http://www.susanpolgar.com/The2007USExecutiveBoardElection.pdf
This is the campaign flyer and poster for the upcoming USCF Executive Board Election. As I stated before, I highly recommend these 3 other candidates for the following reasons:
FM Paul Truong: He is by far the most successful person in chess marketing, promotion, public relations and management. He can bring something to this federation that no one could in the past. He will also help fix many current weaknesses of the USCF and end the destructive chess politics.
Dr. Mikhail Korenman: He has a strong record in promoting and organizing major chess events. He’s a member of the USCF Scholastic Council. He is well respected by many people, including former Russian President Mikhail Gorbachev, 7-time World Champion Anatoly Karpov, and many others. He can help unite the USCF.
NM Randy Bauer: He has had tremendous success as the budget director of the state of Iowa, dealing with a multibillion dollar budget. We need his financial and budgeting expertise to help end massive losses.
The current state of our federation is not healthy! We are losing money year after year while other chess organizations thrive. Sponsors don’t want to deal with us. Supporters are tired of our internal political destruction. Some board members have repeatedly violated the USCF code of ethics as well as the members’ trust. There is no end to this destruction in sight unless we demand positive changes by putting the most capable people in place.
Here are some of my areas of focus for the USCF:
– Restore respectability, integrity, credibility and professionalism to the USCF.
– Reestablish a sound and balanced budget.
– Develop strong cooperation and support for adult, scholastic, collegiate, correspondence and military chess.
– Establish a strong professional marketing and PR system.
– End the petty and destructive politics.
Please join me in this mission to reform the USCF. The future of the USCF is in our own hands. We cannot continue to status quo. It’s not working. It is sinking this federation.
I cannot do this alone. I need the help of a team of highly qualified and competent board members to work on fixing the USCF. That is why we need Mikhail Korenman, Randy Bauer and Paul Truong.
Thank You for Your Support! Please Vote!
This flyer is available in PDF format on my website www.SusanPolgar.com. Here is the link: http://www.susanpolgar.com/The2007USExecutiveBoardElection.pdf
Please feel free to download, print it out or distribute to anyone you wish. Thank you!
I can’t wait for your team to be elected. We need professionals and not useless chess politicians who only care about their own interests.
Are there any USCF rules about when and where you can distribute these flyers? Can we e-mail them, distribute them at USCF tournaments? I don’t want any of the denizens of the USCF issue forum to sue me for violating some rule.
There’s no rule. You can email or give to anyone you wish. Some tournaments may not allowed any flyer but if they do then yes. The USCF has no restriction. I like this idea. I plan to campaign for Susan and her team.
I congratulate Susan and her team for an excellent campaign flyer.
It looks like a “wanted” poster!!!! That comes across more vividly than what the text actually says ;-).
Well I am sure that the USCF has no restrictions on passing out the posters. However, the individual tournament director might object at a few tournaments if the tournament director is opposed to Susan. So use a little common sense.
There is no copywrite on the poster. Susan has given permission to make copies and pass them out. Therefore email is good.
Also do not simply leave a huge stack on a table. Someone opposed might walk off with the entire stack. My hope is to engage as many people as possible into conversation so I get a chance to tell them why I support Susan so strongly. So be ready for lots of questions and discussions.
I want to hit all the local clubs and tournaments within driving distance.
Go Susan Go. The future is so Bright. Finally there will be some positive change in USCF. I have waited a long time for this day.
Remember we want votes for all 4 candidates. We need them to support Susan in voting for changes. If Susan is alone on the EB, the monsters will be vicious to her and much less will be accomplished. We must have all 4 to assure the votes to make the changes.
I will print mine out on color paper. People will be able to save it and retrieve it more easily when colored.
The only votes that count are the votes that get cast. Get committments from people. make them promise to vote and not just sit there doing noting. Votes are super important this time.
I am ready to go with rolls of stamps giving them out to those who will vote. a little early for that. But I will be out there with a roll of stamps at voting time. It just might work for a few people.
I would be so happy if Mr. Schultz would voluntarily drop out and cast his endorsement for this team. This would be a historic moment which will be forever remembered.
Mr. Schultz has done many good things for chess. However, he’s clearly no longer effective. He could not contain Sam Sloan.
He made many big blunders such as giving Paul Hoffman and his company $50,000 to redesign the USCF website and Chess Life and Jennifer Shahade $40,000 a year for being the online editor when she has zero experience in this.
It would be the gracious and correct move if Mr. Schultz steps aside for the best team to take over the USCF. Mr. Schultz promised all of us that he will not run again. It is not too late for Mr. Schultz to keep his promise. Please do the best final act for the USCF! Please do the right thing.
i am a new uscf member. can i vote and how?
jc
I believe the ballots will arrive together with the June Chess Life. Make sure you vote for this best team which can save the USCF from destruction.
