Curtis, Bracy, Janczyk: The ORTA problem

From Molly Janczyk, March 22, 2006

Some have reached that point and others are borderline; 51 RTA's have displayed discontent. They love Leone and he visits them all the time. It's so foolish to hurt yourself and your organization. Some still hope for change and a few , very few, are like the old timers-hard nosed and we never say sorry or admit wrongs: Those are the Wes Hisey's out there. Age is a matter of attitude and lack of flexibility or open mindedness. We have 90 year YOUNG folks out there working hard all the time and we have the old minded set in their ways who cannot change or will not.

We have contacted nearly every RTA this year and I have not heard ONE negative. One man asked me where do you stand with ORTA? I didn't know if it was good or bad to be ORTA but I said, I am lifetime ORTA and we worked for Leone last year. OK, he said. Now tell me about the candidates. He wanted to know about them all. I said I can't say one bad thing about any. I told him the OEA ones and that Mark Meuser was honest and said he'd probably vote OEA most of the time. I told him Brackett was a nice man and most willing tho somewhat uniformed. I stated his Am. Africa Studies as his background. I told him I email with both Ramser and Mark Meuser of OEA and I feel they are both earnest in wanting to help. I said we just feel that Hall and Fredrick bring the most qualifications in investments and budget oversight to pick up sooner than the others. Conni is willing but still learning and says so. Both these men - Hall and Fredrick- are further along at the get go in reaching out to all and understanding content area.

I told him we ask nothing of board members except to work solely for membership-equitably acc. to law. He said, Well, it seems you have the best candidates. I said I'll send you all their vitae and statements if you like. No, I'll read that in STRS mailings. Send me flyers your flyers.

Most all I spoke with , I said my name and that maybe they remember me from last year from helping Leone. Oh yes, they said. Where are our flyers. I told them and sent them. Such good nice people and some awesome Dist Direc. who just want to help bring unbiased board members to STRS and collaboration to all of us.

And actives are going to RTA meetings to hear who we endorse. So many say: Just so they are not OEA. We have to prove to them , they are not and show OEA's endorsements to some.

Every year, I marvel at the hard work these folks do walking, driving, emailing, etc. to make things right again- to create a board that listens to membership and whom we can trust to work on our behalf. We won't always like it-but the difference as evidenced recently at a board meeting is that Leone and Lazares will say, This is WHY I am voting this way so we understand it must be and these candidates_Hall and Fredrick BOTH say the same thing: Hold me accountable! Communicate directly with me. The honesty, direct interaction they expect and wish for is exemplified in their behavior. They want to know how we are. They want to help when they can. They know the long term but they want us to know too and want our input of ideas. Some have been used, suggested, didn't work, etc. But they listen and respond. These men have board experience and know how to get things aired out and move on. Sometimes that is necessary to move on. ALL who know these men KNOW HOW HONEST they are. That is why we trust them and what they do. We know. We just know. Incredible the difference. It reminds me why I am here and how we love these people.

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March 22, 2006

You know, this whole situation with ORTA has REALLY gotten out of hand, to the point where it is absolutely BIZARRE!!! I think the time has come for the local RTAs to start SERIOUSLY considering dissociating from ORTA. We can't even FATHOM what's going on in the minds of the top "leadership," because THEY DO NOT COMMUNICATE!!!!!

Kathie Bracy

Life member of WHAT?? Say "ORTA" (choke, choke!!)

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From Tom Curtis, March 22, 2006

Hello Ann Hanning, ORTA Executive Director,

I mailed a check to you for the ORTA Canton Regional meeting on March
28th, but I believe I listed the wrong date for that meeting in my correspondence.

Having had no response from you, or the president of ORTA, concerning the incident that occurred on March 10th after the SCRTA meeting, I will reiterate, there is no legal action being taken by me against Wes Hisey at this time, regardless of what others my have told you. I have not been contacted by anyone from the Canton City Prosecutor's office, nor did Wes Hisey mention such, when we met in an attempt to resolve this situation last Saturday. Your statement to others that litigation is in process is not true and I have no idea where you obtained that information.

To date, not one of the 9 SCRTA officers and 5 directors has attempted to make contact with me about the incident following the meeting on March
10th. I sent my statement to each of the 9 officers and 5 directors, either by email or snail mail for those who do not have a computer. I attempted to contact and discuss this with one of the 5 directors by phone. Once I told her who was calling and why, she told me she saw what happened and hung-up on me, end of discussion. I called back and she hung-up again, without any conversation.

