McCUE’s STATEMENT RE: THE 2010 SCNC ELECTION

By MICHAEL McCUE
I am very happy and grateful to be re-elected to the Residential Renters’ seat on the SCNC Board, especially after the recent dramas our community was subjected to just before our election. My personal “Thank You” goes out to the stakeholders of Studio City who turned out for the election.
For me, one of the most meaningful and beautiful aspects of Democracy is the fact that no matter what problem you are facing…or whatever problem that surfaces…there is always a remedy available when you apply democratic principles. Sometimes that remedy comes from the Law.
If the Law forbids certain actions for an elected representative of the people, then chances are that representative will think twice before they break the law. But…if they do break the rules anyway, for whatever reason, there is always a remedy available.
When voters are upset with incumbent behavior, (and who isn’t nowadays?) some expect the assembled elected body to police itself, some call or write their reps to express their displeasure, some will use recall petitions, or some will even get in the race themselves and run, as I have done.
When there is no oversight to prevent injustice (as with our NC system)—the voters will use the last resort and ultimate weapon they have at their disposal in a Democracy….their VOTE.
Voting is our most powerful remedy.
The recent SCNC controversies were actually a good thing for our community, democratically speaking, because they energized our election!
We know many NC’s that are following the rules, functioning well, getting the job done, while also welcoming input from their stakeholders. We also know that there are many NC’s that are suffering from disengaged leadership, or have embedded, bully-controlled or personality-driven power cliques, who are deliberately, or seemingly unfamiliar with the Ethics laws, By-Laws, etc...
It’s easier for an NC to lose their direction and moral compass than you might think when power is centralized in a small clique.
Neither the City, nor DONE, (nor even the BONC) seem willing or capable of providing proper oversight for NC’s that would keep them on the right track towards real grassroots democracy and that’s a huge issue for us all. Right now, without oversight, it is ultimately up to the integrity of each NC, their board members and stakeholders to police themselves…and that’s difficult.
Thankfully, these are all problems that can be easily solved with proper leadership that reflects a commitment to ensuring that all NC Board members have learned and comprehend all of the State Laws, Ethics rules, by-laws and procedures that govern our NC’s and their Board members.
In Studio City our election provided a few remedies, but there is still much work to do.
The SCNC needs a president who is a strong advocate for the Key Value of Grassroots Democracy. My belief is that we need an advocate president who will attend meetings regularly and build the strength of the SCNC so that we become a legitimate, trustworthy and believable force with City Council, and the Mayor, whom it is our job to advise.
Other NC’s have done this—why can’t the SCNC?
Some board members have been working narrow agendas that are motivated by self-interest, or by partisan politics only, while simultaneously disenfranchising legitimate stakeholder concerns. This is clearly not the way to go.
This is a democracy and the life-blood of democracy is dissent. That’s how it works.
Encouraging debate, and respecting the democratic process, is what democracy itself requires in order to succeed.
If a Board member takes personal offense merely because a fellow Board member or stakeholder disagrees with them on an issue, or blows the whistle on wrong-doing, then they do not belong on the Board.
Contrasting views should be heard. Wrong-doings should be exposed.
If a Board member is daunted or offended by an opposing view; or unpleasant revelation of wrong-doing—instead of using questionable maneuvers to silence or remove that opposing point of view—perhaps it would be better to open your ears to what’s being said, consider the reasons someone opposes your proposal and then, after amending your proposal, or deciding not to amend…make your own case once more in such a persuasive manner, highlighting community benefits, so that all will agree with you.
That’s how it’s done.
If the voters still don’t support you, it may be time to consider the possibility that your point of view could be found lacking in the eyes of others, or even consider the possibility that you may be out-of-touch with your community.
We all have a right to our own opinion. We even have the right to be out-of-touch. We also have the right to change our minds. It’s okay to hold the minority opinion as well. That’s your right. None of this is that complicated and it certainly isn’t personal.
But remember…The stakeholders always have a right to be heard and their representatives at every level have an obligation to hear them out.
Stakeholders should be encouraged to present their opinions and positions that are offering differing views—not discouraged…and they certainly should not be shut out of the process or smeared by personal attacks.
Democracy isn’t easy. Our NC’s are evolving and still getting the hang of it.
Many NC leaders are busting their behinds actively searching for the answers and remedies that we can utilize to make our City function for the benefit of all….and we aren’t even on the payroll!
Our NC’s have come a long way in the last 10 years and we have much further to go.
Adhering to the democratic principle of open debate will help get us there sooner rather than later. Let’s work towards that goal together. Decide the arguments on merit—and not on personalities or partisan politics.
Our 2010 Studio City Neighborhood Council election proves that there is a remedy for any democratic problem, that is, when you are working with a true Democracy.



In your service,

Michael McCue
Board Member, Studio City Neighborhood Council
818-762-4595

Michael McCue Speaks to Mayor Sam

From an inquiry I sent to Michael McCue;

I appreciate the opportunity and I am grateful for your interest in the SCNC and the NC movement overall.

Sorry, but...I cannot mention my re-election without mentioning the recent "lynching" because they are intrinsically interconnected and cannot be separated. We are dealing with attempts at election tampering here and that is very serious.

First, let me be clear about the "lynching."

It was an illegal vote that could only have been made possible by willful violations committed by the SCNC President, and Board members who have refused to educate themselves in regards to the Brown Act, our Ethics Training, SCNC By-Laws, and even Operating Procedures themselves, not to mention the travesty that was made of Roberts Rules of Order by Ben Neumann, who seemed to know nothing about them.

There were as many procedural violations at that meeting as there are Starbucks Coffee Shops in the Valley!

