[DeTomaso] Letter to Voting POCA Members

Himes, Terry (397C) terry.himes at jpl.nasa.gov
Tue Jan 13 19:42:58 EST 2015


Well said.  And "ditto" for me.   Thank you Mike.  You are the best!!


"Sometimes I think the surest signs that intelligent life
  exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried
  to contact us!"

Terry W. Himes [cid:C9B924EC-AA69-4DF6-8F86-C1E118081AB5]
JPL Jet Propulsion Laboratory
InSight Sequence Team Lead
Rosetta/MEX Sequence Team Lead
Phone: (818) 393-6261
Cell:     (818) 653-8213
Fax:     (818) 393-3147
thimes at jpl.nasa.gov<mailto:thimes at jpl.nasa.gov>
🇺🇸

From: Peter Havlik <peterhavlik at me.com<mailto:peterhavlik at me.com>>
Date: Tuesday, January 13, 2015 3:40 PM
To: "detomaso at poca.com<mailto:detomaso at poca.com>" <detomaso at poca.com<mailto:detomaso at poca.com>>
Cc: Mike Drew <MikeLDrew at aol.com<mailto:MikeLDrew at aol.com>>, "LaurieFerrari at aol.com<mailto:LaurieFerrari at aol.com>" <LaurieFerrari at aol.com<mailto:LaurieFerrari at aol.com>>
Subject: [DeTomaso] Letter to Voting POCA Members

Thank you, Laurie, for your courage. I would very much like to meet you one day so that I can shake your hand.

Thank you, Mike, for always taking the high ground. Thank you for 20 years of amazing, exemplary and productive volunteer service as POCA Editor. And thank you for the innumerable other things you do for the De Tomaso community around the world in acting as an ambassador for the marque, a historian, a parts shipper, and a generous disseminator of your vast repository of accumulated knowledge. Please be assured that there are many of us who can tell the difference between people like you, who selflessly contribute untold hours of your time and actually deliver a professional, world-class product despite all the challenges, and those ingrates who snipe from the side-lines, always finding it easier to criticize than to lend a hand.

Please know you will always have my deepest respect and my sincerest gratitude. You leave a tremendous legacy at POCA Profiles,  and some very, very large shoes to fill.

- Peter Havlik

Message: 20
Date: Mon, 12 Jan 2015 20:39:56 -0500
From: MikeLDrew at aol.com<mailto:MikeLDrew at aol.com>
To: detomaso at poca.com<mailto:detomaso at poca.com>
Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] Letter to Voting POCA Members
Message-ID: <8431f.18a5d598.41e5d16b at aol.com<mailto:8431f.18a5d598.41e5d16b at aol.com>>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"


In a message dated 1/12/15 11 53 46, LaurieFerrari at aol.com<mailto:LaurieFerrari at aol.com> writes:


As a POCA member, I am asking for a REVOTE and hope that others will
second and agree to back up this request as a motion!

Laurie--while I appreciate your sentiment, I'd like to go on the record
as saying that I am *against* such a proposition.

While everything you say about the corruption associated with this recent
election is true (and there's much more besides that), and your indignation
is amply justified, I have taken a rather philosophical stance on the matter.

I strongly believe that if the election had *not* been rigged, and Mike
Haney ran an aggressive campaign, more likely than not he would have won the
election anyway.   Not only because of the fact that Profiles production has
diminished markedly in recent years (never mind the various reasons for it,
since I was in charge it's easy to assign blame to me), but also because of
that 'new car smell' associated with an unknown, eager volunteer.   For that
reason, I haven't felt any compulsion to attempt to challenge the results.

I have known Mike Haney for going on 25 years and we've been good friends
all that time, and will continue to be so.   Although many reprehensible
things were done by a handful of unethical POCA board members to ensure that the
election results came out as they did, I have yet to see the slightest
indication that Mike himself had anything to do with any of that.   I am filled
with admiration for anybody who puts his hand up to volunteer to serve,
especially in a job that is as grueling and thankless as this one, and I for one
appreciate his willingness to enter the fray and attempt to keep the
magazine going.

Regardless of how you might feel about how the election transpired, the
simple fact is that Mike Haney is now in charge, and he is going to need a lot
of support if he is to be successful.   While arguably he is more skilled
than I am at the mechanics of assembling a magazine, the act of laying out
text and photos represents perhaps 10% of the total job, at most.   The
remaining 90% involves networking, soliciting contributions, fact-checking,
editing, traveling to events, etc. etc. etc. and that is where he is going to need
the support of everybody in the club.   So I am urging everyone to avoid the
temptation to hold him responsible for the bad acts of others, and do
whatever they can to help him to ensure that Profiles doesn't simply roll over
and die.

