The Council Meeting of Doom

*And I'm over here thinking...

I make it habit of believing the best until it is absolutely impossible to believe otherwise. I’ve always been that way. It’s the reason I ate kale as long as I did. I kept telling myself it would get better. It’s why I went a long time before I broke up with kale.

Sure, there are some that deny the possibility that I am anything other than a Negative Nellie, but I assure you, that’s not how I roll. Never has been. I will stubbornly cling to believing the best in people and organizations until those people and organizations prove they are not worthy of that belief.

And then, simply put, I am done.

And after the PPA Council Meeting, I am done.
So done.
I mean, stick a fork in me kind of done. The sort of done where I should have one of those brown plastic steak markers with the words coming out of my head.
A level of done-ness that is practically burned.

Listen, I don’t want a brown plastic steak marker coming out of my head, but that’s where we are right now.

And there is no one who can cook a steak well done like the current PPA leadership. All their cookery skills were on full display during these last three months. The flame was turned up high and there were casualties, like common sense. Oh, and board members. Everything got burned up nice and crisp.

If you haven’t been following along, please read here and here and here and here.

All caught up? Good. ‘Cause now we are going where angels fear to tread—the PPA Council Meeting. Allow me to recap. Grab a snack and something to drink. You’re gonna be here for awhile.
<cracking knuckles>

I arrive to the Council meeting about 8:15 with my Buc-ee’s bag filled with snacks. I am nothing if not prepared. The hallway was packed with people checking in. I had zero idea if I, or any non-Council members, would be let in, especially considering the email reply sent by PPA when asked by a former Council member if they could attend as a visitor.

Now, the Gaylord Texan is a sprawling resort and because I am directionally challenged, I had to ask for help. I notice an armed security guard and ask him if he knows how to get to where I’m going. He is super nice and gives me instructions. Of course, I have to ask a few more people along the way but finally, I arrive at the corridor to the Council meeting where I see the same armed guard talking with another armed guard. Now, I’m in Texas and this is a large convention so I’m not really thinking anything about it. I surmised their presence was a requirement of the resort.

I surmised wrong. We’ll get to that later.

I was asked to sign in and get a green “visitor” wristband. After the Council members filed in, it was time for the visitors. Huzzah!
The room was capped at 200 people, and there were 142 Councilors in attendance, so about 60 visitors filled the rest of the space. I learned later that even more were turned away at the door. Dang it.

As I’m sitting waiting for the meeting to begin and quietly trying to open my bag of Buc-ee’s Beaver Nuggets, I start chatting with those around me. I learn that the armed guards are NOT a part of the Gaylord—they are there at the request of PPA.
Wait…what?
The meeting is called to order and begins with the Chair calling up a former past president and current Council member to give the invocation. This individual tells the room not to judge but to understand. She says there’s been “a lot of noise and distraction” so we need to turn to what matters.

*And I’m sitting here thinking, “Is that what we’re calling members’ concerns now? A lot of noise and distraction?” I need to make a note of that.

When the noise and distraction talk ends, this past president sits down and the Chair returns to the podium. She calls up another past president to lead the Pledge of Allegiance. The past president included a long story about Lee Greenwood, but this past president is adorable so he can say anything he wants.

With that done and dusted, the Chair proceeds to introduce the board, as well as the CEO and CFO. I sort of expected the CEO to be seated on a throne drinking from a golden goblet and calling for the head of a pig, but instead, he was seated on the stage behind the podium. Not gonna lie, I was a little disappointed.

A Council member approaches the mic to ask for the suspension of Council rules for the discussion of the board recall. As discussion is usually monitored by time, he asks that Council have up to one hour for discussion regarding topics to recall the board and then asks for voting to take place by secret ballot.

*And I’m over here thinking, “Oh. THAT is a great idea. With fear of retribution, some Council members might feel intimidated to vote their conscience. A secret ballot will fix that.”

The Chair asks if every single vote should be by secret ballot. The wise Council member says, “No, ma’am-just the recall.” (It was so much more official sounding, but since I am not, this is what you get.)

A board member takes the stage to talk about how great PPA is and how every photographer is seen, heard and listened to.
*And I’m sitting here thinking, “Is she in the right room?”

And then the President gives his report.
It begins okay with talk about how PPA is “alive and well,” and then about all the states he got to visit as President.
*And I’m thinking, “And you will again, as you apparently get to stay on for a second, unheard of, term.”

But then, things take a dark turn.

The President is not happy. <cue the ominous music> He starts talking about how people should listen to both sides before making a decision. He asks us to imagine being a jury and making a decision without hearing both sides.

*And I’m over here thinking, “Dude, we’d love that, but in three months, you never told us your side; you just told everyone to “trust the process,” which makes that analogy rather a poor one. A far more appropriate analogy would be if the defense attorney told the jury, “I’m not answering questions or explaining anything to you. Just trust me.”

