I read the following post on "The Buzz" (http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/the-buzz-florida-politics/content/former-air-traffic-union-prez-slams-claims-state-dem-chair-candidate-alan-clendenin) and it left me with many questions.
Those of you closely following the FDP Chair's race know that I have endorsed Allison Tant and that my endorsement has been publicly cited in her campaign press.
That said, as a leader in this party, I feel we all need to take a stand on fairness and transparency in our internal elections. How can we call for electoral fairness across the state of Florida if we don't practice it ourselves?
This post by a former union brother of Alan Clandenin raises several flags for me. I am a union member - a member of the AAUP in Georgia where my primary employment as a university professor is located and a former FEA member from my days as a public school teacher in Florida. I continue to advocate for unions in Florida as a party leader and activist. Union leader Mike Williams is a Wakulla resident and I hold his endorsement of Clendenin in high respect. Surely Mike Williams knows something about Alan Clendenin's union history?
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Mike Williams' endorsement (note - there has been a division among the unions with FEA and SEIU endorsing Allison Tant):
Mike Williams Endorses Alan Clendenin
for Chair of the Florida Democratic Party
Mike Williams, Florida Democratic Party
Executive Committee Member, released the following statement regarding
the upcoming election for the Chair of the Florida Democratic Party:
“I am proud to support Alan Clendenin to be the
next Chair of the Florida Democratic Party. Like myself, Alan has been a
union member and dedicated labor activist and he understands the needs
and struggles of Florida’s working families. Alan has espoused the best
values of Florida’s workers through concrete action. His proven record
shows that he understands the power of emboldening a strong grassroots
base of activists and the strength of making campaigns about people and
values, not just campaign money. He is the perfect candidate to meet the
needs of Florida Democrats. As we turn to the 2014 elections that will
decide the direction for Florida’s future, we need someone like Alan as
party chair. Someone that can make sure that the party speaks clearly to
the values we hold dear while being successful at the ballot box.”
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The post below was published in the Tampa Bay Times - visit the link above to see the original post on January 18, 2013:
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Former air traffic union prez slams claims by state Dem chair candidate Alan Clendenin
A big part of Alan Clendenin's argument that he's well positioned to lead the Florida Democratic party is his track record with the air traffic controllers' union, particularly his work increasing fundraising by the union's political action committee. But now fellow Tampa resident and former national union president John Carr is attacking Clendenin for inflating his record and taking credit for other people's work.Clendenin tells Buzz he stands by his record - "Facts are facts" - and said he is disgusted by party leaders and supporters of rival chairman candidate, Allison Tant, who would try to smear him. He said Carr is a bull dog well known for attacking people, and that some of the motivation could be personal because Carr's wife used to work for Clendenin.
First, here's the letter that prompted Carr's response:
January 13, 2013
My name is Randy Weiland and I am a former Chairman of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA), National legislative Committee. Alan Clendenin held this position prior to me. I am endorsing Alan Clendenin to lead the Florida Democratic Party. I have known Alan since 1997, and I served under his leadership in various positions for many years. As he moved up through the ranks of leadership I had the distinct privilege of assuming the positions he vacated.
I strongly endorse Alan due to his proven track record and demonstrated skills in not only fund raising (raising over four Million dollars) but also creating grassroots legislative activism. Alan designed a nationwide infrastructure to support legislative activity from the ground up. Alan was able to create a volunteer workforce that was active in every congressional district in the United States. Under Alan’s leadership we were able to forge a body of informed, motivated and highly functional citizen lobbyists. Creating a grassroots army of this size also required Alan to grow NATCA PAC to a sufficient size to command respect from all members of Congress. Alan is an incredible fundraiser.
