The Show Must Go On!
I was told by the nominating chair at the Garden Society that at the eleventh hour he was able to draft a nominee for VP of the Park. Not the ideal situation and not the ideal candidate, but someone stepped up in time, so the meeting will go on as scheduled — Saturday, December 4th, 10 a.m., Ansin Building, Fenway Health Center, 1340 Boylston Street. All gardeners and the public are invited to attend. Expect nominations from the floor.
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Let's Grow Together.
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Let's Grow Together.
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There was apparently a great hue and cry when word got out that the meeting might be postponed, which I think is a good sign of civic engagement. Most folks want the gardens to be a no-drama zone. Unfortunately there's been a little drama on the way. But we'll get there.
The first task of the new board should be to make sure the bylaws are read and understood by everyone on it, and then that they are fully and properly implemented, which will greatly curtail opportunities for drama, for those who may be so inclined, during the growing season. There are built-in safeguards — like knowledge- and task-sharing, oversight and transparency. The less cloak-and-dagger nonsense the better.
It's all there in the bylaws, which, when properly implemented, provide the foundation of a robust and open community, one with volunteerism at its core, and a process which is fair, impartial and transparent as a guide.
So one of the first things I'll do as President is start working on building a culture of volunteerism that is based not on compulsion or coercion but on this sense of community. There are a lot of very capable people who would like to contribute more to our community whose offers have not been followed up on. There are others who have been doggedly discouraged.
One example. There are some basic tasks — like building gates and fences — that have not been followed up on where there is not money to be made from gardeners who need help with repairs, and there are certainly no rules against paying someone to do it for you. But I can promise you this: no one on my board will be involved in any money-making business in the gardens that conflicts with his or her work for the good of the gardens.
I myself, along with other gardeners in my section, aside from repeatedly repairing gates and fences in abandoned plots, have volunteered whenever the VP of the Park has asked for assistance with repairs. None of us have ever received a call-back. And yet it is not uncommon to hear complaints from the board at the annual meeting about a lack of volunteerism.
I would like us to be an organization that welcomes everyone's contribution of time and talent, however much they can give, and one that greets these contributions with sincere gratitude. Again, the biggest task is to get back to a process for keeping things running smoothly that is fair, impartial and transparent. No ulterior motives, no conflicts of interest, no deals on the side.
We don't have to reinvent the wheel, we just have to put the ones we've got back on the bus and get it off the blocks and up and running again. It'll take some tinkering and a tune-up, but with a little work by Spring we'll be humming along.
Let's get this show on the road!
Posted by Mike Mennonno at 11/29/2010 10:43 AM 
Categories: The Agenda, The Naked Gardener, A Day in the Life
Categories: The Agenda, The Naked Gardener, A Day in the Life
I was going over some of the FGS rules, charter and memebership as was perplexed that of the Title of the Vice-President. He is noted as Vice-President of the Park not of the FGS. Could you please explain??? I hope this can be changed to FGS as it has always been understood about the difference between the FGS and Park...
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One of the things I'd like to do is get the constitutional committee together to update our bylaws, principally to reflect our nonprofit status (and, as Henry mentions, things like an explicit conflict of interest clause), but other issues, like this one, could be addressed, and clarified as well.
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I run a non-profit and we made sure we have a very good (i.e. clear and not legalese) 'conflict of interest' policy in our bylaws. One thing I learned is that you have to manage your volunteers professionally - call them back, thank them after they worked, show your (genuine) appreciation at least once a year, ask them what they would like to volunteer for and are good at, don't waste their time, give them specific tasks rather than grand assignments. And never take them for granted. They don't need you, you need them.
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Hi Mike,
My partner is a gardener, and I've lived in the Fenway for 10 years. I can't tell you how heartened we both are that you have stepped up with positive, practical and constructive ideas for the FGS. For myself, I regard the Victory Gardens as one of the great gems of Boston. The way it strikes the eye when you come over the bridge from Boylston always takes my breath away.
Fortunately or unfortunately, the Fenway is, and always has been, full of great characters as well . . .
You've mentioned the Fenway CDC. Not to oversimplify this, but the current tempest in the garden seems to mirror, to some extent, the historical divide between Fenway Civic and the Fenway CDC. That divide is narrowing now and I have hope that we can all work together in the future.
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Calling the volunteer drafted as the new VP of the Park "not the ideal candidate" ain't the best way to inspire your new board and build this cool "culture of volunteerism" you write about. You trashed the guy who was doing the job, are you starting in on the new VP already?
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Usually don't post anonymous comments (even when IP addresses can be incredibly revealing), but obviously passions are running high.
There is an organizational challenge to the VP of the Park job. And there's also a need for someone whose income -- any part of it -- is not tied to work in the gardens. Period. There's nothing wrong with someone who doesn't fit that profile. It's not personal. It's like any job description. Some people fit, other people have other skills or commitments. It may sound far-fetched, given the heated hysteria of this campaign, but none of this is personal.
The truth is there is no "ideal candidate" for VP of the Park at this point. I'm grateful, as I said, that the individual who has been drafted for the VP of the Park position has stepped up. I like him, personally. He's an affable guy. And we can work together. But again, the administration of an all-volunteer organization like ours is not easy. It's nothing personal to say that some individuals don't possess the ideal skill-set for a specific office. Think of an office like treasurer. We have clear-cut expectations for that. It may be tacky but it's not "trashing" someone to say so.
As for the current VP. David St. Jean is an incredibly hard worker -- which I have always said -- but in my opinion does not possess the communication and organizational skills needed to lead a body like ours. It is perfectly legitimate for me -- his opponent -- to make that case. And making it will inevitably alienate some people. I'm well aware of that. It's a calculation you make when you enter into a contest like this.
But I did not call attention to any glaring personal issues St. Jean might have. I did not call him a "pervert", a liar, make outrageous claims about him, or warn that he was going to destroy the world -- all of which, and more, he has said about me, much of it publicly. In fact, it was his first order of business with me. So get this straight: if anybody "trashed" the current VP of the Park's campaign, it was the VP of the Park. He didn't need any help from me.
I am ready to work with any and all volunteers in whatever capacity, and I am grateful for whatever time and skills they can lend. If they are overburdened or overwhelmed by some of their responsibilities, we will deal with it. There are plenty of folks to lend a hand. I'll be the first in line.
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FYI Here is the latest email from David St. Jean making the rounds...
--- On Tue, 11/30/10, David St. Jean <XXXXXX@yahoo.com> wrote:
> From: David St. Jean <XXXXXX@yahoo.com>
> Subject: Re: ???????????????????
> To: "XXXXXX" <XXXXXX@yahoo.com>
> Date: Tuesday, November 30, 2010, 6:31 PM
> if you are there this will I
> guarantee to be the ugliest meeting you ever have
> Ben to for anything. but i have taken a position in
> Westfield and can't be the
> pres. I will call for volunteers from the floor as mm is a
> pervert and will turn
> the fgs back 30 years. If you want to go have that beer
> time is short.I will go
> out the way I came in. I have been building fences the past
> 2 weekends where
> were you? MM cannot be pres at all costs and I DON"T PLAY
> NICE when I care about
> somthing I will be through from time to time as work will
> take me to the hub
> every couple of months.
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Scary.
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