The idea of electronic membership records was pushed as part of a modernization effort by George Park once he became CRA Membership Secretary. After the 2011 mess with Peggy Mew, the Board was almost unanimous in supporting this idea.
The record depository was to be a one stop storage site for everything CRA. Each local chapter was to have their own area for membership records, samples of Bylaws, guides for voter registration, candidate training and a host of other resources were supposed to be available. Senate District Directors and Vice-presidents would have more access so they could monitor the activity of clubs in their care. Committees were supposed to be able to communicate with each other and access records necessary for them to conduct their business. The standardized membership spreadsheets created by George were supposed to be an integral part of this data. Access was to be controlled via different user roles defined prior to populating the site with data.
It sounded like a great idea until George built the member database. Then he began to retreat from the goals stated above. He tried to scare people with the idea that electronic records were not really that secure. Some clubs with older members got lost in all the changes or lost confidence in the system we had supposedly adopted.
Look at the bald faced lies spewing forth on Aaron’s blog.
Both Jim and Tim were used by Alice as stooges to help her get her hands on all of the CRA’s records in an unsecured electronic format. The credentials committee kept ramping up their requests for more and more records from George until it hit a flashpoint a couple weeks before the convention.
… the same people that wanted and entire copy of the CRA’s Membership Records in an unsecured electronic format sent to the credentials committee!
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Emphasis added
These statements are so stupid that only Apple users or people of my parent’s generation could possibly believe them. George didn’t want to give the records to Credentials so he could prevent them from doing their job. I have extensively demonstrated this elsewhere on my blog.
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When the time of truth came for George to do what Peggy Mew had failed to do back in 2011, he failed. The Credentials Committee—which Park has chaired in the past—exists for the express purpose of examining membership records. The records belong to the Board not Mr. Park. Somehow George forgot who he works for.
ARTICLE VIII – BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Section 8.02.
(a) Powers and Limitations of Powers. The Board of Directors shall have the control and management of all CRA affairs, properties, and funds.
Here is much of the complaint filed by Jim Shoemaker. Shoemaker was also on the Credentials Committee.
George has worked very hard at trying to bring our records up to date. I applaud him for this and it was needed. But in his zeal to accomplish this task he has forgotten that we are a volunteer organization and we must be considerate and respectful of each other.
The Membership Secretary has no authority to withhold requested documents, including the complete membership list in electronic form, from any board member and especially Vice Presidents and our Credentials committee.
George has over stepped his authority by nit picking units that have had no history of being out of control or being a problem.
The membership secretary has overstepped his authority in the credentialing process and failed to provide the credentials committee with the necessary documents to perform their duties in determining appropriate delegates to the convention and their ability to provide candidates with the documents they have a right to have in advance of the convention in a timely manner.
Record security is not now nor ever been the issue. Record security means limiting access to authorized individuals. Board members using records in the course of their duties is allowed.
It is record control. Park didn’t want other on the Board to have copies of membership information. He does believe knowledge is power, his power. That apparently is why he permitted his brother to post portions of it on the internet in an unsecure format for all the world to see less than a month after the convention and mere weeks after the email quoted below.
On March 10, 2015, George Park sent this campaign email to delegates to the CRA Convention. (Please note that the Convention began March 20th.) The bolded portion quoted below was that way in the original.
Protecting the privacy of your units’ membership records – many of you have expressed concern over your rosters being distributed in even a limited manner.
I have listened and have protected your records! I am willing to stake my reelection on protecting the privacy of your personal membership information.
If re-elected – I will continue to safeguard the confidentiality of your records.
Once again, Park violated the CRA Bylaws by withholding membership records from the Credentials Committee. He also violated his pledge to “stake my reelection on protecting the privacy of your personal membership information” while simultaneously violating State and Federal law.