It is already crystal clear that the president violated the Brown Act in his communications with the Board members just prior to the vote and that he does not understand the By-Laws requirement for "reasonable detail" in the petition itself.

Neumann agendized a petition that wasn't worthy. The petition itself contained not one specific example of wrongdoing but rather generalized complaints that basically said that the Board didn't like it when I reported Ethics violations to them or to the stakeholders, or when I made the stakeholders aware of their specific rights.

This is provable for anyone who wishes to see the evidence.

Any NC leader who attended (and there were several from all over the city, in support of the stakeholders' rights) or who saw the video of the meeting itself, has already adopted it as the 'poster child' of exactly how NOT TO RUN an NC meeting.

Second, I know that the City Attorney is looking into this highly questionable behavior and will be discussing it immediately. I fully expect the City Attorney and BONC to issue a directive that immediately rescinds the vote-to-remove and revokes the outcome automatically, based on the multiple rights violations and Brown Act violations that took place before and during the whole procedure.

I expect that decision from the City Attorney within 48 hours along with an apology from the board Members in question who attempted to smear my honorable reputation with no evidence other than the fact that they dislike what I say when I speak Truth to Power, or catch them trying to fool the stakeholders.

This issue involves the Key Values of Grassroots Democracy, Accountability, Welcoming Diversity, Decentralization of Power and Future Focus. I repeatedly warned the SCNC Board that their actions would bring ill-repute not only to our Board, but to the NC movement overall, and at a critical time when the mayor is seeking any excuse to remove our funding and impede our growing influence. We can't afford that.

But--They wouldn’t listen to me and moved ahead with all sorts of foolishness anyway.

The SCNC Board members seem to believe that when an SCNC officer uses city-owned resources to make a private, partisan fundraising appeal such as VP or "Acting President," John Walker did on behalf of Paul Krekorian, and hacks into our city-owned SCNC email list to do so, that no ethics violation has taken place and that it is not worthy of reporting to the stakeholders, even when they have already been complaining to us about improper emails for months.

The SCNC Board is dead wrong.

That is a violation of State Law and the stakeholders do want to know, because with our votes, we are giving these Board members our trust – trust that they will use their power to do the right thing. If they haven't lived up to that expectation, the stakeholders have a right to know it, and know it now. The election is in a few weeks.

Is it not vital that we know who is worthy of our trust and who isn't, before we cast our votes on May 27th? I think it is and I am certainly not alone.

And when SCNC officers, who hold the most trust of all, are that wrong about something that basic in terms of ethics training, it forces one to wonder about their ability to do the job properly without using our NC or its resources, for their own private goals that have nothing to do with the stakeholders’ best interests at all.

I do not believe that the Krekorian campaign itself had anything to do with this ethics violation. I believe that it was self-motivated to incur favor or influence with Paul...and without his knowledge. I did bring this violation to his attention quite a while ago and I've discussed it with his staff.

I am running for re-election on the SCNC Board because the stakeholders desperately need at least one Board member who is not part of a private club, and who knows the rules.

Studio City really needs that one Board member who is brave enough and has the testicular fortitude to report ethics violations to the proper authorities when they occur. Especially now.

We must have honest representation for Studio City that is not self-centered or using our resources to enrich individuals' own private political goals, or to tamper with an election outcome.

When stakeholders claim that a "special agenda" is being run past them without proper notice or the chance to comment, or without even a written motion available, it is right and just for them to file a grievance with DONE, as our stakeholders have done.

The vicious pettiness of the “lynching” was really a direct response to that stakeholder action mistakenly attributed to me, and a blatant attempt to thwart the stakeholders’ will. It seemed beyond their grasp that anyone else in Studio City would care as much about ethics as I do and so assumed that I was behind the filed grievnce. I wasn't. It was a false accusation from someone who offered her speculations as real evidence, but with no proof...another violation of my rights!

The "lynching" was a cynical and prejudiced action that attempts a complete denial of the stakeholders' rights to be represented by whom they choose...and their right to not be represented by the members of "private club" who would rather get rid of an honest whistle blower than face the Truth of their own actions.

I remind your readers that I still hold the SCNC all-time record as highest vote-getter ever in any SCNC election. My mandate is larger than anyone currently serving or who has served on the Board. How dare they attempt to remove that mandate from the stakeholders and break all the rules to do so! What would you call that?

That stakeholder mandate empowered me as their representative and I will uphold and defend the Law. I have proven again and again that I will not let the stakeholders down.

I take my oath of office seriously, which is exactly the reason why I will be re-elected.

The stakeholders know they can trust me and that I will always fight for everyone's right to be heard! I've been tested in battle as no other board member on the SCNC, and I have passed the test.

The SCNC is currently being treated like a private club. It is not.

It is an assembled body of elected officials sent there by the voters to get the job done.

The stakeholders do not want to see the rules violated, nor the Law broken. That is why the voice who speaks "Truth to Power" will win re-election, only this time, other new candidates who have been motivated by these past corruptions, will win new seats, too, and will join me in the work of reform that is so desperately needed on our Board.

My act of standing up to these petty bullies has rallied the stakeholders in our community and energized our election, which is a great outcome of this truly disturbing affair.

The stakeholders want a change and they want honest representatives--not self-interested reps, who do not even know the rules or ethics that they are required by law to obey.

The stakeholders are willing to do the hard work that it takes to make our neighborhood council a successful expression of true grassroots democracy for our community, one that is truly willing to hear all of the opinions from the community, and find consensus for all in the Studio City community.

One thing we are all grateful for...had this illegal vote not happened, our election in May would not have been energized the way it is now and that will make our election truly exciting!

My best to your readers and thank you for asking the question.