| The CDS... Again....
I came out of the last CDS Board meeting feeling pretty good. A Transparency Motion was passed and the S&P's were sent BACK to the Training Committee (Not Passed). Imagine my disgust when I receive a copy of UWS.... In the Chairman's Corner, Gene Melton, aka the Chairman, continues his lying and unethical behavior. Let me quote a sentence or two:
"By the time you read this, NSS-CDS Rebreather Training Standards will have hopefully been approved...There are many CCR models to choose from and now the NSS-CDS has training standards to help us prevent cave diving CCR accidents. Congratulations to the Training Committee."
In fact, as Gene well knows, the CDS Board sent the S&P’s BACK to the Training Committee for further work. The S&P’s were not passed, and won’t be considered by the Board until the next meeting on March 17th. Unless of course the CDS Board has already voted on them. Or maybe they already have their minds made up. Who knows.
So far I have heard from one Board member who told Gene it was inappropriate for him to say the S & P's have been approved before the vote at the BOD meeting and that he would not be voting for them.
Let's go to another issue, also noted in the Chairman’s Corner. This is the issue that less than 3% of the membership voted for the new set of bylaws that the Board/Gene want us so desperately to pass. I didn't and won't again, until I see a properly red-lined set of bylaws that show what the actual changes are. When I made this suggestion to the Chairman (aka Gene), I was told that "A red-lined by-law revision is far too onerous to go through." That fact is completely insane considering every other organization uses that process.
What do we do about these issues? Do I run for the Board? Thought about it with a slate of two other people - It just so happens that the CDS doesn't have D&O Insurance and any sane person would have to be stupid to sit on that board without it.
I would ask that the Board, led by Gene, stop these games of deception and lies. That they tell the membership what is really going on. I would ask that the other Board members keep the Chairman and other individuals (such as the Training Chairman) with considerate power in check. So we know that won't happen, or at least I sincerely doubt it. What next?
I am asking you - the members of CDS - and even non members who 'may' be considering membership - to call the Board members directly. Tell them to stop these insane antics. And while you're on the phone with them, ask them not to pass the S&P's that will be coming up for a vote at the next meeting on March 17th. These S&P's include CCR Cave Training Standards that in no way help CCR divers who are Cave trained (As stated in many of my earlier posts).
Finally, do not vote on a set of bylaws that are not properly red-lined, and presented to the membership in a way that we can confirm what changes have actually been made to them.
I have attached the names and numbers of the CDS Board members. Please use them. And please come out to the meeting on March 17th. Just expect to sit there for a while because the Board loves to sit in Closed Session to avoid the public scrutiny of their members.
Gene Melton
Home 904-794-7896
gmelton@hs-eng.com
Forrest Wilson
home 404-292-5613
vicechairman@nsscds.org
Bill Rotella
(386) 663-5163 Cell
treasurer@nsscds.org
John Jones
Cell 386 965-5233
training@nsscds.org
Richard Blackburn
Home: 770-815-7387
secretary@nsscds.org
Ralph DiPanfilo
(386) 454-0690
director@nsscds.org
Kelly Jessop
229-924-2750
kjessop@bellsouth.net |