I Dissent.

My Thoughts on the PPA President's statement

Like many of you, I read the social media statement issued by PPA’s current President. I also read the statement by the INCOMING PPA President. Turns out, it’s the same statement, because it’s the same guy serving two terms. How convenient. They won’t even need to print up new business cards.

When I first learned of this statement, I was excited. I, like many many others, have been hoping for clarity from PPA. Sure, the Chairman of the Board put out a “non-explanation” explanation letter, but all that word salad needed was a side of Ranch dressing and some croutons to be complete. I hoped that the President’s statement would be open and transparent and clear everything up. It didn’t.

I mean, to be fair, I guess it is sort of “transparent,” as the statement is punctured with holes so big you can see through them. It’s like the swiss cheese of PPA Presidential statements.

That’s a lot of words. I know a thing or two about a lot of words. I’ve read this thing multiple times, turning over the sentences in my brain. I slept on it. I thought about it while drinking my coffee this morning. And my thoughts are all lined up like planes on a runway, waiting to take off.

So, in the interest of those who desperately want to believe in PPA’s leadership again, take my hand and let me guide you as we dissect this social media statement.
Let’s pin it down, open it up and see what’s inside.
Let’s treat it like a frog in biology class.

“An open letter to all PPA members
As the current PPA President, I feel it’s necessary to respond to the requests of transparency that some members have been asking for in regard to the recent developments concerning the PPA Board of Directors and the Executive Committee.”

Okay, great. We’re talking transparency now. Sure, it’s 3 weeks after the dastardly deed, but better late than never. Sometime, conviction takes awhile to pierce the soul.
Let’s do it! Mark! Mark! Mark!

“First, let me explain how difficult it is to reveal the information that’s being requested without violating the confidentiality agreements that the entire board, staff and volunteers must sign. While it’s unfortunate that several members of the current board have chosen to ignore those agreements, the rest of us are doing our best to comply with the promises we made. In addition, staff must remain in a position of neutrality in matters that involve the election process as per our Board Policies.”

Again with the “confidentiality agreements?” I’ve heard this thrown out as an excuse quite often and I’ve grown weary of hearing it. WEARY, I say. This isn’t the CIA, people. This isn’t Amazon or Google or a company involved in high stakes sensitive national and/or international business. No one is invading a country here.
PPA is a non-profit photography organization. A $40 million a year non-profit, but still. You would think the way the “confidentiality” excuse is brought into play that Top Secret info is contained in some sort of PPA black briefcase and Tom Cruise is guarding it with his life.

“With that being said, I hear you and understand why this seems so confusing from the outside. Without knowledge of the how’s and why’s it’s very hard to understand the reasoning behind the decisions.

Yes, Mark. It is confusing to anyone who can put 2+2 together.
Awesome. Help us understand. Let’s do this!

“This is really a very simple situation if you break it down. The PPA Council elects Board members, and those Board members elect the Executive Committee which is made up of the President, Vice-President and Treasurer. Two elections had to be held this fall over 3 meetings due to a failure to follow the proper procedure (on the first election), and that election then being contested by one of the candidates which, after an investigation and consultation by our attorney, resulted in the second and final election. It’s important to note that ALL PARTIES agreed to this in advance. So what we have is the candidates who lost that election refusing to accept the results and using social media to create a firestorm by claiming they have no idea why this happened.”

Okay, I don’t even need a sharpened scalpel for this portion of the dissection. A dull blade will work. OMG. Even a butter knife.

This explanation makes it sound like nothing more than Allison and Pete lost an election and are so butt-hurt they are causing a stink.

Yeah. No.
It’s not about “losing an election.” I mean, they WON the election.
No, it’s about voiding election results and holding subsequent elections with the desired goal of kicking these folks off the board. And then, forming a coup to re-elect the current President (and Chair) to a second term.

Remember, kids—a vote was held in October, the results of which saw Allison and Pete move into their rightful positions. Finished. Done. No question.

But, in a plot twist, the powers that be decided the first election was “flawed.” According to the Chair’s non-explanation” explanation letter of a few days ago, it was flawed because the board “forgot” the motion to formalize the October election results.

And I wonder…whose responsibility is it for NOT calling to formalize the results? I mean, this is not a new thing to the board of PPA. They do it all the time.
So who conveniently forgot?
Bueller? Bueller?

I don’t need to break confidentiality to tell you that the reasons behind the Board’s decision had nothing to do with any one recent event or even a series of events. It certainly did not come from any disagreements on discussion in the board room. It came from a pattern of unprofessional behavior that began several years ago, directed at other Board members as well as staff, and then escalated since then to a point where the Board said “enough is enough”.

Of all the drivel in the history of drivel, this drivel made me laugh out loud when I read it. And wonder if it was too early for vodka.

“A pattern of unprofessional behavior that began several years ago…"

Let’s say this is true. Why would a person or persons with “a pattern of unprofessional behavior” be allowed to serve on the board for many years, much less move up the chairs? Why weren’t they removed before now? Why did they keep getting voted in? Remember, Allison served as a director for years, then was voted in as Treasurer. And then voted to advance to her current role as Vice President.

For this explanation to work, we must disregard common sense, just stick in the wood chipper all logic, sanity, and reason, and instead, believe that the board continued to advance through the chairs all the way up to President an individual with “a pattern of unprofessional behavior” so great and threatening to the very heartbeat and soul of PPA that NOW they must stop her.

