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| OHF acting Chair, Sean Bennett |
Discussion began this past spring when former OHF Chair Iris Firemoon resigned from the organization citing mostly personal and family-related issues. After Firemoon's resignation, the position of acting chair was taken up by Sean Bennett, the OHF's Vice President. As no other candidate has entered the running, Bennett has remained acting chair throughout the summer months, taking up the major leadership responsibilities within the organization.
The issue seems to have greatly intensified this week as Firemoon posted about her experience, alleging that the circumstances surrounding it and the boards reaction have contributed to an unstable operation antithetical to the standard behavior that a board member should be expected to uphold. You can read her entire statement here.
It appears that once the posting on Firemoon's blog began to get reposted within the local community, several people and groups involved with the organizations began to make reactionary statements. In a statement released last night to PNC-DC by leadership from within three local groups of The Firefly House, leaders explained that they have pulled their group sponsorship form the organization as well as pulling back several of their members as volunteers:
"In response to these actions - which The Firefly House holds as ethically irresponsible and oppositional to our tradition’s belief structure - we have decided to pull financial and volunteer support from the Open Hearth Foundation until the OHF board remedies the situations in a way that is suitable to the current conditions."
In addition to this more formal statement, PNC-DC picked up several personal statements made by others such as local bloggers, Firefly members, as well as former and current volunteers of the OHF. The statements tend to range from expressions of agreement, to concerns about the topic in general contributing negatively to the Center's functioning:
"Cancelled my OHF donations until the board gets its issues straightened out. Sad that a dream with so much potential has come down so low."
-Norma Hamlet-Zarpak, former OHF volunteer
"I want to see this issue addressed, but I am not willing to financially imperil the community center at this critical juncture." She continues by saying "I am not yet convinced that it is right to threaten to destroy what so many have worked so hard to create in order to blame an institution for the actions of an individual." She closes her statement with "I don’t want to see the community destroy itself and its resources this way; I don’t want my support for the community center to become a political football in a personal dispute."
-Literata (full post here)
"I'm certain the poison within the OHF will work its way out and the community will come out stronger because of it. I've already seen numerous people withdraw support and the board will soon see that unless they take a stand against what is wrong, the organization will crumble."
-Moonsage Waterhawk, Firefly member
"I will be boycotting all OHF activities until this situation is resolved."
-LaVada Catherine DelConte, former OHF volunteer
Until this week, the board of the OHF has stayed silent, likely viewing the initial catalyst of events as a personal-only matter. Once the conversation broke into the public sphere, we asked the board for a statement in regards to the allegations made against the current acting Chair and the members of the board. Their full response:
Open Statement to the Pagan Community
August 7th, 2012
This is a statement of the OHF board members and affiliates regarding the recent discourse about the OHF leadership.
First, the Open Hearth Foundation is a public nonprofit foundation that is not the personal project of any one individual. For more than a decade, hundreds of people have contributed money, time, and energy to manifest the Center. We affirm that the OHF is a community organization that exists above and beyond the interests of individual members or group within the community. OHF successes or shortcomings are not attributable to any individual.
Second, the OHF has relied on volunteer members to serve on the board and work as volunteer leaders. We recognize that every official of the OHF has a personal life and the board has historically strived to retain a high level of professionalism in separating personal life events from the OHF’s operations. We maintain that such a separation is imperative in retaining the reputation of the organization.
Third, neither the community nor the organization are best served by removing leadership because of allegations that are unrelated to the professional work of the OHF or the execution of the fiduciary responsibilities of the Board of Governors. Moreover, the board cannot comment or act on pending legal matters that do not involve the organization. Personal relationships entered into freely and outside the purview of the OHF have no bearing on personnel decisions unless they implicate the duties and obligations owed to the organization or render the OHF legally liable for wrongdoing.
Fourth, we affirm that any allegations against any member of the board should be investigated if it has a bearing on their duties and obligations due to the organization. Evidence of such malfeasance may be brought directly to the board. For those requiring confidentiality, an ombudsman is available.
