Minutes and Impressions from Sunday's LNC meeting

PLEASE read it carefully, and note that things are not nearly as bad as have been reported - anything red is note from me to Sully. Notes from me to you are ****. Most of the bold or italics are my attempts to highlight important points. I will apparently be in Newark for several more hours, and can answer eMail - or will be on Facebook.


**** Something Mary talked about at lunch that day (paraphrased) was that coming from a place of love is always the right thing. It leaves the other party without anything to fight against, and it leaves us feeling better. This is definitely true for me. Also note that The Keaton seems to have smoothed out a little in the last 24 hours. I available to The Keaton for talk, telephone hugs, telephone soothing, eMail, etc, and I'd bet that Mary is as well. I am also working on a couple of ideas for building better relationships - if I have to be locked in a room with 16 or 20 people for 3-4 weekends a year, I prefer them to be friendly people, and the atmosphere to be cooperative.



Angela Keaton



After a break, the Chair announced Angela Keaton had blogged on the Internet some information that had been revealed in executive session.

**** Also note that some of this was reported incorrectly,

and had already caused problems for some members. ****




Pat Dixon moved to censure Angela Keaton for having blogged what she had put onto the LastFreeVoice website.




Angela Keaton left the room after having admitted to the transgression.




Michael Jingozian read the passage to the body.




Aaron Starr moved a substitute motion: It is the belief of this body that Angela Keaton should resign for having disclosed material in executive session.



Everyone in the room voted for the substitution. ****I believe this was a voice vote, and that I did not vote. - R****




Angela Keaton returned to the room.




Aaron Starr moved to have her leave the room while the body decided what actions to take.




Angela Keaton was removed from the room but was afforded an opportunity to speak in her defense before departing. Her defense was that executive session was inappropriate for the material being discussed. Moreover, some of the material was an affront to her, and she had no opportunity to meet her accusers.

Mary Ruwart invited Ms. Keaton to try again to address the specific issues the Committee had raised, since she had not appeared to have addressed them.

**** I believe that Mary diffused some of the emotion here by injecting a moment of calm, loving . . . and allowed the discussion to later evolve into the apology compromise.****




Bob Sullentrup called the question, which passed. Moving then to a vote on the LNC recommendation to ask Angela Keaton to resign:




Voting in favor

Mary Ruwart, Jim Lark, Julie Fox, Pat Dixon, Rebecca Sink-Burris, Mark Hinkle, Michael Jingozian, Aaron Starr, Stewart Flood, Dan Karlan, Bob Sullentrup




Rachel Hawkridge abstained and the chair did not vote. **** Note that this is not hostility in any way from Mr. Redpath. Both Gene and I feel that he was truly trying to be fair, and I got a sense of reluctance on his part in the whole matter. Mr. Redpath also DID NOT comment, suggest any motions, demonstrate any pleasure or anything else undesirable. He was FAIR and IMPARTIAL, and the overwhelming feeling and discussion then and later was that The Keaton had left us no choice. This was the second time in 2 days, and the revelations made on Sunday were made after discussion about secrecy about some of these revelations. ****




Absent for the vote were Lee Wrights, Admiral Colley (airport), Angela Keaton




Bob Sullentrup moved the LNC suspend the membership on the LNC of Angela Keaton for breaching confidentiality in

executive session.




Pat Dixon moved to amend with the phrase 'as denoted in Article 8 Section 5 of Bylaws'.




The amendment was adopted.




Aaron Starr moved to make this matter a mail ballot. There was no second.




Aaron Starr moved to append 'in the event she does not apologize with 10 days and commit to never repeating the offense again'. **** Once again, no malice or glee detected here. This was a major softening of the original motion, and I appreciate and commend Mr. Starr's strength in being willing to back off the original motion.




At this point, we amended the agenda to remove Jim Lark's goals item from the agenda and move Rachel's to the email list.



When Aaron's amendment passed, the main motion read:



The LNC shall suspend the membership on the LNC of Angela Keaton for breaching confidentiality in executive session as denoted in Article 8 Section 5 of Bylaws, in the event she does not apologize with 10 days and commit to never repeating the offense again




At some point the Chair returned to the room after a brief absence and reported Shane Cory had sent a text message noting the Barr campaign did not want Ms. Keaton removed from the LNC.




After some discussion that Mary Ruwart and perhaps others would talk to Angela to get her to understand her breach and how it affected LNC business, the body withdrew the motion, pending Mary's report on her conversation. There was no objection to the withdrawal.