Josh's Weblog: October 30 ASLET Update

October 30 ASLET Update

Over at ASLET Updates we find a new entry from October 25.

Contrary to what a reasonable member would believe, the emergency meeting was not called to discuss the missing financial records that have apparently been removed from the ASLET Office, but rather to discuss what title the new “Operations Manager” should have! Believe it or not, this was the board’s priority!

This was indeed what I was not expecting after all the resignations and the installment of Bob Bragg at Chairman and Phil Messina as Treasurer. However, there remain board members that appear to be involved in the disaster that has damaged the society, and the next meeting is on November 2nd.

Phil told me straight out that although some board members are encouraging others to paint a rosy picture, the plain truth was this: judging from the available financial records only, the odds were very small that the seminar would come off as planned, without dipping into the Endowment Fund money, because there apparently was very little planning regarding the seminar as Hackett and others were apparently busy planning their exodus instead.

He did say that he thought with Nancy Moser, Gwen McEntire and Toni Miller working their butts off to help pull things together that there was better than a 50/50 chance there would be a seminar, and if it happened all the credit should go to them.

I re-upped my membership with ASLET after Hackett resigned, but I have not yet seen any indication of my membership returning. I assume that the mass resignations have interfered with operations somewhat. I'd rather hear about how the board encouraged the operations manager, whatever his title, to conduct operations.

I think I might have to make plans to attend the upcoming seminar. It may be the last one.

From the beginning of the Treasurer's report:

Records detailing charges made on ASLET credit cards, and reimbursements made for significant expenses charged to personal credit cards, were not found during my inspection of the ASLET office.

An important point on the cash balance:

I strongly emphasize that the current operating bills (those that we discovered) and a secret payment plan to Reed Smith made by Frank Hackett appear to exceed ASLET's non-Endowment fund cash balance.

And the bottom line:

In conclusion, it appears that the large “bills” paid in the last few months of Frank Hackett's control left ASLET with nearly no operating funds in the non-Endowment Fund accounts.

I've offered Bob and Phil my help but I don't think there's much I can do.

Josh Poulson

Posted Saturday, Oct 30 2004 08:17 AM