“This post is merely a statement and not intended to start debate. There will be no comments accepted regardless of which side of the argument you find yourself on, and there will be no additional comments from me. Social media is NOT the place to have a discussion like this.”

And yet, where was this statement posted? Ah yes, Facebook.

“However, for any member who wishes to know more than what I’ve posted here, I would welcome the opportunity to do that one on one. All you need to do is reach out either via email at mcampbell@ppa.com or with a direct message and I will contact you to set up a chat.”

Now, I don’t know about you, but trying to get answers from the PPA Board, including the President, has been like pulling teeth. No, actually, pulling teeth would be easier. IF a message, email or phone call was actually acknowledged (and most of them seem not to have been) the response was a cavalier: “You’ll have to wait and read it in the minutes.” NOBODY has been talking. They still aren’t, despite these letters from the Chairman and President.

”I have no doubt that this post will touch off a new wave of negativity from those who aren’t willing to listen to anything other than their own narrative, but if that’s the cost of honesty, so be it. Those of you who know me, know that I value honesty above all else.”

You know what happens when you aren’t transparent? When you refuse to answer questions to your members and those hoping to be once again?
When you ignore and refuse to acknowledge concerns and issue explanations? People come up with their own assumptions. It’s human nature. I’ve said this from the start.

So if you don’t want people making negative assumptions and reading between the lines and hearing what isn’t being said, then EXPLAIN yourself. Get ahead of it. Be open and transparent from the start.
But the exact opposite of that is happening.
I agree that listening to nothing but your own opinions is a dangerous thing, but when calls to the PPA Board are met with silence, when pleas for transparency are met with “trust the process,” well, the assumptions only grow faster than Tribbles on the Enterprise.

“The bottom line is that PPA is in the best position in its 160+ years of existence due to its ability to identify policies and practices that ensure its health and long term growth. What we, and every past Board have built is a strong, respected association that provides its members with unprecedented benefits and opportunities.”

I’ve seen this sentiment regarding PPA’s longevity quite a bit. “Whatever. Don’t question us. We’re PPA. We’ve been around over 160 years. We’re not going anywhere.”

Hey, you know who else thought that?

KODAK.
And Sears.
And Montgomery Wards.
And Woolworth.
And Oldsmobile.

The list goes on and on of huge iconic companies who no one, including themselves, thought would disappear but have now gone the way of the dinosaur. Hey, I’ve been in business 38 years. In dog years, I would have died at least five times so far.
I can’t sit back on my laurels now any more than I could on year ONE.
Newsflash: Neither can PPA.

”I’m asking you all to allow those processes to continue in order to maintain the position we’ve all worked so hard to establish. It’s time to get back to work on what really matters and focus on providing the best possible experience for our members. This distraction has cost so much in terms of time, money and resources that are not going where they belong - to you, our members.

I thank you for taking time to read this and look forward to speaking to as many of you as possible.”

This closing paragraph gives me the same feeling I get when I watch The Wizard of Oz.

“ It’s time to get back to work on what really matters…”

Meaning, THIS doesn’t matter. Massaging the rules to kick out the incoming President and Vice President isn’t important. At least, not to the PPA Board. So stop focusing on the shady elections and focus on positivity. It’s sort of like telling someone to “eff off” and then following it up with a Bible verse.

It reminds me of the Disney cruise I took with the Fam the day after 9/11. The DH had the kids at the pool, so my mom and I stood in the hallway of one of the decks watching the news. A sweet little Disney cruise line employee stopped to talk.

”I know it’s awful,” she said, motioning to the tv, “but let’s concentrate on having a good time.”

My mom looked at her square in the face and said, “You’re kidding, right?”

THAT is how I feel about what’s going on at PPA right now.
Correction, that’s how A LOT of people feel.

In closing, allow me to remind everyone once again in no uncertain terms, I have always supported PPA and believed them to be our best hope for preserving professionalism, integrity and ethics to an industry sorely lacking in all three.
Because of that belief, these board shenanigans hit hard. Really hard. I care a lot.
If I didn’t care, I wouldn’t bother. I would have dropped this issue a long time ago.

But I can’t, because it makes my stomach hurt to watch the thing I’ve loved and defended being trampled and abused for personal gain and power. The good news is that I can actually hear the bloodhounds barking. They are hot on the scent of “following the money.” I love those dogs. They are all getting treats when this is over.

The ONLY way to fix this and in so doing, restore faith in PPA, is to reinstate Allison Watkins and Pete Rezac into their rightful positions as incoming President and Vice President. You have a choice, PPA.
Stop doubling down and make it right.

I mean, categorizing dissent as nothing more than a distraction, as we see in the President’s statement, is a clever tactic. It’s used regularly to shut down conversation and paint those with opposing views and real concerns as people just wanting to make noise. You know, distractions.

But, I’ve found the tactic works much better when it isn't coming from the winner of the coup.

Remember, people, an organization who refuses to hear criticism chooses NOT to learn. As President Eisenhower once said, “May we never confuse honest dissent with disloyal subversion.”

FIX IT, PPA.

(Note: If you care to read a full and meticulous accounting of the shenanigans from Allison Watkins herself, please click HERE. )