Fifth, the OHF continues to focus on the vitality of the center and the community it serves. We encourage people to engage with the OHF by participating in events, becoming members, volunteering, becoming trustees, applying for board positions, and safeguarding the respect and goodwill of their community center.
Sincerely,
Board of Governors:
Anura Rose
Maria Aquila
Pam Firemane
Sean Bennett
Former Board Members:
Angela Roberts
Cyra Akila Choudhury
Eric Eldritch
Patricia McKay
Shea Thomas
Sherry Marts
Committee Leaders:
Aderyn Michelle
Eric S. Riley
M. Twist Eversoll
R. Tigre Cruz
Organizational Points of Contact:
OHF Spokesperson: Eric Eldritch@OpenHearth.org
OHF Ombudsman: Angela Roberts, Angela@OpenHearth.org
It has also come to our attention that OHF donor and volunteer Joel Tinkle has begun to circulate a petition on Change.org, calling on Bennett to step down.
"Sean Bennett has dishonored his position and the organization he purports to love through his lack of accountability, illicit personal conduct, and rude, disrespectful behavior without any restraint or consequences."
-Joel Tinkle
This is likely to be an ongoing story and PNC-DC will keep you informed if anything new develops. In the meantime, please feel free to contribute to this story by way of the comments below.
[Disclosure Note: Reported by David Salisbury, of PNC-DC, The Firefly House, and The Open Hearth Foundation. Diana Rajchel, Executive Editor of Pagan Newswire Collective, reviewed this story prior to publication.]
The link to Literata's full post, with accompanying discussion, is here: http://worksofliterata.org/2012/08/08/firefly-calls-for-a-boycott-of-ohf/
ReplyDeleteTo quote Pogo, "We have met the enemy, and he is us." Why do we insist on eating our leaders, or in this case our own overworked, underfunded community organizations?
ReplyDeleteJust so there's no perceptions of quirkiness or bias involving conflicts of interest, because DC-PNC has writers who are involved in either OHF or FH (and maybe both), would it be possible to state which DC-PNC writer(s) wrote this particular post? Although this piece seems to try and take as much of a neutral stance as possible given the emotional charge of the material, I think that would be beneficial for those of us on the outside to get a good grasp of where all the pieces are on the chessboard and avoid any sorts surprises later on.
ReplyDeleteThank you for all the work you do reporting the news in the community, even when it isn't the news that anyone wants to hear!
Maeri, hello! Thanks for your feedback.
ReplyDeleteThis piece was collaborated on by the majority of the PNC-DC team and went through rounds of edits by all our writers as well as PNC national's editorial coordinator. Because of all the moving pieces and the piece truly being a group effort, it made the most sense to post as being from our bureau in general.
Let us know if you have any other questions.
Totally understand the collaborative process. Thanks for the clarification.
DeletePlease disclose the affiliation of the people you quote and their coonection to Firefly or the OHF, the readership should know if there is selection bias in this media outlet. Moreover, disclose the connection of the author to these parties. From this report, the controversy or concerns seem to held by one group and its followers and largely manufactured.
ReplyDeleteHello anonymous - I am not associated with Firefly - albeit a number of my friends are - the only groups I am officially affiliated with are OBOD and Four Quarters Interfaith Sanctuary to which I am a Church member. I have in fact volunteered to assist the OHF with Event Coordination for I sincerely believe in its mission and charter, and will not abandon it - so whomever begging to call those out but is shamed to identify their ownselves - I only assert that those who create public spectacles of themselves clean up their messes by doing the right thing - so sad to disappoint it's not a conspiracy.
