In a sort of disclaimer, let it be known that I am a former president of the Great Northern Blues Society here in Wisconsin. Blues has always been something that touched me in a strange and personal way. And I support the GNBS, but not blindly. I have been a critic of many of the shows they have put on since my leave, since I felt they failed to support the young cats and the new voices in the blues. That being said, I thought I would pass this sad day along.
Kerry Bielen, long time secretary and treasurer of the GNBS has apparently resigned amid some sort of shenanigans. That being said, I am sorry to see her go. While she and I butted heads a lot, and I thought she was often holding onto a bad business model, few folks have been there are consistently for the organization as she has. Even I walked out in a snit, as president. So I am not above reproach.
Sorry to see you go Kerry. I hope the GNBS ship can right itself.
Here is her letter to the public that I received today.
May 22, 2008
To the Great Northern Blues Society Membership:
It has been my honor and privilege to serve the Great Northern Blues Society since its one year Anniversary in August, 1999 as a member, an Officer and Board Director. This association has brought many of life’s lessons with it, from the fun and entertainment of working with many outstanding people to learning and growing through service to the Community. After nine years of devoting my time and talent through loyal and dedicated service, I have been forced to resign from the offices of Secretary and Treasurer and as a member of the Board of Directors from an organization and its mission, I believed in with my heart.
Sadly, the GNBS Board has recently experienced a “hostile take over”. President Dennis Fick, and Board Members Mike Mensching and Adam Doede have their own agenda for the future of the Great Northern Blues Society. I did actually see this coming and fought hard for over a year to prevent it from happening. I believe there to be an underlying negative force influencing decisions. They have used “every trick in the book” in their attempts to rearrange the Board with people of their choosing and moving established members out. Vice President Dick Rauschl, and Board Members Crystal Kuroski and Jim Bielen have recently left the GNBS as well.
Throughout the past three Events the Society’s been involved with, I have been subjected to unethical treatment by these select few. Having been publicly humiliated, attacked with criticism, mocked, shunned and abused to the point of being violated, I recently found myself once again in this situation. I was forced to walk out of this year’s Blues Café, soon after the doors opened. It is impossible for me to continue on in an effective, productive association with these people.
Due to the extremes that things went to, I will not endorse, support or promote the Great Northern Blues Society from this day forward. I will instead seek out other individuals to benefit from professional opportunities as they are presented to me. I have chosen to have my name removed from all legal documentation as well, as I separate the ties.
I would like to encourage the Membership to attend the monthly meetings held and become not only aware of what goes on at meetings, but to better support your personal beliefs of what the Organization stands for. Ask questions of the Board. They are working with your interests and are ultimately responsible.
Kerry Bielen
(B}BluesWire:-) » Letting it Blurt! • Great Northern Blues Society Shake Up
7:15 pm on July 13th
[...] Letting it Blurt! • Great Northern Blues Society Shake Up [...]
Mike Tatro
5:25 am on August 13th
What a bunch of Mindless dribble!
I was interested in joining the GNBS, and after attending a few of the meetings with KB running things, I stopped coming.
NOTHING was getting done! We talked about getting the Rothschild Pavilion for the Blues Cafe’ for THREE MONTHS with no answer!
We talked about revising the website for THREE MONTHS, with NO answers!
I too love the Blues, but I have better things to do with my time than to sit around and talk about checking into the feasability of actually doing something.
The unethical treatment that KB is whinning about was brought on by herself. KB wanted to stash a box full of cash in the trunk of her car rather than putting it in a SAFE behind the reception desk at the Stoney Creek Inn. When some of the members objected, the poop hit the air-circulation device! ALL THIS because she couldn’t put the money in her car trunk? Makes you wonder what the real intensions were?
Since the “re-allignment”, I’ve once again, started to attend the GNBS meetings, and progress is being made.
After the dust settles, this will be a much stronger, more efficient, and better managed entity.
While the President of the GNBS must share in the blame for the poorly managed meetings because he was not there, KB was accomplishing Nothing.
So long KB, Hello Future!
Dino Corvino
8:34 am on August 13th
Mike, I am not going to pretend that I am just some innocent here. I am a former president of the GNBS. I would gladly come back and serve again. I tend to think that when I was there we had a good team.
Sara W had the database organized, and the volunteer pool active enough that the GNBS handled the bartending at the first two Kinzie Benefits concerts. And Sara W made that happen.
She also took a database of membership that was horribly out of date, and she whipped it into shape.
Tom Neal took the lead on our corporate partners. He had Blues Cafe nearly fully sponsored. We had a high level of talent, and a high level of advertising, and media buy in. We had begun to make serious corporate connections.
The Website never got done. I have no idea why. But I will take responsibility. Kerry brought in some of her friends to do it, and finally I just had to give up on something and it was the website.
I think the GNBS should call Sara W back into service. She is the best at what she does.
I think the Pavillion is a mistake. I thought the hotel was a mistake. You should be partners with the city, and the city will in fact help you.
Kerry and I fought at the end. I wanted to make the business plan work, I wanted to modernize how we handled money. At the end of my time there was one name on the check book, and it was KB. So if KB went on vacation we had no way of getting bills paid. As the President I was unable to write check.
I tended to think this was a bad idea. She responded after neaerly a year of questioning her on this with…”Just go put your name on the account”. I am pretty certain that does not work, or I would like access to Dick Dudleys checking account.
We fought and fought and fought for months. Then I made a mistake in judgement, and I PERSONALLY owed Mike Murphy 150 bucks. Which I paid. She used that as leverage to wage a personal attack against me, and I just threw up my hands.
I am sorry I left. I should have stayed and fought her. But none of us had access to the 17,000 dollars we had in the bank (How much is there now?), so she could have shut us down on her own completely. It was a bad time for me, and I wish I had stayed.