The Pres went on to say something about valuing honesty above all else and how the 3 months of distractions has cost thousands of hours that should be focused on PPA matters.

*And I’m over there thinking, “Again with calling members’ concerns distractions? And should not those concerns be considered PPA matters? You know, if it’s truly about the members?”

The President sits down and we hear from Pete Rezac, who at this meeting is still the Treasurer. We learn that membership dues are down, Professional Photographer Magazine revenues are down by 5% and Imaging USA revenues grew thanks to offering rebates to get members back.

Up next is the CFO.

After the President’s admonishment, I expect the CFO to follow suit. He doesn’t. Instead, he courteously provides the financials with zero drama and zero lectures.

*And I’m over here thinking, “Thank you.”

And then it’s time for the CEO’s staff report.

Just like before, I expect the CEO to follow the CFO’s lead. Wrong again. Really wrong. The room gets a thorough tongue lashing. The CEO is Big Mad.

The CEO shares that PPA used to be “hanging on by a thread” and he wonders if “PPA is so good now that we have to invent things to complain about.”

He says “insiders” are lighting brush fires to scare people away and damage PPA.

*And I’m over here thinking, “You know what a planned brush fire does? It removes the dead wood and underbrush, which if left, could BURN DOWN THE ENTIRE FOREST.”

A Council Member hears this and bravely makes her way to the mic and respectfully asks if the CEO is violating his position by using his staff report to speak out on this issue. The attorney on stage with him says he’s not.
*And I”m thinking, “Of course he did. And God bless that Council member for trying.”

The CEO talks about truth and how more members are getting their masters degrees than ever before and how certification is more accessible.
*And I’m over here thinking, “Buddy, if that’s true, and I’m not certain that math is correct, it’s because the processes for both have been, well, dumbed down. In the past, one would submit up to four images once a year. You’d get critiques, incorporate what you were told, and then, with a year more of experience under your belt (or camera bag) you’d enter again in the new year with new prints. Today? You can enter EVERY month, get your critique and then turn around and enter the SAME print. I call this POE: profits over education. Same for certification. Instead of taking the CPP exam in its entirety, the test is broken up into modules to make it easier to pass. I mean, <cough cough> more accessible.”

The CEO goes on to say, “Sacred cows had to die to make those changes happen. Let’s have a BBQ and move on.”
*And I’m over here thinking, “When did education, experience and learning become a sacred cow?”

And then, things really get heated up. The CEO is on a roll. He talks about how “today is about doing the right things; it’s not about friends or who gets elected as officers.”
*And I’m over here thinking:

Oh, but he’s not done yet. The CEO says we are at a crossroads; no drama, no overstatement. He says that today there is a “greater threat to this association than any time he’s been here. Greater than the financial crisis of 2008-2009; greater than just after Covid.”

He repeats the line. “There is a greater threat today.” He talks of those “spreading lies online” and setting those brush fires. He talks of people abusing council distribution lists.

The CEO says, “This is the cleanest association on the planet.”

*I heard this and almost choked on a beaver nugget.”

Oh look. He’s still going. And he’s calling out the 10 Past Heroic Presidents and their brilliant letter. Well, I’M calling these guys and gals heroic. The CEO does not share my view.

In fact, he says they are “uninformed to the point of ridiculousness.”

He says he is not on the side of any board member but cautions everyone to “think about the chilling effect of a recall” and how if they are “recalled for doing the right things how hard will it be for the next board.”

*Once again, I’m over here thinking:

The CEO is not done yet. He says “PPA is not a dumpster fire” and calls out “indiscriminate social media attacks.” He talks again about there being a threat and how “we are at a crossroads.”

The CEO says it is NOT okay to drag their name (PPA) through the mud.
*And I’m over hear thinking, “But apparently it IS okay for PPA leadership to drag others through the mud. It must be that “selective mud.”

The CEO goes on to scoff at the notion of secret ballots.

He shares that they had to hire police officers and extra security guards for fear of disruptions at the opening ceremony and the Council Meeting.
*And I’m over here thinking: Really? REALLY? A disruption? I was being as quiet as possible opening that bag of Beaver Nuggets. Was this really necessary? Or was it a show of Security Theater? I will add that the security guys were really helpful directing me to the Council Meeting.”

And then the CEO brings up the heroic 10 Past Presidents who signed the letter outlining all the concerns and violations of the bylaws that took place over the past three months with the “Board Coup” (my term, not his) to overthrow the incoming President and VP.
The Big Mad gets bigger and madder.

He incredulously states “THEY WEREN’T IN THE ROOM.”
*And I’m over here thinking, “Pretty sure they didn’t have to be in the room to witness the glaring violations and overreach. It’s all in the minutes. Or, more accurately, in the “revisions of the minutes.”

Again, this is the CEO’s staff report. It is much more like a campaign speech. Or the lecture kids get before being put in time out. I personally expected him to begin pounding the podium with his fist.