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ReplyDeleteIt would seem that a very high proportion of the "former volunteers" and organizations withdrawing support are affiliated with Iris and her Firefly organization. I will be more impressed with the severity of this problem should the majority of the disaffected start to be persons not affiliated with the parties of what seems a personal marital dispute. While some organizational leaders are dismissed for personal ethical problems, there is a general reluctance for organizations to take sides on such until organizational operations are themselves effected. I am not convinced that this is more than a personal relationship gone nuclear. I am not convinced yet that the ethics breach allegations should be a matter for public commentary and organizational action. Iris may possibly have been horribly hurt here -- I have little basis upon which to judge other than the screaming accusations of her and her horde of allies. Frankly at this point it is the actions that endanger our still fragile community center that anger me -- not what Sean did or did not do.
ReplyDeleteHow does this matter for Sean as a leader? Well, this is A COMMUNITY CENTER, A FAMILY ENVIRONMENT, and I find it contradictory for a man who cannot respect the vows of his handfasting (or legal marriage) and live up to it, especially when he has a child on the way. He demoralizes women--the sacred of the goddess. Is that a person fit to run your Pagan FAMILY community center?
DeleteDomestic abuse is not a "marital dispute," and silencing an abused woman for speaking her truth adds your voice the the generations who have minimized violence against women in this way for millennia. Additionally, this ceased to be a "marital dispute" when he used his control over his victim for the purposes of gaining organizational power and control. That's what makes this "personal isse" a matter of organizational importance, and the failure of OHF's board to recognize that is shameful.
DeleteGiven the the large amount of crossover between Capital Witch and Firefly (an organization Iris runs), I think it would behoove Capital Witch to disclose who exactly collaborated on this article, and who the primary writers were, in order to preserve their journalistic integrity. Otherwise it is hard not to perceive this as simply an effort by Iris and her friends to further a private vendetta over a private matter with whatever connections and resources they can bring to bear.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous- we have taken your views into consideration and have consulted with the PNC national Executive Editor for clarity. As those quoted were not speaking on behalf of their organizations (Firefly or not), there is no need to break down every organization they have ever come in contact with. Certainly there is much crossover in any Pagan organization locally, that is no secret. We can assure you that a great effort was taken to get quotes from many people, especially quotes by those who do not agree with the Firefly statement such as Literata Hurley and the OHF board itself. Beyond that, burden of proof is on the beholder.
ReplyDeleteThat said, you have every right to file a complaint with PNC's national staff if you feel there was bias in this article. The email address of the Executive Editor is pnceditorial@gmail.com.
Thank you
David Salisbury, Bureau Chief
Norma Zarpak - Firefly member
ReplyDeletehttp://www.meetup.com/fireflydcmeetup/members/11196628/
LaVada Del Conte - Firefly Clergy
http://www.fireflyhouse.org/clergy.html
David Salisbury - Firefly HP
http://www.davidscauldron.com/2012/08/the-bonds-of-coven.html
While it's certainly true that you can't pry apart everyone's history, it's clear that this article was composed almost entirely of people with an agenda, and published by someone with an agenda.
Are you not looking at what started this whole thing? Or do you not care because you personally weren't abused? Sean has gone on from person to person, lying and manipulating. And it stretches back to his wife prior to Iris. This is a COMMUNITY center we want to foster here. A place for FAMILY. Does that register? And I'm not a Firefly member now. I used to be but I left in 2010. However, what has transpired has led me to want to return because I've been impressed with the number of caring, upstanding citizens it contains. It is a place where people will stand up for those they care about. That isn't something that all people are willing to do. It's not easy to stick your neck out for others. But maybe you don't see that because it's never happened to you and you can say to yourself "not my problem."
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ReplyDeleteAnonymous- Everyone knows that I am a Firefly HP, which is why we took care to collaborate and have several sets of eyes on this piece. It is no secret. This article was team effort and I am the only staffer on this bureau who is affiliated with Firefly.
ReplyDeleteAgain, you have the full right to take up a grievance with the PNC Executive Director, who fully investigated this article ahead of time to ensure its balanced nature. That email address is pnceditorial@gmail.com.
