Recent events

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Messages pertaining to recent AGA political activity

On October 16, in a closed session of the AGA Board of Directors, four Board members - John Stephenson, Chen-dao Lin, David Dinhofer and Bob O'Malley - surprised the other three members by suddenly removing President Chris Kirschner from office and designated DeeDee Eckles of Denver as his successor.

Shortly after the ouster, a group of prominent AGA organizers drafted an open letter which eventually attracted nearly fifty signatures. Click here to view this letter. Noting in the by-laws that any six chapters could petition to remove Board members for "malfeasance, dereliction of duty or irreconcilable conflict of interest", several chapters filed petitions with AGA Secretary Susan Weir. However, acting on the advice of AGA Compliance Officer Michael Brockbank, Board Chairman Bob O'Malley declared the petitions invalid because they did not specify the petitioner's reasons for seeking removal. Chapters then filed the required number of acceptable petitions with the Secretary, clearing the way for a vote among chapter represetnatives to remove the four Board members involved in the ouster.

Meanwhile, after nearly a month of rising alarm and indignation throughout the AGA, Central Region Representatuive David Dinhofer resigned from the Board on November 12. The following day, Eastern Region representative Chen-dao Lin resigned as well. With Stephenson's term set to expire at the end of the year, some chapters have decided to withdraw their petitions.

The American Go E-Journal has given these events extensive coverage. Click here to read excerpts from recent E-Journals concerning these developments. This web site contains a partial selection of some of the e-mail ttraffic that has shaped the discussion. All statements are published with consent.

All four Board members who voted for replacement have posted explanations of their actions to the AGA chapter reflector. Board members Dinhofer and O'Malley have not granted permission for their statements to be published here.

Statements of Principals
John Stephenson statement	Board member John Stephenson's statement.
Chen-dao Lin statement	Board member Chen-dao Lin's statement.
Chris Kirschner brief statement	Former President Kirschner's brief statement.
Chris Kirschner general statement	Former President Kirschner's general statement.
Chris Kirschner detailed statement	Former President Kirschner's detailed statement.
Chen-dao Lin response	Board member Chen-dao Lin's response to Kirschner's statement.
Statements of Discussants
Jeff Shaevel summary	Austin Go Club President Jeff Shaevel sent this summary of early events to members of his chapter and made it available to other interested parties.
Steven Mount summary summary	University of Maryland Chapter rep Steven Mount posted this view of events on his website.
Rick Mott statement	Princeton Go Club's Rick Mott's statement.
Michael Brockbank legal opinion	AGA Compliance Officer Michael Brockbank's opinion that the proposed recall is not valid.
Recall process on hold	Presidential designee Dee Dee Eckles puts the recall process on hold
More on recall freeze	Dee Dee Eckles further clarifies her actions.
Jon Boley statement	Board member Jon Boley shares his thoughts about delays in the recall process.
Terry Benson statement	Past President and American Go Foundation President Terry Benson shares his thoughts about delays in the recall process.
Chuck Robbins statement	AGA Tournament Coordinator Chuck Robbins shares his thoughts about delays in the recall process.
Gordon Fraser statement	Former AGA webmaster and workshop organizer Gordon Fraser shares his thoughts about delays in the recall process.
Bill Saltman statement	Two-time Congress director Bill Saltman calls on the entire Board to resign.
Thomas Hsiang statement	Top player and AGA Pro Liaison Officer Thomas Hsiang shares his thoughts about the call for mass resignation.
Bill Saltman retraction	Saltman withdraws his chapter recall petition after Dinhofer and Lin resign, and calls on other chapters to do the same. Most of them followed his lead, stopping the recall.