More Q&A about the state of the USCF

marknibb wrote:

"Susan, as a current EB member, do you have any intention of putting forward motions at the coming EB meeting. A great deal is being made by those calling for your resignation about your lack of proposals making it into the record. First, is this true and why? Second, do you intend to attempt to try to bring about USCF change or should we be looking to someone else to take up the "change" agenda?"

Mark,

I ran for the board to help the USCF. Paul and I showed what we can do (just look at the example of Texas Tech in less than one year and nearly $3 million in sponsorship committed) if we are allowed to do what we know best. Imagine what we could do for the USCF if they would allow us to do our jobs instead of wasting 9 months over a “bogus investigation” where they refuse to allow us to examine the evidence / data.

We resurrected USCF chess in a region where chess was almost non-existent for decades and signed up nearly 100 new USCF members and this number may go to thousands when all the schools are involved with chess deeper. We turned a city which is not known for chess into a household name worldwide within a year.

In one year, we are now organizing the 2nd category SPICE Cup, a category 15 event, the highest rated 10-person International RR chess tournament in U.S. history with over 50 sponsors. Over 30 strong GMs wrote to me for invitations to play in this event. Some are even over 2700.

What have they done? I am not going to play their destructive and dirty political games. Motions which you see are basically decided before they are made. I just showed one example with the military liaison. Bill Goichberg knew that I have been working and sponsoring military chess for the past 3 years. No other board member is even active in military chess. Even the military people asked me to be their liaison.

But Bill Goichberg did not want me to control another liaison. His ego would not allow it. In fact, he wanted to get rid of me from the college and scholastic committees where no board member is even actively involved. So he wrote to Randy Hough and Jim Berry asking them to nominate and vote for each other. They did and voted exactly what he wanted with a 4-0 vote the next day. This issue was leaked out all over the place. If they did this over a trivial matter like this, what would they do with important issues or issues involving lucrative jobs, bids, awards, or contracts?

So what good would any motion do? What good does it do to have a record of it? They will just spin and lie about it.

This is why board members did not even know about the contract to rebuild the USCF website for almost a year. This is why the contract was broken up to multiple parts under $10,000 so no board approval was needed.

Welcome to the USCF! This was how it worked with the election for the Presidency as well. He already got the votes before they arrived in Cherry Hill. Look at the state of the USCF today. Revenues and memberships are down and we are about to lose another $100,000. So did anyone resign for putting the USCF in this situation? Does the President or ED have the honor and decency to step down and let others fix the problems to save the USCF?

When I ran for the board, I recommended Mr. Korenman and Bauer. The other side claimed that it was a slate even though I said it is not true. I recommended the people who I thought had the best skills and experience in specific areas to help this federation. 9 months later, who is right? Can anyone name me a person who believes that Randy Bauer is a part of my slate? I recommended Randy because of his past experience with the Iowa budget.

I am not a chess politician and I will never be. I hate chess politics. I am a chess professional, chess Mom, chess teacher, and chess promoter. I care about the future of chess. I care about the next generation of chess players. If I walk away from the USCF today, it will not change my finances one bit. In fact, it would probably enhance it.

I just do what I feel is best for U.S. chess and the USCF. I do not want to see this federation go under without at least attempting to help it. I do not call or write anyone to push my views. I make my views known publicly without any interference or pitiful political games. I will continue to speak out and let all 80,000 USCF members know what is going on with their federation and why we lost money in 10 of the last 12 years. I cannot be bought by anyone.

If members do not know the truth, they cannot even demand for change. The board actually believes that the voices of a dozen or so of their politically motivated allies in the USCF forum or rec.games speak for all 80,000 USCF members. They do not.

If they want to recall me, let them. In fact, I would even challenge them to recall me. I would like to see the people who raise their hands to vote to recall me. The USCF is not going to get better until everything will come to light. This is how I intend to help change the USCF. I will expose all their unethical activities until they will stop and act ethically, responsibly, and put the best interest of chess and the USCF first.

Greetings from Rome!
Susan Polgar