Thank you
David Salisbury, Bureau Chief
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ReplyDeleteAnonymous,
ReplyDeleteHow about you state who you are for the record? Stirring the pot with no personal accountability seems kind of lame.
After sleeping on it, I did decide to voice some (easily correctable) concerns regarding the presentation of this article. Here is a copy of the letter that I sent (with my apologies for it being broken up into multiple segments due to length):
ReplyDeleteTo the PNC Executive Director:
I’d like to start out by saying that I believe the Pagan Newswire Collective and its DC branch have been and continue to be a benefit to the Pagan and Non-Pagan world through their timely and professional reports of matters of interest within modern Paganism. Because media—and, in particular, independent media—is under the scrutiny of a public spotlight in our 24/7 world, it is vital that media must maintain high levels of ethics and accountability to retain its usefulness and viability in the public sector. As the “court of public opinion” is potentially far more damning to journalism than any court of law, I would like to address some concerns I have about a recent article appearing on CapitalWitch.com. The article referenced is “Leadership Concerns Plague OHF”, authorship attributed to “PNC-DC”, published August 8, 2012, which can be found at
http://www.capitalwitch.com/2012/08/leadership-concerns-plague-ohf.html.
First and foremost, I believe that there was no deliberate attempt to mislead or influence readership and that, by and large, the article succeeds in presenting a fact-based summary of events with minimal bias. With that in mind, there are a few concerns that, if addressed, will clear up appearances of bias due to conflict of interest. These suggestions are in line with guidelines set forward by the Radio Television Digital News Association (Guidelines for Avoiding Conflict of Interest, http://www.rtdna.org/pages/media_items/guidelines-for-avoiding-conflict-of-interest1605.php?g=36?id=1605) and the Society for Professional Journalists Code of Ethics (http://www.spj.org/ethicscode.asp). These guidelines are in line with the ethical code in the PNC Collective Principles of Unity (and of specific relevance to this story: The PNC will at all times aspire to ideals of transparency, balance, and fairness in the pursuit of a story. We will not use our positions within the collective to sway opinion in local personal disputes or ”Witch Wars”, nor will we let personal ideology or theology erode our impartiality.)
Issue 1:
Unlike many other articles on PNC-DC, this article did not have a byline nor a posting credit aside from the “PNC-DC” administrator tag. When questioned about this, Bureau Chief David Salisbury indicated that, “This piece was collaborated on by a majority of the PNC-DC team…”
With the exception of an infrequent guest post or columnist article, there appear to be four regular contributors within the past year to PNC-DC: Maria Aquila, Iris Firemoon, Jennifer Moore, and David Salisbury. Of those contributors, three have distinct potential conflicts of interest in regards to this story (Maria Aquila as a member of the OHF Board, Iris Firemoon as HPS of Firefly House, and David Salisbury as HP of Firefly House). If any of the three participated in the publication of the article, it is imperative to give disclosure about participation in the creation of the article and to what level participation was provided. If, as stated, a majority of the PNC-DC team participated in the collaborative writing of this article, it is a mathematic certainty that one or more of the collaborators has a potential conflict of interest that should be disclosed.
From the RTDNA Code of Ethics,
Will the private actions of a journalist with a news source or newsmaker give the appearance of an unprofessional connection. Audience members may react with suspicion to revelations of friendships or romances that develop between journalists and their sources—particularly if there is ongoing coverage of a beat or story. Journalists and their managers must realize relationships that would be perfectly acceptable between other adults might not be viewed in the same way when there is also a journalist-source relationship.
(Con't., part 2)
DeleteFrom the SPJ Code of ethics,
Journalists should:
Avoid conflicts of interest, real or perceived.
Disclose unavoidable conflicts.
PNC-DC is aware of the importance of proper disclosure, and has used it in the past (see “Witches’ Faire Makes Debut in DC”, March 7, 2012 for an example).
Corrective Action: In this particular case, a simple statement of who participated in the creation of the article and a note about their potential conflicts of interest as it relates to this story would be an ethically sound course of action.