I would also urge people to avoid blaming POCA, as an entity, for this
situation.   A surprising number of people have told me that they plan to quit
the club in protest, and there is at least one chapter that has viewed this
as the final straw after what they feel is a series of bad acts (unrelated to
the election) and is considering formally disassociating themselves from
POCA entirely.   I view both of these as being deeply disturbing and
counterproductive and have been stridently arguing against such actions.

To me, POCA is not the handful of people who are responsible for all this
ire; instead, POCA is the many hundreds of people all across the country and
around the world who together share passion for De Tomaso cars, as well as
the friendship and fellowship that normally follows.

Just as you don't renounce your US citizenship if you aren't happy with the
results of a presidential election, neither should you renounce your POCA
membership.   The biggest enemy of the club is not corruption at the top, but
instead apathy throughout.   The total number of ballots returned was
pretty dismal.   And for year after year, club officers have run uncontested, and
in fact some offices have gone unfilled for many years because not one
single person was willing to step up to volunteer.

To me, the takeaway from all of this is that if people want to have a club
that serves them, they need to be willing to serve their fellow members in
some capacity.   Whether that means taking on a chapter leadership position,
or writing an article, or running for a national board position, the club
will only succeed if many more people are willing to step up and do something.
It doesn't need to be much--it can be as little as casting a ballot in an
election to let your voice be heard.   But quitting is not the answer.

I'd also like to once again publicly thank Chuck Engles for his hard work
in receiving and counting the ballots.   I am convinced that he maintained
his high level of integrity throughout, and did the best job that he possibly
could, within the often-changing constraints that were placed upon him.   So
while it may be legitimate to feel anger towards some people, he is
definitely not one of them.   I can only hope that he will be willing to continue
to serve in this capacity and put the negative experiences of this election
behind him.

I thank everyone for their support over the last 20 years that I have
served, and I very much hope that everyone will work together to get POCA past
this low point and ensure that it thrives once more in the future.

Mike
-------------- next part --------------
   Well said.  And "ditto" for me.   Thank you Mike.  You are the best!!

   "Sometimes I think the surest signs that intelligent life

     exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried

     to contact us!"

   Terry W. Himes  [cid:C9B924EC-AA69-4DF6-8F86-C1E118081AB5]

   JPL Jet Propulsion Laboratory

   InSight Sequence Team Lead

   Rosetta/MEX Sequence Team Lead

   Phone: (818) 393-6261

   Cell:     (818) 653-8213

   Fax:     (818) 393-3147

   [1]thimes at jpl.nasa.gov

   From: Peter Havlik <[2]peterhavlik at me.com>
   Date: Tuesday, January 13, 2015 3:40 PM
   To: "[3]detomaso at poca.com" <[4]detomaso at poca.com>
   Cc: Mike Drew <[5]MikeLDrew at aol.com>, "[6]LaurieFerrari at aol.com"
   <[7]LaurieFerrari at aol.com>
   Subject: [DeTomaso] Letter to Voting POCA Members

   Thank you, Laurie, for your courage. I would very much like to meet you
   one day so that I can shake your hand.
   Thank you, Mike, for always taking the high ground. Thank you for 20
   years of amazing, exemplary and productive volunteer service as POCA
   Editor. And thank you for the innumerable other things you do for the
   De Tomaso community around the world in acting as an ambassador for the
   marque, a historian, a parts shipper, and a generous disseminator of
   your vast repository of accumulated knowledge. Please be assured that
   there are many of us who can tell the difference between people like
   you, who selflessly contribute untold hours of your time and actually
   deliver a professional, world-class product despite all the challenges,
   and those ingrates who snipe from the side-lines, always finding it
   easier to criticize than to lend a hand.
   Please know you will always have my deepest respect and my sincerest
   gratitude. You leave a tremendous legacy at POCA Profiles,  and some
   very, very large shoes to fill.
   - Peter Havlik
   Message: 20
   Date: Mon, 12 Jan 2015 20:39:56 -0500
   From: [8]MikeLDrew at aol.com
   To: [9]detomaso at poca.com
   Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] Letter to Voting POCA Members
   Message-ID: <[10]8431f.18a5d598.41e5d16b at aol.com>
   Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
   In a message dated 1/12/15 11 53 46, [11]LaurieFerrari at aol.com writes:

   As a POCA member, I am asking for a REVOTE and hope that others will

   second and agree to back up this request as a motion!