Eduardo
As another USCF Life Member, and more importantly as a supporter of Susan and her team, I decry the constant calls for Don Schultz and others to drop out of the race. If people support Susan, then they ought to really SUPPORT her and stop rebelling against her calls for a positive campaign. Paul Truong has specifically asked people to stop attacking other candidates and calling upon them to drop out of the race.
Those of you who continue to engage in nasty, negative attacks in defiance of Susan’s and Paul’s wishes entitle the rest of the world to question just how much you really do support Susan and her team.
There is a difference between legitimate criticism and the kind of stuff that has been emanating from our side. Susan shouldn’t have to spend all night deleting posts from her supporters. She and Paul have told us what they want us to do. KEEP IT CIVIL. They’re our leaders and we need to follow them better.
In line with the sentiments of the above post, I’ve started my own blog. Yes, it is inspired by Susan and her blog. In the interests of chess unity and civil discourse, today’s post is an essay by USCF President Bill Goichberg. It contains important background information on USCF politics.
We need to be broadminded. We should be open to others. We need to be tolerant. That is what Susan and Paul and the rest of her team stands for. I hope that my small effort may add to that discourse.
We need to listen to what our USCF leaders have to say because we need to be informed, as well.
When is the election? I hope this hype thing (campaign) is over soon!!! :S
Mr. JL,
I did not ask Mr. Schultz to step down. I said I wish he did. It would be a historic move which says a lot about his character if he did. That would show me that Mr. Schultz does have the best interest of the USCF at heart.
Mr. Schultz stated to all the USCF members that he would not run again. As someone of the stature of Mr. Schultz, I expect him to keep his words. How could we trust our board members if they do not keep their words?
Best,
USCF Lifer
USCF Lifer said…
I would be so happy if Mr. Schultz would voluntarily drop out and cast his endorsement for this team. This would be a historic moment which will be forever remembered.
DS: No, I intend to campaign hard and expect to win. I urge everyone to follow the campaign and vote for whom YOU feel are the best candidates.
US Lifer also said: Mr. Schultz has done many good things for chess. However, he’s clearly no longer effective. He could not contain Sam Sloan.
DS I am not Mr. Sloan’s keeper.
USCF lifer then said: He made many big blunders such as giving Paul Hoffman and his company $50,000 to redesign the USCF website and Chess Life
DS: A false statement
US Lifer continued: and Jennifer Shahade a year
$40,000 for being the online editor when she has zero experience in this.
DS: Another false statement
It would be the gracious and correct move if Mr. Schultz steps aside for the best team to take over the USCF. Mr. Schultz promised all of us that he will not run again. It is not too late for Mr. Schultz to keep his promise.
DS: I believe I can make a significant contribution and it will be up to the voting members to agree or disagree with me. If I lose I will help whoever wins as they wish.
US Lifer said: Please do the best final act for the USCF! Please do the right thing.
I say to the US Lifer, Susan will likely win and the rest of her team has an even chance against some very good alternatives. However, if false and negative statements like US Lifer said e.g. I gave Paul Hoffman 50K and Jennifer 40K are given as reasons why Susan’s opponents should withdraw, or not be voted for; then the entire slate will lose. Voting-members who are aware of the incorrect statements regarding Paul and jennifer will vote against them. The falsehoods will become the centerpiece of the campaign and those whose campsigns perpetuate them will lose.
Much more effective would be to expound Susan’s masterful presentations at scholastic events, Paul’s brilliant management and technical skills, Mikhail’s doing the impossible by bringing Gorbachev to Lindsborg and Randy’s multi-billion dollar budget experience.
Don Schultz
Mr. Schultz,
You are a board member who voted for the contract of Paul Hoffman and Jennifer Shahade. Are you saying this is false? Are you saying that you did not vote for it? What online editing qualifications does Ms. Shahade have to justify $40,000 a year? Do you ever wonder why the USCF lost money under your watch?
And are you also denying that you clearly declared that you will not run again?
It is not your duty to enforce the USCF rules as a board member? Are you saying that you condone Mr. Sloan’s actions? What have you done to stop Mr. Sloan besides voting to reinstate his privilege to lie and attack others?
Mr. Schultz, be honest and admit your mistakes if you made them. Stop blaming everyone else.
Best,
USCF Lifer
I will keep this short and final:
Dear USCF lifer:
The EB and certainly I did not hire Jennifer Shahade. That was an act and decision of the Executive Director and , IMO, a wise choice. By all accounts she is doing an excellent job.
