Posted by Mike38
on 10/6/2009, 6:51 pm
64.136.26.226
Incompetence runs deep in Pickerington, Ohio
A few of you may remember my announcement here on this forum of my intent to run for the AMA Board of Directors North Central Region. I acquired the necessary 50 signatures on a petition, filled out the canadite questionnaire, and mailed it all off one week prior to the deadline.
On or about September 11, I get home from work and my daughter informed me that I got a phone call from a Rob Dingman of the AMA. I immediately returned the call, only to find out that because of the time change from Illinois to Ohio, Mr. Dingman was out of the office for the weekend. So I returned the call the following Monday. Mr. Dingman informed me that the nominating committee had a few concerns about some of the answers I wrote on the candidate questionnaire, and he was calling on behalf of the committee for clarifications. He then informed me that my reasons for seeking the position of AMA Board of Directors were not valid, and asked me to withdraw my intent to run.
I politely refused Mr. Dingman’s request, and asked him to continue on with the normal procedures. I knew full well right then and there that I would be receiving a notice that the nominating committee reviewed my application and made the decision to not select me as a nominee. Well, I received that notice today.
But wait! According to the written procedures of this process, I was supposed to receive this notice no later then October 1st. But it’s October 6th you say? Yep, it sure is. It seems that the AMA, in all their infinite wisdom, put the wrong city and zip code on the Fed Ex mailer. The letter inside had the correct city and zip, but the outside of the mailer had a city over 100 miles away from me. Pretty hard for Fed Ex to deliver something to me when they are 100 miles away looking for me!
Now you may or may not know, I can still make it on the ballot if I get 250 signatures on a new petition. According to AMA written procedures, I have 31 days, the entire month of October, to acquire these 250 signatures. But I’ve already lost out on 6 days, 7 if you figure it was after 5:00pm today when I opened the letter, for all practical purposes, this day is already over. And guess what else? I didn’t get the new petition along with the rejection letter. I have to call and request one. So that will put it at around October 9th at the earliest that I would even get possession of the new petition. That’s only if I’m lucky, and the AMA gets my mailing address correct, and it doesn’t end up in a city 100 miles away. If that happens, it could very well be the 12th before I can even get started.
Now this new petition I have to get 250 signatures and it has to be back to the AMA on or before October 31st. Well guess what? The 31st is on a Saturday, so that means I have until the 30th to get the petition back. Then there is mailing time, so even if I send it next day shipping, I only have until the 29th. So if I receive the blank petition on the 12th because I can’t count on the AMA to get my address correct, and it has to be mailed on the 29th, that leaves me 17 days to get the required 250 signatures.
Now between the 12th and the 29th there is only two weekends, or four days to get these signatures. I wasn’t born rich or good looking, (those of you that know me can attest to the not good looking part) so you see, I have to work Monday through Friday. Four days to get 250 signatures. That’s 62+ signatures a day. How the heck am I going to get 62 signatures a day for four days?
I’m not going to get 62 signatures a day for those four days, and the AMA knows it. Yes sir, Rob Dingman has it figured out. Mr. Dingman and the Board of Directors picks who gets to be on the Board. The AMA members, you and me, do not get to pick. Sure there’s a couple names we get to vote for, but they are both pre approved by Rob Dingman. Imagine if you will, the shape this country would be in if the President of the United States and two of his favorite Congressmen got to pick who gets placed on Congressional election ballots. This country would be in worse shape then it is now, if that’s even possible.
So, I call the AMA tomorrow, request a new petition, wait a week for it to arrive because no one at AMA headquarters knows how to read and write, then scramble two consecutive weekends and try my best to get 250 people willing to sign. Yes sir, it’s going to be fun.
Or, I throw up my hands and admit defeat……
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