Don't think the leaders at NCRGEA yet appreciate that they have led a very fine organization into a swamp. Like another member-owned organization (which will remain unnamed), it never hurts to discuss important issues with your member-owners in advance, with clear justification... that's why they are called MEMBER-OWNERS!
Here's the latest from the email firestorm: [Sept. 22 - 1:51pm]
"Hi Mr. Blaine,
A
week or two ago I received the letter from NCGREA urging me to vote for
the slate of incumbent SECU Board members. I found the appeal kind of
weird, and I wondered why the organization decided to get into this
battle. The reasons for their endorsement of the incumbents raised more
questions for me than it provided answers, and I decided to do some
research. I've been joined in the search for information by a couple of
friends who are similarly concerned about NCRGEA's motives and want to
know the "rest of the story" with regard to the policy goals and past
votes of the members running for reelection, and the vision of the
challengers.
Your site provided a lot of
really good information presenting the other side of the story. I also
found a few newpaper articles that shed light on the election and what's
on the line; these two in particular that I found last night: https://www.roanoke-
I
appreciate what you've been posting. My friends and I have heard and
read enough, and we've decided that we're voting today for the
challengers, for so many reasons. But I think our main concern is the
current Board's advocacy of charging higher interest rates for members
who have low credit scores. That's just wrong! Let's leave that to the
banks, and let's let OUR credit union serve its members. I would
benefit from such a scheme if I were borrowing money, but that's not my
concern. Let's give people who are struggling a break and let them pay
the same rates as financially well off members - as has always been the
case with SECU in the past - and not privilege those who already are
doing fine. It's the right thing to do, and it gives people who are
having a hard time trying to get their financial lives together, trying
to support their families, pay off student loans, buy their first homes
or replace a dying car, etc. a chance to do that, and to establish
better credit scores.
I'm frankly stunned that members of the SECU
Board would vote for higher loan rates for our hard-working members and
fellow state employees and retirees and their families who are
struggling to make ends meet! Other things that bother me include
SECU's late decision to raise rates on money market accounts and other
savings instruments, and are now considering (if I understand things
correctly) raising rates after money has been bleeding out of the
organization, embracing the idea of opening up the membership to people
who aren't state employees' which would cause the institution to lose
its focus on why it exists, doing away with the tax assistance service
for those who need it, and a few other things that are slipping my aging
brain at the moment. 
I'll
close by mentioning that I'm attaching below an email I received this
morning from NCRGEA, in case you haven't already seen it. I didn't see
that this was posted on NCRGEA's social media sites - yet - but I'm
thinking it might be good for you or someone supporting the challengers
to post a well-reasoned and fact-based rebuttal should that happen.
It's a shame you don't have NCRGEA's mailing and email list, and that it
won't be possible to forward a message to each member who received the
letter and the email they sent to present the other side of things.
Thank
you for what you're doing! For reasons I prefer not to get into, I'm
not providing too much personal information, but I did want to get in
touch to let you know your posts have been very helpful, and I
appreciate what you're doing to get the word out about this election!"
Bob in the Triangle
Vote for the MEMBER NOMINATED CANDIDATES!
Perkins, Clements, Stone!
✔ Vote here right now! 👉 https://secuvote.ey.com/
