[OpenID] Several Questions for the Current & Future Board

Dick Hardt dick.hardt at gmail.com
Sat Dec 13 06:39:02 UTC 2008


Like Scott, I am disappointed by your comments Johannes. Please see  
responses inline ...

On 12-Dec-08, at 12:04 PM, Johannes Ernst wrote:

> Sadly, so far not even the board has had insight into the financials.

I think you can only speak for yourself Johannes. We had a budget for  
2008. As treasurer I put together a budget for 2009 which was  
approved. Given the lack of strategic and tactical direction of the  
board, I put together the best budget I could with the input  
available. I don't recall you objecting to either of the budgets.

> Every board I've ever been associated reviews the financials of the  
> organization at or before each board meeting, even if it is only a  
> formality.

I have been on two different non-profit tech organization boards over  
the last 11 years. We do an annual budget that we approve. We check in  
at six months.

> I went on an extremely broken record for something like a year,  
> before a (single, one-time, and incomplete) set of financials was  
> provided on November 4th, I believe.


As I told the board and the board agreed -- there was little value in  
spending board time reviewing financials if nothing unusual was  
happening. See below for the only expenditure that was not in the  
budget. I was frustrated as well with the lack of financial statements  
provided by our ED, but given the bank balance information, I had  
confidence that we did not have any major financial irregularities.

> Sometimes we did get a bank balance in board meetings, which is  
> better than nothing but a bad governance tool. The funny thing is,  
> we kept making spending decisions on the board without having  
> anything resembling a budget that would educate us whether or not we  
> actually had the money to spend.

Speaking of funny things, the one major expenditure that was made by  
the board that was NOT in the budget was the customer research project  
that you spearheaded. As treasurer, I was disappointed and surprised  
that I was not consulted about the expenditure, but you pushed it  
through at a board meeting I was unable to make. Given that we had the  
funds, I did not make an issue out of not being consulted -- but I  
find it ironic that you of all people are calling the board  
financially irresponsible.

While I appreciate your energy and commitment you have made to OpenID,  
I find this politicking self serving and counter productive. Please  
stop for the good of the community.

-- Dick



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