Another Compromised Election

 I am no longer the Secretary. It has been very hard for me, though, to not carry forward the amount of my duty of care and efforts that I made in those 15 years to bring the role of leading the members' legal and parliamentary efforts in always positive and inclusive, and legally compatible territory as that officer of the corporation. I'm that officer for the Kareng Fund/Caring Fund and have served as Secretary for most groups I'm involved in, as I actually like to take minutes and do that kind of organizing words. 

I do not have a copy of the current bylaws but it was always clear that the Secretary was in charge of the elections. Mary was Head Teller for years and we wrote the somewhat too detailed election Procedures and Policy document that we always meant to go back to and simplify, but it was better to have too much detail than too little. All of us knew exactly how to do what we were supposed to and there was never any question about the accuracy. I wasn't there when they revised the document in November 2024. 

It was the first election after Kirsten left when office staff didn't read the bylaws and surprised Mary and me at the HM by not only making Election Day the whole weekend, but publishing the ballots and having them available two weeks before, not just to those who would vote absentee but to everyone, many of whom dutifully picked them up and filled them out when the election was two weeks off. The ballot box had not been inspected and re-locked and neither of us had been consulted at all. We laughed nervously and decided a two-day election at HM was an okay idea, but insisted that the ballots not be ready for general distribution. Two weeks before the election did not give any chance for write-ins or anyone else to campaign. 

We wrestled it back into compliance but it was just a battle from then on to be included in the communications about it. The Head Teller is supposed to be Board-appointed every year, even if it is the same person. We were always playing catch-up despite giving everyone the election procedures and copies of the bylaws. It didn't occur to me then that I was already the target of disrespect for my efforts and gradually over the next few years I was cut out of every communication loop that I needed to be in. This was a general campaign to move out the traditional older leaders of the org in favor of new and younger leaders because of ageism. I was doing so many tasks I was even told, at a Board meeting, by a staff person, that I needed help and an assistant Secretary should be appointed. An officer, from the staff.

The tasks I was doing were all about trying to hold the org together in the transition after Kirsten left. She was always most respectful of me and my leadership, so I know it wasn't until after she left, and I know who the people were who wanted me out. I stayed in for the members. I would be there still and in my heart I still work for the members.

Every election we have had since then (December 2021) has been off in some way or another. This just got worse over time until we clearly have corruption from the staff in trying to control what the members want and need. We saw the unethical negative campaigns against the few members who still tried to use the system in 2025, and this time we saw no support for write-ins despite their public statements and name recognition. They were also volunteers seeking to serve, just like the so-called "official" ones we know are hand-picked and recruited by staff. Staff is never supposed to be involved in member elections in any way. Now we see they have been deemed members (no clarity on whether or not they pay the membership fee...) and presumably all vote for their bosses. 

The ballot language was misleading enough that a new one should have been issued as soon as the mistake was discovered. Since they were prepared two weeks in advance for absentee ballots, why was it not discovered? Was the Secretary consulted? He is brand new so may not have been informed of his role, though I sent him the Election Procedures and the former Secretary Job Description from 2023, before it was stripped down to something more vague in a recent Board motion. I knew he might think that was inappropriate, but legally he is held to what the law is, not what the stripped down job description says. He deserved to know what the role of the officer is in a membership nonprofit. They haven't quite succeeded in taking that designation away from us yet.

And then they ran out of ballots and turned some people away, until one of the candidates, or so I heard, forced them to go make more. Did those disenfranchised potential voters get their chance? Who knows? Would it not have been responsible to go make more copies before running out? Was that active or just passive voter suppression?  

As the link for the Policy and Procedures document doesn't work and neither does my access to my portal, I do not have many current documents, unless they are included in the Board packets as they are supposed to be. Changes to policy have to be approved by the Board. I have no idea what the Sec was told about his responsibilities, and in any case, I don't hold him responsible for what happened yesterday. Anyone could have proofread the ballot but we do not have a staff who proofreads. 

There hasn't been transparency for some time, about who the Head Teller might be, or the vote counters, but I believe it is the right of any member to observe the counting process if they so desire. 

If we don't have honest and legal elections, what do we have left for member rights?

 

Busy season is Busy

 Market yesterday was one of those extremely satisfying ones with those random spontaneous encounters that make it so rich. The rain was inconvenient, particularly because we can't get a real prediction these days and the one I counted on was flat wrong, but I was able to keep most things dry with two umbrellas so it ended well. I will do anything to not bring that popup and weights. 

As it was my body was quite worn out last night, though I feel okay today. I've resumed standing all day with the right combination of shoes and socks, though it isn't all easy. I find I do not want to go all the way to the back of farmers, or spend much time wandering (not that I have that kind of time anyway) due to the foot pain. The neck was okay, though not all the way okay. But I still have enough juice to do some summer pruning today, I hope. It is beckoning to me.

A couple of write-ins for the election rounds out the ballot a bit more, so we have an actual slate with choices. And...I see from the newsletter that a Secretary will be in place! I kind of know the man and know enough about him to have confidence that he will take it seriously and we'll be in good hands for minutes and the law, after he grows into it a bit. It's a position that can deepen as your understanding of nonprofits increases, so I hope his does and he sticks with it. 

