From omalley@coas.oregonstate.edu Sun Nov 2 22:11:53 2003 Date: Fri, 24 Oct 2003 15:08:42 -0700 (PDT) From: Bob O'Malley To: agachapters@usgo.org Subject: my own statement To the AGA chapter representatives: This is my own personal statement, and has nothing to do with individual statements by any other board members. It is an attempt to give you my own reasoning in this sequence. I hope that you will be able to see the form and sequence of this development from my perspective, and understand how I came to the conclusions that I did. The president and the board forms a unit that works towards the overall direction and goals of the AGA. As a unit, it is a team that needs to work well together. If it doesn't work, you try, and if it doesn't work you try, and if it doesn't work you try again. However, at some point the decision needs to be made that it isn't working, and that a new president needs to be brought in. Over the past 14 months there has been a rising level of tension and displeasure among Board members at Kirschner's managment style and ability to take direction. Disagreements, mismanagement, and taking direction that was not from the board led to a motion on a vote of NO CONFIDENCE on April 6, which missed passing by one vote (3-3). Details that went into this vote included intentionaly taking action in a direction that ignored explicit instruction by the board. To me, the most offensive thing was not that Chris had with clear sight ignored an explicit direction by the majority of the Board (put the Feng Yun report on an unlinked FAQ page and let it go with absolutely no attention brought to it) and chose to then allow it to be posted in sensational style on the E-Journal, no, the offensive thing is what Chris said when he was asked why he allowed it when he was given such clear instruction to *downplay* it. He said "...you didn't tell me to not put it in the E-Journal..." Which part of downplay was not understood, I do not know, but this is verbatim from the person who was supposed to be leading the AGA. The items in the beginning I wrote off to Chris being rushed and inexperienced to the job. There were things agreed to (Fujitsu, October, 2002 ... use of NAMT protocal, etc) which were tossed out the window and the only way the board heard about it was by direct complaints from professional players who were involved. Players were omitted, referees were dropped, and Mike Bull got released by Kirschner as the end result of a rushed and poorly planned sequence. In management, reporting to the board was bad and got worse. And the part that started to get my attention wasn't the inability, but the refusal/resistance to doing as he was being directed to do. Resistance to putting together a budget, however, began to make me question his suitability. Resistance to assigning an Ing Chair, after it being pointed out as being likely the most significant and crucial part of the AGA, was amazing. No action was happening on something that had been set at the highest priority for three months. But, he's just a volunteer. Yet, for month after month, struggle increased. Add in personal touches, such as making sexist remarks about Feng Yun, and I'm beginning to not see the integrity of our President. And then we get: "...you didn't tell me to not put it in the E-Journal..." and that is followed by the no confidence vote. Even then, however, where there was interest in some to just stop this and let's get another, my preference was the no confidence vote. He had been at it for six months, see if he improves with this strong warning and give him more time. Improvement didn't happen. April was pretty mute, after that vote, but things continued. The next bash into the professionals was the envisioned "Gold Stone Cup" by Chris, which he fixated on running through the Congress, but needed board approval to get going. He wouldn't deliver a plan, and, did not get the open-armed approval that he wanted. Weeks and weeks went by, plans were never delivered and formalization from the board was demanded. It doesn't work very well that way. The professionals again (similar to the Fujitsu) get to form their impression of the AGA's competancy in handling professional affairs. And this time the lack of planning bumped into the lack of communicating with the Houston Congress planners. Oh well. So, here we are three months after the no confidence vote, going down the path of poor communication and resistance to coaching one more time, and it is time to see who else is out there to be president. I had no idea what we would find, and considered it even likely that Chris, with his good effort and bad management and bad judgement would be the best overall package. If so, so be it. Congress comes and goes. Following the Congress, as hard as it is to believe, this continues to escalate ... except that I wouldn't know about if for a full 4 weeks. The board did not hear of action being taken by the president, starting on August 17, until September 20. The ensuing direction and spinoff again moves to damaging the AGA's relations with the American Professional Go Association on a grand scale. And, in my opinion, Mr. Kirschner intentionaly disregarded the practice and history of AGA/APGA interactions in the steps he followed between August 17 and September 20, and brought the board in only as everything was falling to pieces ... this end result caused by the initial actions of Chris Kirschner in mid August. Up until Chris came in as president, when international organizations would request a selected candidate, if it were an Amateur/Professional mix the AGA would assist in the selection, and if it were a Professional determination, then the APGA would perform the selection. When Korea asked for a womans representative, and asked the AGA, the appropriate action was to simply hand that request over to the APGA and offer our assistance if they wished the help. Chris, however, proceeded along his own route once again, and compounded it by never informing the board of the news. I guess we never told him to put it in the E-Journal. Needless to say, one month later things were getting worse, and, Chris was now promoting the arbitrary story that Mr. Jiang had at whim selected Ms. He to represent the APGA in Korea. This based on not talking with Mr. Jiang, or Ms. He, or Mr. Cha, etc. It should not be too difficult to speculate on who he *did* talk with, and it puts an amazing spin on the significance of motivation of the "Friends of the AGA" chain letter, at least for some of the original signors. It was said that Chris was saying at the Congress that "they" had big plans, and, as far as I can tell, you've got that right. As of as late as two weeks ago, Chris was considering lines to take in declaring the APGA to be an *illegitimate* organization. And you know what, I felt that enough was enough. After 14 months of this type of increasingly non-interacting performance as president of the AGA, my conclusion was that it was time to bring in a new president of the AGA, and one specificly that had worked with the professional Go players for the past four years and has a good working relationship with them. I found that what Chris was doing was so unbelievable that the thought of leaving him in place until January 2005 was no longer an option. The board and the president form a unit that is supposed to work together as a team. If it doesn't work, you try again, and again, and again. However, after 14 months, I am comfortable coming to the conclusion that it is time to move on. And when I heard that amazing comment considering the aims towards the APGA's professionals, time was no longer an option. He was out, in my opinion, immediately. Would any one of these items be worth releasing a volunteer ? Not in my opinion. But you add it all together, throw in a warning by a no confidence vote in April, and top it off with this last incredible sequence, and my tolerance and stomach for the situation overflowed; it was time to move on, immediately. This is my recollection and my opinion of the events and decisions that went into my personal decision to replace Chris Kirschner with Deedee Eckles. If I have made errors in sequences or dates, etc, it is entirely my fault in this recollection of the significant details. I apologize for not keeping you all posted on the status and progression of this when we began right after the 2002 Congress. I also apologize for the appearance of such bad form in this matter. Yet, I cannot consider reversing this decision, and it is hoped that you can see the reasons why I would ask all to leave Deedee Eckles in office in 2004, rather than returning Chris Kirschner to continue in his ways. Robert O'Malley Chair, AGA Board of Directors AGA Director, Western Region Chair, Youth Outreach Minigrant Program Chair, Mission Statement for the AGA Chapter Rep, Corvallis Go Club, AGA Chapter Volunteer, Cheldelin Middle School GO Club Coach, Corvallis Youth Go Team 24 October 2003