By Braden Keith on SwimSwam
USA Swimming is about five weeks away from electing four members to its Board of Directors, and all signs point to a new CEO being in place before then.
While the hiring of a CEO will be somewhat of a pressure release for the steam kettle that the organization has become, this could be the most watched and contentious BOD elections in recent history, with calls coming out from many corners of the sport for members of the Board to resign.
SwimSwam has been asked by many of our readers to endorse candidates for the Board of Directors, and here’s the reality: we can’t do that.
The process is tightly-controlled one that is highly politicized somehow without any campaigning. The whole thing starts with a nominating committee that quietly chooses the candidates who get their designation on the ballot (though candidates can self-nominate, and are repeatedly labeled as such).
Candidates are not supposed to campaign in any significant way, and the few ways they are allowed to campaign, they generally don’t (at least not in any manner of substance).
Campaigning Rules:
The whole process creates a bit of a feedback loop, with accusations that CEO’s manipulate the selections to ensure their safety, even though the CEO is supposed to report to the Board of Directors.
Because the conversations are completely opaque and happen behind closed doors, without any media allowed in the process to provide accountability, everyone just kind of guesses at who would be best based on reputation. Jack Bauerle will probably win one of the two mandated coaches’ seats because of his success as a coach, though I don’t think anybody really knows what changes he would push within the organization.
My endorsement for the Board of Directors is similar to my endorsement for AAU. Do I think AAU will eventually reveal similar problems to USA Swimming? Absolutely. But their mere presence puts pressure on USA Swimming to be better.
Therefore, my official endorsement is this: vote the incumbents Ira Klein and Clark Hammond out of the Board of Directors. I have no opinion on who you should vote in their stead.
I know that people are going to send this to Ira and Clark and paint it as a personal affront. It’s not. I have no idea what Ira or Clark’s roles are on the board. I have no idea what they have and have not presented in meetings. Maybe they’re change makers. Maybe they’re not. But in the culture that has been fostered at USA Swimming, I have no way of knowing.
I know that “vote them all out” is a popular political cry well outside of the bounds of swimming these days. But at least in matters of government, there is some degree of transparency to decision-make.
We have quiet whispers of who will and won’t do what when members of the board, but when those whispers are made too quietly, it becomes harder to hear them.
So whether their replacements are more or less qualified to fill their seats is almost not the point. Board of Directors elections are not really serious endeavors as they currently exist, and the message that the House of Delegates should be sending is purely one of accountability. Until members of the Board of Directors believe there is actual accountability in their roles, they are never going to remember who they are designed to serve: the dues paying athletes, coaches, officials, and parent volunteers.
Remind them of that.
Read the full story on SwimSwam: SwimSwam’s Non-Endorsement for the USA Swimming Board of Director Elections
Hence then, the article about swimswam s non endorsement for the usa swimming board of director elections was published today ( ) and is available on swimswam ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( SwimSwam’s Non-Endorsement for the USA Swimming Board of Director Elections )
Also on site :