Don McKee
First, take the issue of the candidacy of Tripper Sharp, among 11 contenders for the Area 5 seat. Sharp was one of the plaintiffs who filed suit in 2007 against the EMC, charging breech of fiduciary duty, abuse of control, gross mismanagement, waste of corporate assets and unjust enrichment.
When Sharp entered the race, fellow plaintiff Butch Thompson objected, saying he “would rather a plaintiff not be a part of it.” He pointed out that plaintiffs in the derivative lawsuit could not receive any financial gains, but if Sharp wins election “then he would be gaining financially as well.” Sharp countered that despite the reforms the plaintiffs had gained, “there’s a lot more to do, and I’d like to be on the board to finish the job.”
On that issue, each side has a point. From my perspective, Thompson has the higher moral ground, and Sharp would have been well advised to forgo running if only for the sake of precluding criticism that his motive from the start was a director’s seat. On the other hand, it’s a stretch to contend that Sharp should not run for the seat because he was a plaintiff, that somehow this would be a “takeover” of the EMC. Indeed, as Sharp argues, who is better qualified than a plaintiff?
Then there’s the controversy over vetting of candidates by the Cobb EMC Owners Association of which both Sharp and Thompson were organizers. Feelings erupted after EMC CEO Chip Nelson and some EMC employees who are also co-op members showed up and voted on endorsements at the meetings. That was too much for Sharp who said, “It appears to me that the CEOA has been hijacked by the management of Cobb EMC.” He went so far as to say, “the CEOA endorsement now is simply the management’s stamp of approval.” Dianne Brackin, another plaintiff, agreed.
Sharp subsequently failed to win the association’s endorsement at last Tuesday night’s meeting. He told the Journal he came in second with 55 votes behind Charles Sevier and again said the endorsements were “an orchestrated effort by EMC management” — which CEO Nelson denied.
Butch Thompson rejected the hijacking charge and defended the right of EMC employee-members to take part in the endorsements. He said, “EMC employees have more at stake right now than anybody” and they should “be recognized as the good employees that they are.” He said he didn’t think the employees stacked the deck.
On that issue, employees who are EMC members have the right to be involved in the vetting process, same as employees who own stock in the company they work for. The elections come down to a very simple fact: EMC members should do their own vetting and vote accordingly for the best qualified candidates — regardless of any endorsement or lack thereof.
dmckee9613@aol.com
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Why are all these meetings of "reform groups" held in north and northeast Cobb?
I suggest you look at the candidates and vote how you feel is best and not vote because someone else does or does not.
are doing your best to carry out his wrong thinking. I'm guessing voters will go against your hand picked...oh yes, you made it plain that the employee voting block was "needed" and "okay" since you interupted and blessed the EMC block vote. However, McKee has said it correctly...
"voters choose for yourself!"
Sharp is a good example. He has no qualifications for being on the board of a major corporation, but being a name on a lawsuit made him the center of attention and he can't give it up. He is willing to break his word and insult old friends who trusted just for his own selfishness.
Make no mistake, he is the cause of all the controversy. All those people who are suddenly anti-Thompson somehow conveniently ignore the fact Bodner and Boyd were selected by the supposedly stacked crowd. Are they suddenly tainted, too? If so, why did another group just endorse them as well?
If you are crazy enough to believe the EMC stacked the crowd, then you have to believe Bodner and Boyd are in on it or at least seen as patsies - and they fooled the other endorsing groups as well.
Reality is, Sharp isn't a good choice, is self-serving and Broadwell just didn't present as well as Wilburn when the time came.
It is sad to see this ridiculous end to what had been good work just because some people can't let go.
I said nothing in Sharps background (limited resume, actions or temperament) indicate he is qualified to do so.
Again, learn to read.
Vote for Tripper Sharp if you truly give a durn about what is going on at Cobb EMC! Otherwise, rest assured that some type of "compromise" has been worked out with the EMC management hacks who have been compliant in abusing the EMC ownership(Kelly and Nelson) to make sure their personal world at EMC is not rocked.
