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It's Hammer Time QCUSA... Long
Well I kinda expected the stonewalling from QCUSA... It's not the first
time.... Enclosed (With Full Permission of the NWR Quattro Club and our
listmiester) is the letters which led to the Cessision of the NWRQC from
QCUSA. At that time QCUSA buried their head in the sand just like they
are doing now. I too have seen some of the behavior mentioned in the
letters first hand at events and it's no way for any orginization to
present themselves.
It's time for the QCUSA to answer the questions in public, Damage has
been done by their refusal to provide documents required by law, and
their general tone of responses. It would seem that QCUSA belives that
they have plenty of members now and there is no need to invite anyone
else into the "Fold". I'm sorry to hear that, Do yourselves a favor
QCUSA, answer the Questions, present a plan of growth for the progam, and
hope that the damage that has been done by your lack of attention can be
reversed.
Eric Fletcher QCUSA Member #1462
-----------------------------------------
The following letters were originally sent via snail-mail to members of
the
local region. I have presented them here with email to-from conventions.
As you'll see, there were additional conversations and correspondence
between Stan and QCUSA administration, but they were not included in the
packet to local members. The content can be interpreted, however, from
this
exchange. At the bottom, I have added a few notes on recent developments.
-----------------------------------------
From: Stan Sokol, President NWR Audi Quattro Club
To: Karen Chadwick, Executive Director QCUSA
Date: Dec 28, 1995
Your phone call to me on December 19th from the board meeting was
appreciated in the fact that it gave me the opportunity to refute the
false
accusations and information you received from some unnamed person. I
thank
you for calling and giving me the privilege of speaking for myself.
There were, however, parts of the conversation that deeply disturbed me.
You continually spoke about Alex and his bad decision to leave the track
because he was terribly upset. I do not disagree with you as I had told
you
at the time it happened. I also told you that I spoke to Alex at the
track
and asked him to reconsider his choice of action. There is another side
to
this, however, that you have either failed to consider or have
deliberately
chose to overlook. A leader who is a true leader has concern for the
welfare of those he works with. Kent did not show this quality when he
publicly, in front of other club members, humiliated and chastised Alex on
the occasion in question. I've been told that he has done this to other
club members at other regional events. You seem to condone this behavior.
You have also chosen to condone Kent's sickening, embarrassing, vulgar
language that he has so liberally used when addressing the membership, as
well as when speaking with individuals. This was so blatant, that
numerous
members of the region came to me to complain about his language. Again
you
chose to do nothing. As a matter of fact, at the meeting six of us had in
Kent's room, after I had directly addressed this issue and he had made a
number of inappropriate and uncalled-for excuses, you also made excuses
for
him. To his credit, however, he did not use such language, inappropriate
for anyone in his position, the next day. Believe me, it was very
refreshing. On the matter of Alex's leaving the event, one would believe
that, listening to you, that Alex's decision to leave was unprovoked.
There are other issues that are of deep concern. Both Al and Alex
volunteered their time to be co-event masters, generously devoting many
hours of their time and effort, without any thought of financial
remuneration. However, they have both told me many times that they would
never do this again. Why? Because of the never-ending frustration of
having to deal with Karen Chadwick. Frustrations concerning agreements
that
were later reversed or ignored, promises too numerous to mention that were
given and then later were overlooked or changed with no explanation.
Let me give you and example of one of these agreements. In the final
decision to have Kent to come to P.I.R. to instruct the instructor's
clinic,
it was agreed, in conversations with both me and Al, that our Northwest
Region would pay for Kent's expenses (up to, but not exceeding $1,000.00)
and the Quattro Club would pay all of your expenses. But in the final
accounting, you and/or the board of the Quattro Club went back on you word
again and billed the Northwest Region $400.00 for you expenses.
As long as we are examining these improprieties, let's look at the
secretarial fees you billed the Northwest Region. No other national club
does so. I can testify to that first hand, having served many times
before
as president, in addition to having held many other offices, as well as
having served as national board member in many regional car clubs. This
service is always paid for by national membership fees. What you,
presumably with the knowledge of the board, are doing is referred to as
double dipping.