Under his leadership he grew the NATCA PAC into one of the most successful PACs in the federal union sector. When he started, our PAC was raising less than 200 thousand dollars a cycle. Alan implemented a strategic plan for growth. During his tenure he increased the fund by nearly 900%. The program he implemented continued to grow the PAC long after he left office. Using the foundation he left behind, today the NATCA PAC has grown to over 8 million dollars a cycle. When I assumed the chairman position from Alan, NATCA PAC was sought after by many members of Congress on a daily basis for political financial support. NATCA PAC was seated at the table with major party contributors and was continually relied upon by many campaigns to maintain a democratic presence both in the House and the Senate.
It was solely through Alan’s campaign of building legislative activism and raising funds that allowed the legislative activism of the union to grow from a mere afterthought to a fighting vibrant force on the Hill. Alan has a strong record of taking an organization in need of building or rebuilding and making it a highly competitive legislative force.
Here's what Carr sent today:
To Whom It May Concern:
My name is John Carr and I am the past President of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA), AFL-CIO. I must set the record straight concerning claims made by Alan Clendenin, candidate for Chairman of the Florida Democratic Party, in a press release issued January 13th.
I served two terms as President of NATCA and was in office during Mr. Clendenin's tenure as National Legislative Committee Chairman. Mr. Clendenin's narcissistic press release is peppered with inaccuracies and inflated claims, starting with his reference to my Union, NATCA, as "NACTA."
Mr. Clendenin claims to have grown the NATCA PAC by 900%. This is not true. Mr. Clendenin was a volunteer activist, serving at the direction and under the supervision of my paid National Office staff. Mr. Clendenin's volunteer position was overseen and his actions were either endorsed and approved by my professional legislative staff, and ultimately by me, or they were denied. Mr. Clendenin's assertion that he grew the PAC through his leadership alone is disingenuous at best, an outright deception at worst.
The NATCA PAC was a pet project of mine, and anyone still in the union will tell you that it was a team effort---led primarily by the Union President (me)---that grew the NATCA PAC during Clendenin's tenure. While growth was robust during my six years in office, it never reached the heights Mr. Clendenin claims of 900% growth.
Mr. Clendenin did not create a "national infrastructure," as he asserts. Mr. Clendenin inherited a legislative organization which had already proven itself on Capitol Hill, which was already bringing hundreds of activists to Washington each year, and which was already teaching and mentoring volunteers across the country.
Mr. Weiland's claim that the NATCA PAC is now raising over 8 million dollars a cycle is 100% false and says more about Weiland's lack of truthfulness than he probably wanted to share. Mr. Weiland's claims that Clendenin was solely responsible for growing NATCA's legislative activism "from a mere afterthought to a fighting vibrant force" which "commanded respect from all members of Congress" is conceited in the extreme and does a genuine disservice to the hundreds of volunteers who can rightly lay claim to this achievement. And finally, Weiland's claim that NATCA was active in "every Congressional district in the United States" during Clendenin's tenure is an outright lie.
Clendenin and Weiland do a disservice to the NATCA National Office Staff and to my six years in office---a time longer than Clendenin's tenure--- during which the NATCA PAC grew fourfold. In the seven years since I left office the NATCA PAC has continued it's growth, but it does not yet reach the heights Clendenin and Weiland claim to have led it to over ten years ago.
Clendenin's volunteer position was subordinate to the NATCA National Office Staff, the NATCA National Executive Board, and the NATCA President and Vice President. Clendenin's attempt to portray himself as an independent operator who single-handedly created the Union's legislative activism is egotistical and arrogant and ultimately false.
Mr. Clendenin and his much-ballyhooed endorser Weiland both voluntarily quit the great Union, and their attempt to cloak themselves with NATCA's successes is insulting and offensive. When my Union's employer, the Federal Aviation Administration, walked away from contract negotiations and imposed cowardly and draconian terms of employment on their workforce, Mr. Clendenin and Mr. Weiland both voluntarily occupied management positions and were directly responsible for implementing harsh treatment and an autocratic, Jurassic management style on their subordinates---union members they each formerly stood shoulder to shoulder with. These sad facts are noticeably absent from Clendenin and Weiland's egotistical boasts.