Secondary Corrective Action: It would be useful going forward for the "About" page to list who the staff of the organization are at any given time, not only for disclosure purposes, but also to make sure that the hard-working volunteers can receive credit for the tremendous work that they do.
Issue 2:
Just as it is important to disclose potential conflict of interest from the writers of an article, it is also important to fully disclose potential conflicts of interest from the sources that an article cites. In this article, two of the quoted statements came from people identified as “former OHF volunteer” (Norma Hamlet-Zarpak and LaVada Catherine DelConte). Through a bit of research, it appears that both of these individuals are members (with one being clergy) within Firefly. Although their status as “former OHF volunteer” is important to this article, disclosure about their connection to Firefly should also be provided, to avoid the appearance that this information is being hidden to encourage bias.
From the SPJ Code of Ethics:
Identify sources whenever feasible. The public is entitled to as much information as possible on sources' reliability.
Corrective Action: For all sources cited, state relevant connections to the two parties involved (Firefly and OHF).
Issue 3:
This is a minor style issue, and one that tends to be problematic for many publications. The headline for this particular article is potentially misleading.
Of greatest concern is the use of the word “plague”. The implication of this word is that of a widespread affliction. In this context, it would seem to indicate that multiple members of the OHF leadership team have leadership concerns raised about them or that there have been leadership concerns in OHF for a long period of time. I do not believe that PNC-DC was intending to imply questions about other members of the current OHF leadership team, nor attempt to state that previous leaders of OHF were of concern.
In addition, in cases of a dispute, a headline best serves the reader when it clearly delineates sides of an argument. By only naming one side of the argument, the implication is that the named party is “more guilty” than the unnamed party. Specifically in this case, the impetus for the allegations comes from one organization (Firefly House) and the allegations are directed against only one part of OHF (the current acting chair of OHF). A better headline would improve the clarity of the issue, both to avoid concerns about bias and also to avoid any hints that the headline and information therein has libel concerns.
Corrective Action: Revised headline suggestions could include:
Firefly House Raises Concerns about OHF Acting Chair
(if it is true that the entire organization is on board with the raising of concerns, which their press release seems to indicate is the case)
Dispute Develops between Firefly House and OHF Regarding Acting Chair
Firefly House Questions Ethics of OHF Acting Chair
Or, to make it more inclusive about the other blog mentioned that doesn’t actively take a side, you then add a subhead, such as “Other Local Pagans, and Bloggers Express Views” or “Current OHF Volunteer Starts Petition Asking for Acting Chair’s Removal”
(Con't., part 3)
DeleteThank you for taking the time to read this and to take these concerns under consideration. As a professional in print and digital media for more than a decade and a half, I believe that integrity in the printed and digital word is vital for the continued survival of journalistic pursuits. Because of the important niche that PNC and PNC-DC serves, I felt it important to raise these concerns to make sure that PNC/PNC-DC is able to maintain its professional appearance of neutrality during the reporting of an emotionally charged story with potential divisiveness in the local community.
Should you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at any time. I also would gladly make my professional experience available as a disinterested party for this or other articles.
Best regards,
Marienne
CC: CapitalWitch.com blog comments section
CapitalWitch@gmail.com
Maeri, thank you for your feedback.
DeleteMaeri, Thank you for raising your concerns and voicing your feedback to the PNC Executive Director. As a Pagan Community Organizer in the region (Maryland/Baltimore) I appreciate the clarity that I believe your letter helped to foster.
DeleteKat,
Co-Organizer
Central Maryland Pagans Meet-Up
PS: I do want to point out that membership in the Firefly Meet-Up Group does not necessarily mean that an individual is a member of the Coven and I offer myself as an example; I maintain membership to be able to share open events with my group.
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ReplyDeleteShit just got real. Hope you crazy kids can work it out. Sad to see OHF be so dishonorably dismantled in public view after all the good it has done.
ReplyDelete