Going back to our phone conversation on December 19th-you deliberately
chose
to ignore common courtesy, good manners, not to mention protocol, by
telling
me who YOU chose for co-event masters for the proposed event at P.I.R. in
March. I suggested that these decisions are always and only made by the
regional president and that there is far more to be considered than the
qualifications you put forth.
Again, in your FAX of December 20th, you try to cram this down my throat
again. You also state that you ended up writing the invitation to the
recent P.I.R. event yourself, when in fact you insisted on doing so. To
carry the insult even further, you add, "You now have a sample of what an
invitation should look like." I've known what an invitation should look
like for years. I've written enough of them for track events many times
before.
The majority of members in this region have often asked me why we need the
Quattro Club's help to put on events, when, in fact, we are more than
capable of doing so ourselves, and with the money saved, we could buy our
own equipment. You state in your FAX that the event master will have to
write the invitation, that you need the event masters to assume most of
the
responsibility for events, and that the organization of the run groups
should be done by the event masters. You tell me - is that not putting on
our own event? When I have spoken about this before, the only reply you
have is to dangle the insurance for the event like a prize carrot.
I have been asked by many members of our region, as well as others, what
qualifications Karen Chadwick has to be Executive Director of the Audi
Quattro Club USA. I wonder why the board members want to serve in that
capacity and what their qualifications are. If the Audi Quattro Club was
like any other club, there would be a national election for officers and a
yearly financial disclosure. Ask yourself - is this like a club or a
closed
corporation that manages the membership fees with no accounting to the
members. After all, the Audi Quattro Club USA is a non-profit
organization.
As an overview from one who has had considerable experience in car clubs -
is the Audi Quattro Club USA truly a club? Does it have the faintest idea
of what should and should not be expected of regional clubs? Does it have
experienced people who are willing and able to assist a new regional club
to
start and grow from a solid foundation? Does the national club and the
board members know what their responsibility to the members and to the
regional clubs are and do they know what is expected of a national club
and
board members? Evidently not if they don't listen to the ever-growing
ground-swell of discontent and complaints from every quarter of every
region.
Never before, in many dozens of events I have had the great privilege and
opportunity to have been chairman of, have I encountered such opposition,
complete lack of communication, alibis, excuses and such a display of
heavy-handed and misplaced control.
If the board members are not wondering what is wrong, and are not
embarrassed, it might be interesting to open their eyes and listen to the
complaints and ever-growing dissatisfaction of their members.
As for the proposed event at P.I.R. in March, the members of the Northwest
Region have expressed to me their desires that there be no sanctioning fee
and that a true accounting of the event this past November be given and
that
the appropriate funds that our region deserves be forwarded at once to
help
our region grow.
Let me share with you some of my favorite quotations about leadership:
"People are changed not by coercion or intimidation, but by example"
"Love and respect do not automatically accompany a position of
leadership,
they must be earned"
"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's
character, give him power" - Abraham Lincoln
The above quotations are certainly worthy of consideration.
Let me bring attention to the fact that what National has always taken
responsibility for at the event at P.I.R. was, for some reason, ignored
this
November. The extent of these oversights was not known by the Northwest
Region until after the event. The members of National did not furnish or
make arrangements to have flags, an obvious safety feature, available for
the event. Nor did Kent Anderson, who has made reservations for the track
on more than one occasion, provide that someone be at the entrance gate to
check people coming through. People at P.I.R. informed us that this was a
violation of insurance, if anything had happened. If Kent no longer
wanted
to handle these responsibilities, he should have informed us, and we would
have gladly made arrangements, but he said nothing.
The following is a summary of what the Northwest Region Audi Quattro Club
expects and what every other national club provides:
1. Furnish an account of Kent Anderson's expenses for the event in
November.
2. Credit us in full for Karen's expenses of $400.00.
3. Credit us in full for all secretarial expenses connected with this
event.