The FAA's imposition of their spiteful terms of employment led to a tsunami wave of air traffic controller retirements which jeopardized aviation safety then and continues to affect air traffic facilities to this day. Over half of our nation's air traffic controllers now have less than five years of experience on the job; Mr. Clendenin and Mr. Weiland can each take their share of credit for this dubious statistic. Clendenin and Weiland can also lay claim to the two faces they each happily wore, first as union members they now brag about, and then as management minions imposing cruel and malicious discipline on their former colleagues.
The Florida Democratic Party is in desperate need of leadership. Clendenin's true and complete record---and his transformation from working class Union member to management stooge---do not reflect credit upon his leadership abilities or his qualifications for the position of Chairman of the FDP.
Sincerely,
John S. Carr
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This morning Alan Clendenin sent an email that addresses this letter and other issues that have arisen during the campaign:
FACTS ARE FACTS
On Monday, January 21st, we will be celebrating both the birth of
Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., one of the nation's strongest advocates for justice and human rights, and the inauguration of President Barack Obama, a man who is working tirelessly to build a more perfect union for our children and our children's children.
Inspired by these men, and the hundreds of men and women who are the backbone of the Florida Democratic Party, I put my hat in the ring to become the next Chairman.
I expected to travel the state presenting my vision and my qualifications, and I also expected to compete on the merits with anyone else who might be running for this position.
What I didn't expect was to find Democratic leaders in our own party practicing a campaign of disinformation, misinformation, and fear mongering that reminds me of the "Swift Boat" attacks that Republican groups launched against Senator John Kerry in 2004.
Facts are facts, or as one of my favorite Presidents Bill Clinton recently said during our convention. “I came from a place where people still thought two and two was four. It’s arithmetic.”
I am very proud of who I am, my accomplishments, and my record. So let's get a few things straight, once and for all:
Myths
|
Facts
|
| Lie – Alan will direct all party
resources to Senator Nan Rich’s
gubernatorial primary campaign. Lie – Alan will direct all party resources to CFO Alex Sink’s (rumored) gubernatorial primary campaign. Lie – Alan will direct all party resources to Gov. Charlie Crist (rumored) gubernatorial primary campaign. |
FACT –I will not allow the
Democratic Party to pick favorites in a
Democratic primary. I respect our Democratic
candidates too much to tilt the table towards
or away from any one of them.
1 |
| Lie – Alan will not support Charlie Crist for Governor. | FACT – I am a Democrat. I will support the choice Democratic voters in our primary. I enjoy a respectful relationship with all three of the above-mentioned potential nominees. As Chair I will ensure our party is ready, willing and able to support the voters choice. 2 |
| Lie – Alan will fire the <insert any one of many names> staff if he is elected. | FACT – I have not stated nor do I have any intention to ‘Fire’ staff. 3 |
| Lie – Alan is opposed to marriage equality | FACT – I support marriage equality 2 |
| Lie – Alan said that he wouldn't " serve under a woman" | FACT – As a son and a father of two strong independent women, This one is so outrageous I don’t know what to say about it. Really? It is 2012 not 1912 . 2 |
| Lie – Alan said that he "burn the house down if I don't get this job" | FACT – Two years ago I stepped aside when asked because I was convinced it was the right thing to do for our party. I didn’t cut a deal and I didn’t burn the house down I just stepped aside and kept doing what I do. I have always been, I am, and will continue to be a loyal Democrat. I am running to lead the party because we need to change our trajectory. My type of change does not involve matches or flames; it involves training and empowering our activists. 8 |
| Lie – Alan has paid the authors of the Political Hurricane blog and paid for an ad on their site in exchange for their support. | FACT – I did not pay the Political
Hurricane Blog for an ad or their support.