You can’t differentiate between the reasons Thompson’s business has suffered. We’ve been in a great recession and a lot of businesses have suffered, especially contractors which is what Butch Thompson Enterprises is. Leaders don’t deceive those who have trusted and followed them by brokering them out behind their backs. Maybe Thompson wants a clearing and grading contract from Cobb EMC. A least Tripper was upfront about his change of heart. If he acted like Thompson he’d have put on a disguise and run under an alias.
As far as a supposed block vote, you mean there is not enough EMC members voting to make the block worthless?
However... if Thompson and his fellow plaintiffs want to really be fair and transparent now, they should hold town hall forums so EMC members can question and listen to Board candidates, but Thompson and fellow plaintiffs should NOT endorse ANYONE. They are just as quilty as any EMC employee is of "influencing" the EMC members. It is the personal responsibility of EMC members to research the Board candidates .
A social hour begins at 6pm, giving members an opportunity to meet with the candidates individually and ask them any questions you may have.
You can also submit written questions for potential inclusion in the forum portion of the meeting. Due to the large number of candidates and time constraints, unfortunately some questions may not be selected.
We strongly encourage members to arrive at 6pm and make use of the one on one time with candidates to address their specific concerns.
The formal program with candidate platform comments and question session will begin promptly at 7pm.
This meeting is meant to be strictly informational for the benefit of the membership, there will be no voting or endorsement made in conjunction with the meeting.
We hope you will join us March 20th to learn more about the candidates. Please see the Cobb EMC Watch website for more details and directions.
The Weldon vettings were corrupt, no secret ballots, arrive at 6:00 in Kennesaw, be on time or don't vote, and yes EMC employees knew of non-secret ballots in advance and they were watched closely one night by CEO Nelson and VP Kelly and upper managers the other nights.
All of the vettings have been flawed, corrupt and a disgrace - The four elected board should step down and stand up for a honest vetting and election. Tripper knows all of this all too well. The press did not even cover until the AJC the last night - they merely release press releases for Weldon and othes.
If it's not true, please dispel it before we get into even more craziness.
Tripper may be a great manager as managers do things right. Butch is a great leader as leaders do the right things. I will be looking for leaders to serve as directors of my EMC board. You hire a manager, you elect leaders.
Marietta, GA
(I should have used spell check before posting)
I'm sorry Butch's business suffered due to his involvement as a Plaintiff and CEOA Director.If he's your customer, I hope he's still paying his bills! Since you mentioned Tripper at the same time, maybe you should ask him what he has suffered by standing up and being involved as a Plaintiff and Director of CEOA up to the time he declared his candidacy for Area 5 Board seat. I know for a fact he has suffered too. I think all Plantiffs have made huge sacrifices in time and money. They are all leaders in our community. Butch as a leader fell off the track in his leadership role of the CEOA by showing his bias publically against Tripper, who would be a tremendous member of Cobb EMC's Board and is fully qualified to serve.
Acworth, GA
You're kidding right! Butch Thompson has the higher moral ground???? Tripper Sharp caused controversy by deciding to run after Nelson decided not to open the Board meetings like he promised??? The controversy started when Thompson, without notice, Pawn Brokered the CEOA to Nelson and his gang in order to become a Cobb County Power Broker. Who’s getting the financial benefit now? Thompson!! His buddies are now suddenly CEOA endorsed board candidates! Come on Don! This whole thing smells to high heaven!!!
@Butch is right. You say changing the candidate vetting process without notifying or getting approval from CEOA members is transparent? You say stacking the vote with Cobb EMC employees is a process issue? That’s like saying Sherman’s siege on Atlanta was just a process issue!!!
Tripper may be a great manager as managers do things right. Butch is a great leader as leaders do the right things. I will be looking for leaders to serve as directors of my EMC board. You hire managers, you elect leaders.
Matietta, Ga
Well said.
Butch Thompson has been transparent and honest for five years of this EMC grief. Some may not agree with his position on some process issues, but no one can dispute his integrity.
Expect other groups and public figures to endorse different candidates than the CEOA, and expect members to weigh those recommendations carefully on March 31. I hope the MDJ will continue its coverage of all candidates in an impartial manner.
There are several more qualified candidates in that area - to answer your rhetorical question- I personally prefer John Berry; but certainly nothing Tripper's done of late commends him to such an important role.