you are

more than welcome to totally ignore all this - then check this out

for yourself instead of taking my word for it. Maybe Cheryl is right

and I'm wrong and I'm just lying to protect myself and hurt GIHN.

Check it out and make up your own mind.

Respond privately to whomever you like, but please not on the

group. We have enough issues and immediate individual

concerns to deal with.

Carl Grimes

Healthy Habitats LLC

-----

KC, do we know anymore about what went wrong here?

Carl, would you be welling to tell the group why you left ACHEMMIC/GIHN ? it

bothers me, it leaves one to wonder and I dont get a good felling about it all.

I guess mainly it bothers me because I read Shoemakers letter regarding the

deceit over the mold issue regarding the rat study and ACCOEM a long time ago

and it was a strongly worded letter and I just dont understand whats happened.

> >

> > Mold's not to be taken lightly

> >

> > Mc

> > Issue date: 11/4/10 Section:

> >

> >

http://media.www.easternprogress.com/media/storage/paper419/news/2010/11/04/News\

/Molds.Not.To.Be.Taken.Lightly-3953740.shtml

> >

> > If you had told me five years ago that something as common as mold was going

to change the rest of my life, I would have probably laughed at you and went on

with whatever I was doing.

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