As an explanatory vote, Hank Lamb’s attempt received 5 votes in support besides his own. Four of them were from the minority faction (Uzzell, Coleman, Birden, Gray). One was from the board majority (Reyes). The other two minority faction members present abstained (Reiter and Kaufman). The other majority board members present voted no (Edwards-Tiekert, Wilkinson, Brazon, Argueta, Diaz, Brown, Roberts and Casenave). Here are Hank Lamb’s comments:
To all Pacifica Members, the US Public and all Pacifica Staff and volunteers:
Fundraising has been actively prevented from being discussed by the PNB majority and some of the minority at any meeting and pushed aside at each attempt to bring it to the table.
I brought it up much earlier in the year, and as with all most critical issues, it is pushed away at every mention, as PNB meeting listeners heard a short time ago on the stream of the open session of 12/18/14.
I have asked a few times to have it brought back to the table for discussion and it suffers at the hands of those who don’t want it discussed and so, vote it down.
Meanwhile, I have been told a few times it is “on” the agenda, but way down the list of unattended items. I was told same this evening, but it was not true. I searched for the item on tonight’s agenda and even word searched for funds, funding, fundraising, fund raising, finances, financial, money and development. I do not see it on the agenda at all. This is no surprise to me. Even the minority votes against it, in part and abstains generally. That is, until tonight, when five others from both sides of the aisle voted with me to bring it up for discussion tonight.
Nationally, raising money has not once been discussed by the PNB in this calendar year, though money is our most critical factor where out survival and health, as an organization, is concerned.
Help:
As a request for public help, perhaps one who was listening can provide us all with the accurate names of the brave souls who bucked the PNB parties and voted with me to bring nationally raising funds to support Pacifica, back to the table. (See above).
Further, I would ask that all people concerned for Pacifica’s health and survival, make calls directly to their representatives and demand they do their fiduciary duty and raise the money needed to pay all our bills, debts, salaries and benefits, etc.
Without member pressure on serious issues, they will be continually pushed aside by many on both sides of the current political fence.
Pacifica Needs You More Than Ever. Your PNB refuses, as a body, to address raising money. Pacifica WILL go into bankruptcy before very much longer without it happening at the National level. Indeed, some PNB members have said they support going into bankruptcy.
The body of the group apparently considers any number of issues of little or no import, worth much more time than no time at all on fundraising.
Hank Lamb