Further, only one of the ORTA officers, Dave Speas has made contact with me about the incident following the SCRTA meeting on March 10th. His response came the following day. I sent my statement to you the ORTA Executive Director, each of the officers, directors and trustees that I had an email address for. I faxed a copy of my statement to the ORTA office.

ORTA's silence concerning this matter is very disturbing to the ORTA membership and to me. I have received countless emails in support of my freedom to hand out STRS candidate flyers at any ORTA, or local RTA meeting. Each was also in support of disciplinary action being taken against Wes Hisey. Some of your Directors and Trustees have written me and are in full support of disciplinary action being taken against Wes Hisey by ORTA.

Ann, you have obviously had many emails and calls as well. Why have you not responded to these people? This whole issue of silence between ORTA and the membership who desire to be heard, is going to be the downfall of ORTA, as we know it now.

The lack of response of the ORTA leadership concerning this matter is out and in the public eye. I realize this is not the way the leadership of ORTA would like this matter handled, but the reality is such that even Governor Bob Taft has had to realize that keeping wrong doing quite cannot and will not continue, as the method of handling wrong-doing.

Many feel ORTA has become totally ineffective in meeting the needs of its membership. That should have been very apparent last year, when 5-6 RTA's actually published a vote of no confidence in ORTA's leadership. This was mainly in response of ORTA's failure to endorse Dennis Leone. Many other RTA's felt the same, but were not that vocal, as that is not the proper ORTA way to address disapproval. I am puzzled as to what way is appropriate, as the ORTA leadership often does not respond to anyone, if they do not like the question.

After the incident involving Wes Hisey and I on March 10th, I contacted a past president of the SCRTA, Dick Dowding. I explained what had taken place after the meeting, which he also had attended. He assured me he would call Wes Hisey and discuss the matter with him. Dick called me back and requested a meeting with Wes and I, which I agreed to. Dick called me back and asked me to bring someone else with me, as Wes Hisey was bringing the president of SCRTA, Barbara Bartchy.

On March 18th, my wife and I attended a meeting with Wes Hisey and Barbara Bartchy (SCRTA President), at Dick Dowding's home in North Canton. Dick is a past president of SCRTA (90-91). You heard from Dick Dowding this past year concerning the lack of support for Dennis Leone. Dick was the first person to ask you a question after you spoke to the SCRTA last year. He wanted to know why ORTA had not endorsed Dennis Leone. He has most recently called you and requested that you meet with Dennis and attempt to resolve the differences ORTA seems to have with him. To my knowledge, neither you nor anyone else within the immediate leadership of ORTA has attempted to do such. As many others have told you, this is a mistake.

At the meeting on March 18th, I was told by Barbara Bartchy that I had not contacted her about handing out candidate flyers at the meeting. I explained that I had in fact sent her an email on 3.5.06 requesting such. She forthrightly informed me that she does not respond to emails and that is her prerogative to do such (email attached). She informed me I should have called her and not emailed her. I questioned if that would have made any difference?

Wes Hisey offered no apology for his actions of March 10th. In fact, Wes Hisey denied that he even touched me and that he only asked me a question and did not continually harass me until nearly everyone had gone, as I have stated he did. I called him a liar to his face and in front of the others in attendance. I told him he was not much of a man to sit there and lie about his actions. Barbara Bartchy added that the membership who claim to have seen the altercation support the fact that Wes Hisey did not touch me, but she did not claim to have any knowledge of such herself.

Therefore, nothing has been resolved at the local level and obviously will not be. Not one of the other SCRTA officers or directors has attempted to contact me since March 10th. The local organization has been silent, as has been the state organization's top two positions. Why?

I again make a request to ORTA to enter into this situation and call for the suspension of Wes Hisey as the SCRTA/ORTA trustee. I would expect an immediate response from you concerning this matter, which I asked for in my prior communications. What action has you or the executive committee taken to date?

Please do not insult me to think that my statements concerning this whole incident were anything but the truth. I am not a liar, as is Wes Hisey, by attempting to say he never touched me or verbally harassed me for over 10 minutes following the meeting. He approached me and created the confrontational situation that followed, I did not approach him. I was simply attempting to hand out information about two of the five active teachers candidates for the STRS board and Wes was determined to stop me from doing such.

Further, according to the SCRTA by-laws, he was out of line in doing such. The by-laws clearly state that the president is the spokesperson for the SCRTA. No where does it call for the ORTA Trustee to be the spokesperson for the SCRTA. He took this action clearly upon himself and should be held accountable for his actions. As I indicated to you in my prior correspondence, this is not the first time Wes Hisey has confronted me and verbally abused me, but it should be the last, considering his choice to place his hand on me and push me.

Sincerely, Tom Curtis

SCRTA/ORTA Life Member