4 |
| Lie – If Alan is elected he will fire <insert name here> and he will hire <insert a number of names here> to replace him/her. | FACT – I have not promised a job or position to anyone. |
| Lie – Alan is not grassroots. He doesn’t do the work. | FACT – I am a proven grassroots organizer and team member. I walk precincts, stand at polls, help organize events and just about anything else our party or candidates ask me to do. |
| Lie – Clendenin is a puppet of
“Big Sugar”
5 |
FACT – I am not a puppet of anyone or any organization. Not ‘Big Sugar’ or any individual. I have never solicited or received a donation for or from anyone associated with ‘Big Sugar’. I do not owe anyone anything. |
| Lie – Alan Clendenin does not have fundraising experience | FACT – As National Chair of the air traffic controller’s legislative team I led the team effort to build the PAC. 6 |
| Lie – During Alan’s term he did not grow the PAC by 900%. | FACT – Under my leadership the PAC grew 900%. When I became chair the PAC brought in less than $200,000/cycle when I left the PAC was bringing in 2 million dollars a cycle. That is 900% according to my calculator. (During my term the PAC raised over 4 million dollars.) 7 |
1 - This is not just a personal value, I committed to this during a presentation on December 5, 2013 at a meeting called by the Orange County State Committeeman and attended by many party leaders.
2 – Progressive Voices You Should Know Interview
http://newmercurymedia.com/
3 - In July I spoke with Scott Arceneaux about this rumor. Subsequent to this discussion I have personally called Rod Smith, Scott Arceneaux and I spoke with two other concerned members of our staff in an attempt to stop this rumor. As recently as December 17, 2012 I reconfirmed this commitment verbally with Scott Arceneaux.
4 - The Political Hurricane Statement Regarding Our Position in the FDP Chairs Race
http://thepoliticalhurricane.
5 - Progressive Dems United
http://
6 - National Air Traffic Controllers Association Constitution
National Legislative Committee Charter (10/97)
The NATCA National Legislative Committee, hereafter referred to as the Committee, will seek to advance the status, professionalism, benefits & working conditions of all air traffic controllers and other safety related employees through political action. The Committee shall assist the President, Executive Vice President and National Executive Board in defining the roles and responsibilities of the National Legislative Affairs Department. The Committee shall be the focal point for all grassroots legislative activity in the United States. By working closely with the National Legislative Affairs Department, the Committee shall serve as a resource to the membership, National Office and National Executive Board. The Committee shall coordinate grassroots efforts on national issues as directed by the National President and Legislative Affairs Department. The Committee shall identify the legislative training needs of the membership and take steps to ensure that adequate training programs are developed. The Committee shall promote the growth of NATCA PAC through member education and ongoing efforts to solicit new PAC members and increase contributions. The members of the Committee shall make recommendations to the National Legislative Affairs Department on the distribution of PAC funds.
The Committee shall receive guidance from the National President, Executive Vice President and the National Legislative Affairs Department. The Committee, through the Chairperson or his/her designee, shall brief the National Executive Board on Committee activities, including Lobby Week and other national legislative training, strategy for promoting grassroots activism, and annual goals of the committee. There shall be at least four meetings of the Committee during the calendar year, or as deemed appropriate by the National President and/or the Committee Chair.
http://nso.natca.org/NSO%
7 - National Air Traffic Controllers Association 2003 Annual Report
NATCA PAC
PAC reached record amount of $2.3 million for the election cycle.
http://www.natcamembership.
8 – Press Release issued November 24, 2010
- Hillsborough State Committeeman and DNC member Alan Clendenin said, “The Florida Democratic Party has never, and will never be about any one individual. This election is about doing what is best for our Party and our state. Rod Smith embraced many of the reforms I proposed. He is a proven leader, committed to reorganize and rebuild the Florida Democratic Party. I fully support his candidacy and I urge all Florida Democrats to unite behind him.
The email also included a photo of a trophy awarded to Alan Clendenin for his union service.
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So I had to ask -- how could Weiland and Carr have such different perceptions of Clendenin's service? Could Williams be so far off in his judgment of Clendenin?