Our President negotiated and finalized the arrangements with Paul Hoffman, The Board may have voted to authorize Bill to do that or just told him. I’m happy with the redesign of Chess Life As for the website design, no I’m not satisfied. But to highlight me as giving Paul Hoffman $50K is, IMO, falsely presnting my role with an eye to make me look bad and a hint that Paul and Jennifer are inadequate. If you think that helps the team’s campaign, IMO, you are very wrong.
As the campaign unfolds, please visit my website http://www.chessdon.com.
How typical of ChessDon, passing the responsibilities to everyone else. So why would you want to run for the EB if you’re not a leader and have made no decision?
– The USCF lost money: Not my fault
– The USCF blew $50,000 for an incompetent website which could be done for 1/5 the cost: Not my fault
– The USCF gave the position of $40,000 a year to an insider with no competing bid / interview, a job that could have been done for $20K a year: Not my fault
– Sam Sloan attacked and lied about other opponents: Not my fault
But please vote for me again so I can do nothing and take no responsibility. You’re losing it Don! Geesh!
Your CA friend
IMO Don Schultz has been a decent man waging a decent campaign. Let’s keep it positive!
I disagree with him on some issues. For one thing I’m surprised at the statement, “by all accounts she is doing an excellent job.” I have been the most vocal critic of the web editor’s job output.
But I digress.
I want our team to win. But I want what our team stands for to win, too. We need to put all of this nasty, negative politics behind us. Don Schultz is not getting the respect he deserves.
And before people start flaming me again, I refer you to yesterday’s post on my blog just under USCF President Bill Goichberg’s essay posted today. I really let them have it – nicely! Criticizing yes, attacking no.
Jack Le Moine
jacklemoine.blogspot.com
When is the vote and how could a USCF member participate?
i want to know what is unacceptable and what isnt. i thought these blogs were about free speech and expression of opinion based on facts. i expressed facts earlier and had my post removed. can susan tell us what is acceptable so we have something to go by instead of just removing posts based on her descretion. i just want to know what were allowed to say and what were not.
wolverine
Despite the presence of Beatriz Marinello on the board, the USCF strikes me as an old boys network (and I mean the part about old boys in both a literal and figurative sense). I think unfortunately that is the part of the USCF that elected Sam Sloan last year and I sense a bit of “boys will be boys” in some of his supporters. I know that I will be voting for Susan, Paul, Mikhail and Randy and will urge everyone else I know to do the same but how do we get around all the old boys.
uscf lifer: I agree that Susan and her team will be an infusion of fresh ideas and energy and vast positive experience to the USCF. I have to disagree with you about the new website. It has been slow in coming but I actually like both the design and content of the new site as well as many of the features. I enjoy the articles by Jennifer Shahade, Elizabeth Vicary and others as well as Joel Benjamin’s column. Maybe you don’t but isn’t that a matter of personal taste?
The website is an improvement. But at the cost of $90,000 and $40,000 more per year? No thanks! Susan’s blogs have more info at a faster rate and better. Cost? Not $90,000. So do many other website.
It was clearly Schultz who brought in Shahade and Hoffman. He was proud to brag about this and took partial credit for this at that time. Some of us do not forget so easily.
I have no problem if a mistake was made. I have a problem of passing the responsibility and claiming innocent. That’s not what I’m looking for in leaders of the USCF.
This was a typical move by ChessDon. He claimed he didn’t want to lose a talent like Jennifer Shahade. Fine. But did the USCF advertise this position? No! Did they interview anyone else for this position? No! Did anyone do research to find out what are the comparable salaries for this position? No! And what experience did Ms. Shahade have as an online web editor? None! This is typical of the USCF under Schultz. I’m not blaming Ms. Shahade. I’m blaming Schultz and the entire board for this political move which costs the USCF Greg Shahade.
I agree that it is a shame that the board lost an innovative thinker like Greg Shahade. He has come up with two programs — U.S. Chess League and U.S. Chess School — that are more interesting than anything his fellow board members have come up with in years. I frankly don’t understand why they couldn’t have had him abstain from board votes concerning his sister. I don’t understand why it was a conflict of interest for Greg Shahade to be on the board but it isn’t a conflict of interest for Bill Goichberg, a tournament organizer/promoter who stands to benefit financially from decisions of the USCF board. (I don’t mean this as a criticism of Goichberg necessarily but rather as a criticism of conflict of interest rules that got rid of Greg Shahade (and gave us Sam Sloan in his place)).
This is the statement from Mr. Sloan, a board member who Mr. Schultz has been trying to protect:
Why don’t you start by telling us what, if anything, YOU do for a living?
— Hal Terrie
I am a bum. I live off my wife, who works. I also publish books and DVDs about chess and other subjects. I take care of my baby and try to make more.
I think that just about covers it.
Sam Sloan