Our archives are rich with helpful documents and gathered research to support Board and officers, but since the current narrative is that all of our collective knowledge was "lost" or is irrelevant now, I tend to just wait to be asked. I hope all of the Board members know I am willing to provide whatever I have, but not to the ones who have bullied me. I want zero contact with anyone who bullies me. I do not accept that bullying is something we need to tolerate in our community. 

If you are going to judge me by what someone else says about me, ask yourself why. Is this your normal practice with people? I always tell people to make their own observations and not take my word for anything. I don't even tell people about this blog since it is supposedly bringing down the market or some such story. I invite you to read back all 15 years of it if you think I don't support and love the organization we have built. 

Yesterday some of the highlights were a woman from CA who said she was the first Latina brewery owner, starting in 2020 right before the pandemic. She's apparently quite famous now as that type of leader tends to be. We had fun discussing politics, gender and racism issues tangentially as she discovered my bandanas. I also had a sweet interaction with a woman whose son was in the NICU and was in town unplanned...she had always wanted to come to market so took a break to see us. I gave her a hat. She was so calm for someone with that much to carry emotionally. I am thinking she must be a fantastic mother.

As I was finishing packing up, a young father came with his two boys on bikes and they were just having so much fun it made me laugh. I got him to take my photo and gave a couple of pennies to the kids to throw in the fountain, something I do during the day so they have a way to interact with it that doesn't need to involve putting their bodies into it. The three of them were all so sweet it just took away my tiredness and the whole way home (with that headwind!) was a pleasure. 

Here I am! As you can see, most everyone else is gone.

 

 Being next to the fountain is a mixed experience, but we are liking the on-off cycle this season. It gets nice and quiet when it's off so we get a calming moment or two, which is welcome on the high-volume days like yesterday. With Fathers' Day and Graduation this time of year is always very busy for me, since I have gifts for men. I started making some new hats, with a pink bill they call maroon, which are selling out fast every week. Possums look really good on it. 

I just ordered some more. Here's to another week of overworking as hard as I can! 

 

Love it or hate it? Not that simple

 Another beautiful but windy day at the market this week. It is decidedly more windy than it used to be. I hope it isn't a permanent change. There is an added level of stress with the gustiness and it was hard to remain calm. We also had a violent incident from a young man that stuck with us in our small neighborhood and made us hustle to get off the blocks at the end of the day. He did come back, and tried the same behaviors, but not near me, and it felt like a narrow escape. Selling in a public place is not easy.

We're about to have an election without a Secretary, who oversees elections as a vital part of their duties. There was no "Secretary's Announcement," at least not one that got to the members. I don't actually know who is terming off. The three people who are running are nice people who will do their best, but I hope for them they get the training they need and have sufficient knowledge and experience to do the jobs they will be elected to do. With three candidates, they're all elected even if they each only get one vote. Not really an election. I just read through the bylaws and the revised election policy, which is now only "Election Procedures," and there's a lot still there, though a few things are changed slightly. I hope it will be done well by the Head Teller and whomever else is involved. I don't see the "Secretary's Announcement" language anymore. Oh well. 

However, the membership is now so thoroughly divided that anyone running with any kind of nuanced message would not have a chance. It has been "support the current power structure" for some time. I wish these new people well. Group process takes skills and clear communication and a lot of energy, so I hope they are ready for that. 

I feel a compulsion to put out a more nuanced position, but overexplaining is a part of the narcissistic pattern that I just do not have the time and energy to participate in anymore. When there is only one position possible, anyone trying to take another is defeated before they begin. I have to not care about what other people think. I have to just keep moving forward in my life, doing my best to get my work done. It's busy over here. 

I did think of a few things I might say to these new candidates if they should ask for my support or opinion. Mostly I want them to know it is a serious job and not an honor, and it won't just be one meeting a month and joining a committee. I want for them to have their own experiences as I had mine. They will need to do their own moral and intellectual work to govern a nonprofit and serve the hundreds of members. Service and responsibility are what they will be doing. They think they know that, I expect. After so many decades of it, I know it in a deeper way. I used to see myself offering mentorship from that deep experience but now that isn't possible. 

I keep trying to embrace the thought that my time has passed. I have always planned to stay involved in building the market until I am physically unable to participate, so my life has taken a turn that I did not choose. I didn't anticipate hostile treatment and erasure of my real self and real contributions. I'm getting used to it. Struggling to stay in a particular reality is a fascinating development of our era, one that we didn't anticipate being so prominent before the internet. We kind of knew that we were all starring in our own movie, but that sounds awfully innocent now. We're all extras in a lot of mini-series, and we're not getting paid to do it.

Hope everyone has a productive week and we have better sales next week when our fees go up again. The Board meets this week...will we see that HM work task fee go up to $100? If we do, will we see better procedures for making sure people who do their work tasks get it back? That's a lot of money for the market to be holding onto at a time when people are stretched to afford materials and fees just to sell enough to make it pay. I hope they consider not raising it.