[Board] Fwd: Sincere apology for the actions of one of my PYC board members

[Whitney T Weller]

FYI

Whitney Weller

Begin forwarded message:

> From: Kristen McCormack <mailwonderwoman at gmail.com>
> Date: June 8, 2022 at 8:58:47 PM EDT
> To: Whitney T Weller <wtweller at comcast.net>
> Subject: Re: Sincere apology  for the actions of one of my PYC board members
> 
> Thank you for writing me back. I appreciate it.
> 
> Regards, Kristen McCormack
> 
> Sent from my iPad
> 
>>> On Jun 8, 2022, at 11:26 AM, Whitney T Weller <wtweller at comcast.net> wrote:
>>> 
>> 
>> Dear Kristen;
>>  
>> Thank you for giving us your input.  Unfortunately we have an issue with some board members.  Please accept my sincere apology on behalf of the Board of Directors, for the actions of some members. There is no excuse, nor words that can express my personal embarrassment for having been a part of this situation. 
>>  
>> Just some helpful facts...  As Commodore, I am responsible for the actions of the members of my board.  In this case it was an unfortunate confluence of events leading up to this rude and insensitive behavior.  I totally understand your shock and dismay.  My job is to make the club a warm and inviting place to spend time.  It is essential that the members know that they own the club and are always welcome.  They are also welcome to audit board meetings unless there is an Executive Session which should be halted at the time an interruption occurs and resumed after the interruption.  Unfortunately we were meeting in the main area because of the construction and rebuilding of the club and facilities at that time. 
>>  
>> This should never have happened and there is no excuse for rude and wrong behavior.  Unfortunately I had my back to the entry way or I would have certainly welcomed you to take your time.  There were no secrets being discussed.  Sometimes I don’t know what gets into people.  I am very familiar with your family, and the long history of involvement they have had with the club. 
>>  
>> Please forgive this indiscretion.  We can only hope that this board has learned from this moving forward.  Rest assured that I have taken up this subject with the board and will continue to follow through.  My regret is that you had to suffer the indignity.
>>  
>> My personal sincere apology, I look forward to seeing you and your family at club events and would like you to feel welcome and proud of your club once again;
>>  
>> Please feel free to reach out to me with additional comments.
>>  
>> Sincerely;
>>  
>> Whit
>>  
>> Whitney T Weller
>> Commodore
>> Portsmouth Yacht Club
>> 4 Tamarind Lane, Exeter, NH 03833
>> wtweller at comcast.net
>> (m) +1 (603) 205 5795
>>  
>> 
>>  
>> ---------------------------------------------------Forwarded Message-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>  
>>  
>> Subject: Letter of complaint to the PYC Board of Directors
>>  
>>  
>>  
>> To whom it may concern at the Board of Directors of the PYC, 
>>  
>> I’m writing this letter to inform the board of my displeasure of the way I was treated during last month‘s board meeting. It was one of the first times I came into the yacht club for the year. I came in to sign up for some upcoming events in the book near the kitchen. I quietly came in and started looking at the book when this loud, stern and abrupt voice started scolding me for interrupting the private board meeting. I was shocked. I didn’t say a word and just gave the thumbs up indicating I was leaving. I found this to be incredibly rude and unprofessional. I immediately left and upon leaving I checked the front door for a sign there was a private event occurring at the yacht club that evening. No sign was posted.  Over the last few years I have only come in to the PYC a handful of times due to Covid. I was so excited to start the season off and get into the swing of things and this was my first engagement at the PYC for the season. I spoke to a few other members about this and they were also shocked at the way I was treated. I then found out that another member experienced the same treatment that same evening. I’m asking the board to have their private meetings upstairs or at another location to allow members to enjoy the space they pay for. At a minimum the door should have been closed, locked  and a sign posted that there was a private meeting. Would it have been OK for someone to walk through the yacht club to access their boat? Is it fair to close the club to paying members? The board could  have met  offsite if they needed privacy. I am on a local Board of Directors and we meet at the Portsmouth library or the Senior Center in Portsmouth for free. I also know that the New Castle library has a meeting place that can be used for private meetings. I don’t think anybody with a leadership position should be speaking to a paying member this way or anyone else for that matter. How are paying members to know if there’s a private meeting going on if there’s been no notification. I think it was predictable that members would try to access the club during the time that the board was meeting. Why was this oversight not taken into consideration? The door was wide open and there was nothing to indicate a private meeting. This doesn’t make any sense to me. At a minimum I think I and the other member that was treated this way deserve a written apology. The way I was spoken to was completely unnecessary. I would like to know what the code of conduct for the PYC indicates and if this is the kind of behavior that is appropriate? A few kind words would have gotten the job done and left me feeling good about the situation instead of feeling like I was doing something wrong and not welcome. Is this  the behavior that I and other members can expect from the Board of Directors and is this the type of behavior that you think is appropriate? My family has been members at the Portsmouth yacht club since the early 70s. I have never experienced anything like this at the PYC. I hope that this is an isolated incident and the person Who spoke to me that way is removed from their position. Since this encounter I have been apprehensive to go in to the PYC because it made me so uncomfortable. Is it the boards intention to make people uncomfortable so they don’t want to use the space that they pay for? If not then I think something needs to be done about this. If I acted this way in the organization that I’m on the board for I would immediately be removed. Please do not approach me in person at the PYC to discuss this matter I would prefer something in writing. I already feel very uncomfortable going into PYC and I don’t want my experience further tainted.
>>  
>> Thank you for your time, Kristen McCormack
>>  
>>  
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