With the <cough cough> “staff report” given, Council members begin to approach the microphones to speak. There are lines of people waiting to speak. And, it starts out great. There is talk of being afraid of retaliation. There is talk of how the “board failed us” and how “we can’t allow it to happen again.” It is brought up that NO motion had ever been necessary before to formalize a vote; how it’s become about personal preferences rather than bylaws. People talk of the pain PPA had caused its members and how the lack of transparency has caused a trust problem and how nobody likes what’s going on. One member worries that any voice of dissent will be retaliated against and calls for courage over fear.

All good stuff.

A board member directly affected by the shenanigans shares his side. He shares that despite asking what policy was violated to justify the invalidating of the rightful election, no explanation was ever given. How things were kept secret even within certain board members with requests for info being denied.

And then some past presidents stand up. They had served as president and now sit on Council, quite a few of them. And unlike the 10 heroes who signed the letter, these past presidents are not in favor of a recall.

One says everyone needs to accept the election move on and do what’s best for PPA and what’s best is to vote down the board recall.

Another past president says “there is no reason to recall these fine people.”

Board members speak. One I can’t hear but the other tries to throw the rightful incoming president under the bus by referring to an unwillingness to participate in board evaluations.
*And I’m over here thinking, “Anything that happened AFTER the valid October election is a moot point. It has zero bearing on anything. Allison could have shot a kitten and insisted everyone dye their hair purple, she would still be President. Is anyone going to shut down this talk?”

A passionate Council member shares that the minute this story went out to social media it was a problem and this stuff can destroy the “brand of PPA.” He is against the recall and says non-members shouldn’t talk about it because they have no say.

Another board member says this is nothing more than “sore loser” stuff.
*And I’m over here thinking, “Says the board member complicit in the coup.”

There is lots more, but honestly kids, you’d get tired of hearing it. I’m almost tired of typing it.

With the discussion over, the motion to cast secret ballots takes place.
It fails, but not by much. By the show of hands, the room is pretty divided.
And then the vote is had for the recall.
I hold my breath.
If the same amount who prefer a secret ballot vote for the recall, I feel it will pass.
But, alas, because the motion failed, voting is done by a show of arms. The arms are counted by Council members. The arms are noticed by leadership. I suspect notes are made as to whose arm is up and whose is down.

And the recall fails.

I gather my Buc-ee’s bag and find a quiet place to sit and think about what just took place.
And I think about how the “old school past presidents” who served 10 or more years ago signed that letter and how the “newer past presidents” didn’t. And how this totally tracks in the Integrity Department.

I think about how after THREE hours in the meeting, we were NEVER given an explanation for why the PPA Chair, President and CEO formed a coup and invalidated that very valid October election. No one ever point blank asked the Chair for an explanation. All of this, all of it, and they still aren’t transparent. I wonder how many other shady things we don’t know about with these people.

I think about the level of hubris I saw in the President and the CEO. And how the Chair had to keep apologizing as she kept making mistakes in her conducting of the meeting.

I think about the irony of the people in the “good ol’ boys club” declaring they don’t want this to turn into a “good ol’ boys club.”

I think about the massive salaries of the CEO and CFO. $1.5 million a year in just those two salaries is almost all the revenue made in the trade show. It’s like we’re paying the CEO to lecture us. What a great gig that is.

I think about how sad I am, that I can no longer support an organization that played such a big part in my life. Because it is NOT the same organization. Not in the least.

I think about how it’s rather stunning that people are lambasted for not learning “both sides” of a situation by the same people who refuse to give their side.

I think about how today’s PPA is as transparent as mud.
How power so easily corrupts.
How the “ick” factor is strong.
How it’s not about the members or the industry anymore.
How PPA leadership labels dissent as hostility.
How they’ve created an “US” vs “THEM” mentality.
How power and hubris can make the wrong thing seem like the right thing.
How much I admire those Council members and PPA members who DO know what’s right.
How members really should have been provided “phone security” for the threats and intimidation they received over speaking up.
How the word “non-profit” implies goodness and meager salaries.
How the desire to “be something in PPA” keeps many from dissenting.
How PPA has become like Fight Club.
How the hard working men and women who make their livings with their cameras deserve so much better; how they deserve an organization that works for them and not themselves.
How it didn’t have to be this way.

And then I thought one last thing.

What would happen if members of the Council decided today that they wanted to change how they voted yesterday? What if the Council reached out to the Chair and said they weren’t happy with the results of yesterday’s voting and would like to do it over again—-would that go over well?

I’m just asking, ‘cause THAT is the issue at hand. And of course they wouldn’t. Please.

And because they wouldn’t, you’ll need to excuse me.
I need to finish off this bag of Beaver Nuggets and then get going.

I’ve got some brush fires to light.
’Cause I can’t just stand by while the “Forest of Professional Photography” is allowed to burn.