Since some readers have accused me of running a negative campaign I thought I would share the dialog:
Date: Monday, December 8, 2008, 5:05 PM
Alice,
From what I have seen so far, yours is actually one of the most negative Trustee campaigns I have seen within AHRMA. I am curious…where did you get my email address? Did you get it as a result of your former position with AHRMA? And if so, do you consider it ethical to use member contact information that was not sent to AHRMA to be used in the manner you are using it? I certainly don’t.
Regarding Kay’s letter…isn’t it true that any member can submit a letter for publication? You would know that better than anyone. I don’t really know much about the reasons behind your leaving AHRMA, but it seems to me that you have any extremely significant case of sour grapes.
Dear [Reader]
Thank you sincerely for taking the time to write. We may not agree on the particulars of AHRMA’s current political environment, but I believe we both care deeply about AHRMA’s continued success.
Elections are about a free exchange of ideas between candidates and voters. It’s entirely up to the voters to decide whether or not my ideas coincide with theirs. I post all of my statements at my website for the convenience of AHRMA members: www.alicesextontrustee.com. I have included to you a .jpeg image of statements that were copied from one discussion board, written by Candidate Poole, which, instead of discussing her own positive attributes, called me “unprofessional” and “biased.” Is this not the definition of negative campaigning? Judging by your letter, you’re an intelligent gentleman. Decide for yourself who is the negative campaigner.
I gathered email addresses from numerous sources, including AHRMA.org’s online contact directory at http://www.ahrma.org/email/email.htm. No, I have no ethical qualms about getting my message to AHRMA members effectively. Ultimately, it’s up to the voters to decide who they want to lead AHRMA, anyway. I’m not sure where I got your address, but I’m happy to remove your name from any future emails, and have done so.
What I do think is highly unethical is engagement in ego-driven lawsuits such as the ones [note: plural. We sued Team Obsolete before they ever sued us] that led to AHRMA’s bankruptcy. I’d also ask you to examine the ethics of the process in which a former AMA Treasurer who resigned in disgrace from that position came to serve as AHRMA’s Treasurer again after resigning in disgrace from that position as well.
Regarding Bonelli vs Kay Mann: Member Greg Bonelli wrote an opinion article that was critical of AHRMA’s leadership. AHRMA’s Editorial Review board headed by Trustee Goodpaster approved the printing of that letter. In contrast, Member Kay Mann, the wife of a Trustee, wrote a letter that endorsed specific candidates. This letter appears in the same issue as election ballots. Greg Bonelli’s actions were editorial in nature. Kay Mann’s actions are designed to influence an election based on her knowledge of timely confidential information of Trustee candidates. In the financial world, Kay Mann’s actions are akin to insider trading, and are highly unethical and/or illegal.
It saddens me to have to point out facts such as these, because some of AHRMA’s leaders who I have faulted above are world famous racing champions. If AHRMA continues in its current direction, though, its’ days are numbered. Thank you for writing. We may not agree about AHRMA’s leadership directives, but I wanted to give you the courtesy of a reply.
Sincerely,
-Alice