   Laurie--while I appreciate your sentiment, I'd like to go on the record

   as saying that I am *against* such a proposition.
   While everything you say about the corruption associated with this
   recent
   election is true (and there's much more besides that), and your
   indignation
   is amply justified, I have taken a rather philosophical stance on the
   matter.
   I strongly believe that if the election had *not* been rigged, and Mike
   Haney ran an aggressive campaign, more likely than not he would have
   won the
   election anyway.   Not only because of the fact that Profiles
   production has
   diminished markedly in recent years (never mind the various reasons for
   it,
   since I was in charge it's easy to assign blame to me), but also
   because of
   that 'new car smell' associated with an unknown, eager volunteer.   For
   that
   reason, I haven't felt any compulsion to attempt to challenge the
   results.
   I have known Mike Haney for going on 25 years and we've been good
   friends
   all that time, and will continue to be so.   Although many
   reprehensible
   things were done by a handful of unethical POCA board members to ensure
   that the
   election results came out as they did, I have yet to see the slightest
   indication that Mike himself had anything to do with any of that.   I
   am filled
   with admiration for anybody who puts his hand up to volunteer to serve,
   especially in a job that is as grueling and thankless as this one, and
   I for one
   appreciate his willingness to enter the fray and attempt to keep the
   magazine going.
   Regardless of how you might feel about how the election transpired, the
   simple fact is that Mike Haney is now in charge, and he is going to
   need a lot
   of support if he is to be successful.   While arguably he is more
   skilled
   than I am at the mechanics of assembling a magazine, the act of laying
   out
   text and photos represents perhaps 10% of the total job, at most.   The
   remaining 90% involves networking, soliciting contributions,
   fact-checking,
   editing, traveling to events, etc. etc. etc. and that is where he is
   going to need
   the support of everybody in the club.   So I am urging everyone to
   avoid the
   temptation to hold him responsible for the bad acts of others, and do
   whatever they can to help him to ensure that Profiles doesn't simply
   roll over
   and die.
   I would also urge people to avoid blaming POCA, as an entity, for this
   situation.   A surprising number of people have told me that they plan
   to quit
   the club in protest, and there is at least one chapter that has viewed
   this
   as the final straw after what they feel is a series of bad acts
   (unrelated to
   the election) and is considering formally disassociating themselves
   from
   POCA entirely.   I view both of these as being deeply disturbing and
   counterproductive and have been stridently arguing against such
   actions.
   To me, POCA is not the handful of people who are responsible for all
   this
   ire; instead, POCA is the many hundreds of people all across the
   country and
   around the world who together share passion for De Tomaso cars, as well
   as
   the friendship and fellowship that normally follows.
   Just as you don't renounce your US citizenship if you aren't happy with
   the
   results of a presidential election, neither should you renounce your
   POCA
   membership.   The biggest enemy of the club is not corruption at the
   top, but
   instead apathy throughout.   The total number of ballots returned was
   pretty dismal.   And for year after year, club officers have run
   uncontested, and
   in fact some offices have gone unfilled for many years because not one
   single person was willing to step up to volunteer.
   To me, the takeaway from all of this is that if people want to have a
   club
   that serves them, they need to be willing to serve their fellow members
   in
   some capacity.   Whether that means taking on a chapter leadership
   position,
   or writing an article, or running for a national board position, the
   club
   will only succeed if many more people are willing to step up and do
   something.
   It doesn't need to be much--it can be as little as casting a ballot in
   an
   election to let your voice be heard.   But quitting is not the answer.
   I'd also like to once again publicly thank Chuck Engles for his hard
   work
   in receiving and counting the ballots.   I am convinced that he
   maintained
   his high level of integrity throughout, and did the best job that he
   possibly
   could, within the often-changing constraints that were placed upon
   him.   So
   while it may be legitimate to feel anger towards some people, he is
   definitely not one of them.   I can only hope that he will be willing
   to continue
   to serve in this capacity and put the negative experiences of this
   election
   behind him.
   I thank everyone for their support over the last 20 years that I have
   served, and I very much hope that everyone will work together to get
   POCA past
   this low point and ensure that it thrives once more in the future.
   Mike

References

   1. mailto:thimes at jpl.nasa.gov
   2. mailto:peterhavlik at me.com
   3. mailto:detomaso at poca.com
   4. mailto:detomaso at poca.com
   5. mailto:MikeLDrew at aol.com
   6. mailto:LaurieFerrari at aol.com
   7. mailto:LaurieFerrari at aol.com
   8. mailto:MikeLDrew at aol.com
   9. mailto:detomaso at poca.com
  10. mailto:8431f.18a5d598.41e5d16b at aol.com
  11. mailto:LaurieFerrari at aol.com
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: 03F35E2B-1DAE-4631-84D9-B3D240A22161[182].png
Type: image/png
Size: 3546 bytes
Desc: 03F35E2B-1DAE-4631-84D9-B3D240A22161[182].png
URL: <http://server.detomasolist.com/pipermail/detomaso/attachments/20150114/39210b63/attachment.png>


More information about the DeTomaso mailing list