4. Furnish the qualifications of each board member and who appointed
them,
and why they want to hold their positions.
5. Tell us what board member would attend the event at P.I.R. in March
1996, what he or she would contribute and what their duties would be, as
well as an estimate of the expenses.
6. A copy of the freight bill for sending the helmets last November.
7. Waive the sanctioning fees.
8. Observe the correct protocol in giving the regions authority.
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to share my concerns and thoughts
with you. I stand ready to serve and help.
/s/ Stan Sokol
-----------------------------------------
To: Quattro Club Member
From: Quattro Club Board of Directors
Date: Jan 24, 1996
Over the last several weeks the Quattro Club USA has been preparing for
the
autocross event at Portland International Raceway (PIR) scheduled for
March
1-2, 1996. In order to run a successful event a tight calendar must be
adhered to and the participation of many members is needed.
Recently, the Board was informed by Mr. Stan Sokol that the Northwest
region
"will not participate in any coordination for the upcoming autocross event
planned by the Audi Quattro Club USA at Portland in March." Because this
development will place the Quattro Club at a financial risk, the Board of
Directors has decided to cancel the event.
However, the Quattro Club USA has scheduled another Safety Seminar at PIR
for November 9-10, 1996. We have had interest from several members who
have
volunteered to help coordinate activities for this event. It promises to
be
a great event with a variety of car control exercises, extensive track
time
and timely run groups.
We apologize for the inconvenience and hope to see you in November.
Sincerely,
The Board of Directors
-----------------------------------------
To: Stan Sokol
From: C. Scott Thiss, President & Director, Quattro Club USA
Date: Jan 26, 1996
Your letter to Karen Chadwick dated December 28, 1995 was presented to and
reviewed by the Quattro Club USA Board of Directors at its regularly
scheduled meeting on January 22, 1996.
After review of the issues and facts of this recent Portland autocross
event, the Board believes that numerous misunderstandings occurred. The
Board did agree to split the net profits from the event so that the
proposed
Northwest Chapter would receive seventy-five per cent of the net proceeds.
This agreement, the first of its kind for the Club, was made to encourage
the development of a regional chapter to be chartered by the Board of
Directors of the Quattro Club USA.
However, upon reviewing the written documentation dated October 1995, the
Board also stipulated that the proceeds would "only be paid to a
sanctioned
club affiliate." To date this process has not formally taken place.
Therefore, the autocross event, profits or losses, remain the
responsibility
of the Quattro Club USA.
We encourage the development of chartered regional and state chapters of
the
Quattro Club USA, and Karen has attended meetings to begin this process.
In
the future, the Board wants chapter membership to assume the
responsibility
for autocross and other local events. However, until that time the
national
organization will assume the financial risk of developing and conducting
autocross events.
Sincerely,
/s/ C. Scott Thiss
-----------------------------------------
To: Northwest Region Audi Quattro Club Members
From: Stan Sokol
Date: January 30, 1996
Waiting for a reply to the enclosed copy of a letter I sent to Karen
Chadwick and the board members of the Audi Quattro Club USA has delayed
sending you this letter. I know you have received a letter from Karen and
the board members canceling the P.I.R. event on March 1st and 2nd. Their
reason for canceling (without telling you the whole story and quoting me
out
of context) was to point a finger at me.
So be it. I encourage you to study the enclosed letter I sent to the
board
members. What prompted the letter? Let's review the facts. Karen billed
our region $400.00 for her air far to Portland after promising that the
Quattro Club USA would pay all her expenses. Likewise, Kent Anderson's
expenses were not to exceed $1000.00 , not the $1200.00 as we were billed.
As you can see in the letter, I specifically asked for an accounting for
the
shipping of the helmets. Why? Because we were billed $400.00 and we have
copies of the freight bills in the total amount of $153.13.
In view of these facts, it would seem that we are at the same point we
were
when the majority expressed their wishes for our regional club to separate
from the national club at our first meeting in September, 1995. Many of
you
voiced this again at the Portland event last November.