I decided to google Carr using the search phrase "John Carr NATCA" to learn a little more about him and to see if I could gain a better understanding of the background and history.
The search turned up a few interesting items:
The following link yielded the first clue:
http://www.citmedialaw.org/threats/gilding-v-carr
This description is posted along with other documents and links about this case, Carr, and NATCA:
John Carr is the former past president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA). Carr operates a blog, The Main Bang, on which he often criticizes the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). In two blog posts in July 2007, Carr wrote about an FAA employee who committed suicide and detailed the actions of the employee's supervisor, John Gilding.
On September 11, 2007, Gilding commenced a lawsuit against Carr, claiming that Carr defamed him and placed him in a false light. Gilding further claims that Carr's blog falsely accused Gilding of "lying under oath in an administrative hearing" and "harrassing and intimidating a subordinate CPC to death." The complaint outlines several other statements that plaintiff alleges Carr "falsely and maliciously" made on his blog. The complaint requests relief in the form of general and punitive damages.
On October 31, 2007, Carr filed a motion to dismiss for lack of personal jurisdiction, asserting that Arizona state courts do not have jurisdiction over him because he is a resident of Ohio and has no contacts or business with Arizona. Carr later filed motions for summary judgment based upon defenses of truth, opinion, and absence of actual malice. On April 25, 2008, the court denied Carr's motion to dismiss.
Update:
10/27/08 - Gilding filed a Third Amended Complaint that added NATCA as a defendant.
11/19/08 - The case was removed to the US District Court for the District of Arizona.
11/25/08 - NATCA filed a motion to dismiss. Gilding opposed.
04/07/09 - The court granted Gilding's motion to remand back to state court and denied NATCA's motion to dismiss.
04/20/09 - The court granted Gilding's motion to appoint a Special Master to referee the discovery process.
04/23/09 - NATCA filed a notice of intent to appeal to the Ninth Circuit the decision to remand. Other defendants file similar notices.
04/24/09 - Gilding requested an award of attorney's fees.
05/14/09 - Gilding moved to dismiss NATCA's appeal.
06/02/09 - Guilding moved for a subpoena to be issued to obtain FAA investigation records regarding defendants Bob Marks and Jerry Johnston.
06/05/09 - The court denied Gilding's motion for an award of attorney's fees (originally made 4/24/09 and supplemented 5/21/09).
06/08/09 - NATCA moved to stay proceedings pending its appeal to the Ninth Circuit.
06/11/09 - Gilding submitted a brief opposing NATCA's appeal.
06/12/09 - Guilding opposed NATCA motion to stay.
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What does my search tell me? John Carr has been a controversial figure - a leader who has some loyal followers and some bitter enemies. Should I take Carr's letter with a grain of salt? I think so.
A few weeks ago, Democratic Progressive Caucus Chair Susan Smith cautioned all of us not to believe everything we would read about the candidates for the FDP Chair position.
Those words of advice hold true regardless of which candidate you support. The Political Hurricane engaged in some major mudslinging against Allison Tant and also threw some punches at several other individuals whom I know to be good Democrats that work hard to move the ball down the field.
There are many factors that play into whom people support and how they will cast their votes on January 26th. However, divisive hatchet attacks on either candidate - both good Democrats - serve no good purpose.
I appreciate the role of responsible journalists in ensuring the people have all the facts about candidates. There is a difference between blogging and journalism - akin to the difference between a news article and what appears on the Op-Ed pages but perhaps not as clear cut a divide.
That said, when does the media become an accessory to negative campaign tactics? This is a question raised during several races in North Florida this past cycle and I see similar issues playing out across the state in this race.
With all the mud flying it may be difficult to get a clear picture of this race. State committee men and women may be left wondering, "who are these candidates and which one is the right choice to lead our party forward?"
I have said several times that I would love to see a unified party where the talents of both Clendenin and Tant could be put to their best and highest use for the good of the party. That said, little movement on reaching such an accord has been made. The mudslinging makes it even less likely that an agreement can be reached.
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