[Kzyxtalk] Nonviolent Communication

[Cindy Swan]

Thank you, Denny.

I would like to see the MCPB Board provide a 
voter information packet for the upcoming election
much like the County and the State of CA do,
with inclusion of “Candidate’s Statements”
in their ballot mailing.

This would allow a one-page, min. 12 pt font,
no more than 500 word  statement from each candidate
that introduces themselves to the electorate
via providing a clear synopsis of their values,
principles and what they hope to bring to the Board
as a representative of their particular voting district.

(I offer Denny's one-page “Summary of Current Proposals
For Change at MCPB/KZYX” as an example.
It gives the reader a clear sense of how Mr. O'Brian, as a Board Member,
would approach fulfilling the station’s mission statement.)

As there are three seats open, with two candidates each,
this task could be accomplished with three double-sided
pieces of paper included in the ballot mailing.

ALL candidates statements should be included in the ballot mailing,
==> with the candidate choices 
for the district that the member resides 
in highlighted in yellow
on the ballot
so that the member is clearly instructed as to 
which candidates they can vote for.
(i.e. 2nd & 5th District residents 
can vote for both
a “district" representative, as well as an “at-large” representative;
while 1st, 3rd, and 4th Districts 
can only cast one vote:
for an “at-large” representative 
in the upcoming election . . . correct?)

This is easily done with a highlighter pen
and avoids extra cost/time/trouble
of printing and sending out 
ballots specific to individual districts.
“You are eligible to vote for one of the
candidates in Your District (highlighted below)
as well as an “At-Large” representative
in this election. . . please contact
Stuart Campbell, election coordinator,
at this number 707-###-#### 
if you are NOT a resident of the District highlighted,
and you will be sent a new ballot" 
should suffice.

This approach 
most importantly
provides your voting membership 
with the information they need
to make a (more) educated decision,
and avoids the politicalization 
(i.e. polarization/bullying nature of
the current discussion regarding
membership list access, separate mailings, etc.)

Mendocino County is vast,
and its public disconnected by great distance,
making it difficult for listeners to get to know
who the candidates are and what they represent.
Many 
working voters simply do not have the time
to listen to candidate’s forums on-the-air,
(and, unfortunately, a lot of mis-trust has been generated
in the station’s democratic process recently).
Others 
do not vote at all, as they do not recognize
the names on their ballots.
Hence, the historically low voter participation
in the process of electing board members.

Yet the Board is primarily tasked with being 
the representative body for the Community 
in the decision-making process,
and leading the station into the future . . .

MCPB/KZYX should embrace this opportunity
to participate in democracy,
as well as encourage the “checks and balance”
that a truly representative Board of Directors provides,
==> by providing its membership the information they need
(in a fair and balanced manner) that encourages all
to participate in electing their representatives.


Holly? Jane? Meg? Stuart? What say You on this issue?

Democratically yours,
~C.

P.S. Another reading recommendation:
Slow Democracy: Rediscovering Community, Bringing Decision Making Back Home 
by Susan Clark.





On Feb 6, 2015, at 12:25 PM, Dennis OBrien <dennisobrien at sharejerusalem.com> wrote:

> I request that anyone discussing the MCPB/KZYX campaign focus on policies and procedures, actions and their consequences, rather than using personal insults and/or demeaning someone's character.  Specifically, I do not want anyone to make a "third-party hit" on my behalf by insulting/demeaning someone.  As soon as you do that, it reduces your  credibility concerning any valid point you are trying to make.  If someone does something that you think is bad for the organization, it will be more helpful if you describe the wrongful act and its detrimental effect.  It's much more effective, and you will reduce the vitriol that is poisoning the discussion of real issues.
> 
> Thanks,
> Denny
> 
> PS - A good article on nonviolent communication, aka collaborative communication, is at
> 
> Nonviolent Communication - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
>  
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> 
>  
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> Nonviolent Communication - Wikipedia, the free encyclop...
> Nonviolent Communication (abbreviated NVC, also called Compassionate Communication or Collaborative Communication[1][2]) is a communication process devel...
> View on en.wikipedia.org
> Preview by Yahoo
>  
> 
> 
> Date: Thu, 5 Feb 2015 20:26:15 -0800
> From: "Tim Gregory" <tgregory at saber.net>
> Subject: Re: [Kzyxtalk] Centrist takeover of KZYX, c. 2010
> To: kzyxtalk at lists.mcn.org
> Message-ID:
>     <e49b10a3be80af69c2574ba43d7b8293.squirrel at webmail.saber.net>
> Content-Type: text/plain;charset=iso-8859-1
> 
> life is simple, for simple people.
> ---
> 
> 
> The membership controls nothing, Doug. You know that. I know that. Everybody knows
> that.
> 
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> 
> From: "Doug McKenty" <dougmck at gmail.com>
> To: "kzyxtalk" <kzyxtalk at lists.mcn.org>
> Sent: Thursday, February 5, 2015 4:37:17 PM
> Subject: Re: [Kzyxtalk] Centrist takeover of KZYX, c. 2010
> 
> I brought up the mission in my three minute statement at the meeting Monday. It is
> at the center of my campaign for the board. I felt like the current board members
> were receptive to what I said.
> 
> Stuart brought up that board members are responsible for following the Mission. In
> my talk I mentioned that I thought a lot of frustration is felt by those members who
> do not feel the membership "controls the stations programming and operational
> philosophy." I also mentioned that even members with a minority view should have a
> venue where they can say what they feel and know they have been heard. I believe a
> lack of this is the root of much of the frustration surrounding the station among
> many in our community and would like to see more effort to foster better
> communication about station policy.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
> > On Feb 5, 2015, at 3:52 PM, Norman de Vall <ndevall at mcn.org> wrote:
> >
> > If you want to maintain the status quo
> > keep the decision makers away from
> > asking "How can we better meet the
> > challenges of our Mission Statement?"
> >
> >

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