Finally, a reply was received on January 29th from Scott Thiss, the new
president of the national club. Mr. Thiss was previously the treasurer.
In
a conversation I had with Mr. Thiss on January 13th, I asked him why, if
the
Quattro Club USA is a non-profit organization, as stated in all issues of
the Quattro Quarterly (including the latest issue), they do not disclose a
financial statement to the members, so we can see how our membership dues
are being spent. His answer was that the Quattro Club USA is not a
non-profit organization, but is filing for a tax-exempt status. Does this
mean that they are making a profit on us?
Isn't it peculiar that at P.I.R. last November, the Northwest Region was a
recognized "affiliate" of the Quattro Club USA. Please refer to pages six
and seven and pages sixteen and seventeen of the latest issue of the
Quattro Quarterly. [note-this letter was dated January 96 and refers to
the
latest issue at that time] Our region is recognized in print as the
Northwest Region. Of what? The Quattro Club USA - what else? Amazing
that
in Mr. Thiss's letter dated January 26th, our region is not a club
"affiliate" of the Quattro Club USA. I never received any documentation
dated October 1995. If I had, I would have responded A.S.A.P. If it was
so
important, one would think there would have been a follow-up.
Mr. Thiss's letter and everything about the Quattro Club reminds one of a
two week old barrel of fish.
How can we put any trust in what Karen and those she evidently speaks for
say? When there is no trust, what is remaining? Nothing.
To those who were looking forward to the event at P.I.R. in March, please
accept my deepest apology. But let's examine this. Before we had a
northwest region, Al Swackhammer and Alex Neckas spearheaded putting on
events at P.I.R. Since thiw was to be a national event-what happened to
national? Enough said.
There is another glaring issue, which is membership to national. Some of
you have received one, to, or no issues of the Quarterly. Some have had
their checks cashed and received nothing. Most of you have expressed your
dissatisfaction about being billed for membership in January, regardless
of
when you joined. I heard you, and spoke to Karen about this time and time
again until she finally told me, Al, and Alex that arrangement had been
made
to bill members on the date they actually joined. She faxed me a
statement
to this effect. This has not been taken care of. After yet another false
promise, I for one, refuse to renew my membership until the month I
joined,
if at all.
Where I come from, sincere people of principle do not associate with those
who have no principle and can't be trusted. If someone repeatedly gives
promises and does not honor their word-what are they worth? To those of
us
who live by a code of honor, the most despicable word in the English
language is liar.
At one time Great Britain had colonies so that they could extract the last
drop of blood from them and give little in return-history has a peculilar
way of repeating itself on many levels.
I want to thank Al Swackhammer, Alex Neckas, Fred Doepke, Jerry Mahoney,
Linus Toy, Brent Meservia, and all of you who have so clearly given you
support to me. Your repeated encouragement to break free of national, and
the actions or lack of actions displayed by national leave no other
course.
I have been in contact with other regions around the country and it is
quite
remarkable that they echo our thoughts. Unlike the national Audi Quattro
Club USA, your opinion is needed and wanted. Enclosed is a questionnaire
for your yes or no answer to our region's association with national.
Please
give us your answer by letter or fax no later than February 10th. It is
of
the utmost importance that we have your reply as soon as possible.
Sincerely yours,
/s/ Stan Sokol
-----------------------------------------
* Subsequent to this exchange of letters, the local membership voted by a
margin of 2-1 to dissociate itself from QCUSA.
* Membership is now about 80 and growing.
* This year's schedule includes:
5/22 - Bremerton Raceway Track Event, $65
6/15 - Seattle International Raceway (limited, as guests of Alfa Romeo
club), $105
7/20 - Mt. St. Helens Tour
8/22 - Bremerton Raceway Track Event, $ tbd
9/14 - Picnic/Annual Meeting, Nominations for 1997 officers
10/18 - Portland International Raceway, $ tbd
12/7 - Holiday Dinner
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