Election Team 2005 

Dear Dr. Stubblefield..  

December 29, 2004



Dear Dr. Stubblefield,


This is an open letter to you. It is public.

It is to announce my candidacy to you and everyone in the ADD community for the office of Coordinator of Northern California CHADD for the upcoming year of 2005.  I intend to run again.  And since you are one of the most respected figures in the ADD community here, I'm writing to you to engage your support and help in the formation of the Election Team for our upcoming CHADD election.  It is possible that you yourself may be a member of CHADD.  Or may know of those who may be helpful.

But I have a problem.  It is possible I may be required to step down next year.  Having completed my maximum term of office as Coordinator of 2 years under CHADD's Bylaws.

You see, I do not as yet have the election results from our "election team not running for office" from our last two elections.  If I won them both, I will be required to step down next year.  In fact, if I were to publish a ballot with my name on it to our membership, their Bylaws would automatically strike my name from it at the election.  And cede victory to anyone contesting me (assuming they got at least one vote).  In fact, if the election were being run by an Election Team of the highest Character, you would never even see my name published to the membership for my office, let alone on the ballot itself.

So perhaps you could find out for me from someone you know at CHADD as to who won the first election I contested Lew in last July 12, 2003 in Palo Alto.  Attended by only one voting member not running for office.  Her name is Cathi Brown, a Notary Public.  She instructed me to publish what I had witnessed after it.  I voted for Lew at that election.  But we never found out what the count was.  So I voted for myself in our last election June 19, 2004 in Berkeley that I again contested Lew in.  But never found out who the "election team not running for office" was.  Maybe you could.  And tell me who won it.  Maybe Cathi could help you.

Anyway, if I presently hold the office of Coordinator, I am ethically bound to begin to set the framework for our next election cycle by initiating the process of its publication to our membership by calling for candidates from it and establishing an Election Team of the highest Integrity to run it and educating everyone about our election Bylaws.  And I must start to prepare for this process well in advance of the Spring Fiscal Quarter in which they are required to be held.

But being quite poor, I do not have the resources with which to do it.  
Or the membership list with which to do so.

So I will begin the process by announcing my candidacy to you publicly on my website:

www.chaddnorcal.com 

This is also my candidate's statement for the upcoming election.  All of 17 letters and 2 periods.


You will find this letter itself upon that website.  And the reasons that I hope you will understand as to why I must run again.  Quite frankly, I wish someone else would do this job.  For I grow weary of it all.  

By the way, website addresses for candidates are published in all elections.  And for good reason.  In our last election, my candidate's statement was even briefer (all of 13 letters and 2 periods): www.mangers.org

Feel free to learn as much about me there as you wish.  Or, if you are a member, you probably already know about it from its publication in our last election.  It's what I sent to Lew after he asked me for it.  In 500 words or less.  I believe I did.  And I know he received it because I asked him at the election if he had published it to the membership.  He answered my question.

Anyway, by again announcing my candidacy, I am hoping to encourage members of goodwill and good character to step forward and contest me in this election.  This is my purpose in running.  It is not to win it.  I've been involved in the stuttering self-help movement since '71.  The self-help movement is quite precious to me. For it has been my therapy.  And all I've ever been able to afford for I have been quite poor most all my life as was my father.  

Control of CHADD's Chapters under their 501(c)(3) Bylaws stems from their membership.  Not from the corporate body at 'National'--it is not their function to 'appoint' their Chapter leadership.  It is a violation of their Bylaws to do so.  It is their function to listen to the will of their membership and bow to it (not "the other way around").  By enforcing their Bylaws by providing free, open, honest and published elections.  And encourage candidacies from the membership.  And to enforce their absolute 2 year term limit clause in their Bylaws because the membership list is Confidential (and properly so).  Which becomes a Permanent Incumbency because a challenger cannot communicate with the membership.  

I'm sure you will understand and agree with me on all this.  

I look forward to hearing from you (and others like yourself) and of your support in the establishment of a healthy election process in CHADD.  Starting by laying the groundwork for the formation of an Election Team consisting of members of only un-impeachable credentials.  Perhaps you might be able to recommend some willing to take on this task.  People like yourself or Lisa Alexander.  I enjoyed her leadership of our group when I first joined back in 2000.  But I don't know how to contact her.

Please remember, this is a timely issue.  And I would be immensely grateful for your interest in and early attention to it.  Again, I very much look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience.

Sincerely,

Geoffrey Mangers

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