Offshoreonly.com - 14-H Responds to Mike A.

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Originally posted by Mike A.
Edward,

SO and Inboard, based on those numbers are the second and third largest categories of APBA, respectively. Offshore, once again, is number one.

Ahhh. So you say. Of couse you have withheld APBA membership applications for quite some time and only you could verify this. I notice that you made no claim of an increase in Offshore membership. But what about the APBA Offshore membership monies that you have collected and have yet to forward to Detroit (to the tune of approximately $50,000.00). And if (as you say) you will not send this to Detroit because you are the true BOD, why not tender this amount to the Court in NY (or even in Fla) to be held until this dispute is resolved? Where is this money you have collected from APBA members which belongs to the APBA and not to the LLC under any set of circumstances, Michael?

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But the membership numbers, from a pure statistical standpoint are relatively irrelevent to the bigger issues facing APBA and boat racing in general. Moreover, when viewed in the context of the past 10 years or so, the increase of 30 members at this stage of the season is actually a sign of regression or at best stagnation, which is consistent with how most people feel.

And we should listen to Mike A., who is now courting AOF while his company is involved in a dispute with the APBA just a year-and-a-half after Mike A. tried to have AOF's President removed from the APBA Annual Meeting. Yes, I'm quite convinced you have the best interest of the APBA and the other categories in your warm heart especially when you've stuck them with your portion of this year's insurance bill.

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You have not taken a single step or instituted a single program which you can honestly claim resulted in this so-called membership increase, even if it were anything other than a statistical non-starter.

This is the largest increase in SO membership in at least 5 years. Moreover, your "programs" have caused a civil war within the APBA and are threatening its very existence. Your "steps" for promoting boat racing include suing racing members who would dare to criticize you and this is not the first time. Should we adopt Mike A.'s steps and programs?

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Your membership loves their sport. They are screaming for answers. We are producing races. We are producing sponsorships. We are producing television. And now, we are doing what you should be doing: helping to promote stock outboard racing and working with the young, smart, energetic and enthusiastic stock outboard membership who are tired of the rhetoric. Tired of the fighting. Tired of the false claims and tired of the "friends" lack of action.

Those who are screaming for answers, came to Detroit in January and worked very hard for three (3) days of meetings and continue to do so to provide services to stock outboard members that are important. Stock Outboarders care about engine availability, parts, rings, exhaust megaphones, down housings, lower units, fair inspections and the cost of insurance. TV is nice. But it is unimportant for the growth of SO racing. We gain members by having readily-available equipment and by bringing friends to the races. You have apparently alienated Mercury Outboards with the recent cancellation of their contract with your company. You have no idea how this even affects SO racing.

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And what are you doing? All you and the friends are giving them are lawsuits.

Excuse me, Sir. YOU filed the first lawsuit. YOU wrote letters to Gloria Urbin telling her she had no authority to act on behalf of the APBA. YOU usurped the authority of the SORC without its approval. YOU have withheld APBA members' monies from the APBA. YOU have confiscated APBA members' cards in large quantities. YOU started this and I will not stand by and let YOU do these things and I will not be intimidated by a frivolous lawsuit filed against me. I have attended every SO National Championship since I was 1 week old and have never been paid a salary for any work I have done for the APBA. It may not have all been right, but I have no personal agenda other than helping outboard racing. I have even promoted slowing my own classes down to do what I believed was best for the class and the sport. YOU have a salary to protect. Try another line of argument: on this one, your plugs are fouled.

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You are threatening your members with reprisals if they particiapte in the Yamato World Championships in Key West.

I threatened no reprisals. Even our friends in Europe see what you are doing and know what will happen if they attend the un-approved 'Yamato World Championships'. Moreover, if you act on behalf of the APBA (even though you are not a member any more) YOU are also charged with protecting the integrity of the World Championship titles on behalf of the UIM. You obviously have no regard for the APBA's obligations to the UIM.

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Well, guess what Edward, you have no right to threaten anyone with anything. APBA has never sanctioned anyone for this. UIM to my knowledge has never sanctioned anyone for this, at least not in modern times. Why all of a sudden would either organization threaten sanctions for participating in an event that is good for all?? Edward, please admit to the membership that the "friends" are trying to pull their UIM strings for the first time in history to punish their own members for having fun and trying to improve their racing programs.

The Friends have nothing to do with the protection of the UIM Titles for SO Classes. It is me: Edward W. Hearn, Chairman of the SO Category of the APBA who will honor the APBA's obligation to the UIM to protect these titles and inform the members of the consequences of what you are doing, at least with respect to the SO Classes. And if the SO members do not like this, they have the ability to have me removed since I was chosen by the commissioners who they elected to serve as their chairman. YOUR system would not give the members any say and YOU have never been elected by the APBA members to anything.

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Can you please tell us what Charlie and your Dad, both of whom were never elected to anything yet essentially own, control and manage APBA, are doing to fix the problems of the association?

Mssrs. Strang and Hearn were elected by the APBA BOD. This is the same entity which elected you to the APBA BOD. Moreover, I believe YOU voted in favor of Mr. Strang's lifetime appointment and position as the Chairman of the BOD so who are you trying to fool here? Finally, none of us misunderstand who OWNS the APBA: it is the members! You seem to have a problem with that concept.

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What have they done about insurance?

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Plenty. But it is none of your business (and I wouldn't even think of revealing it to you) since you have seen fit to stick the remaining APBA Categories with Offshore's portion of the Insurance bill for the 2003 racing season.

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What are they doing about television?

I have no idea since it doesn't concern SO as it will not help us bring new members. People-in-race-boats and readily-available equipment helps our growth. By the way, the Fourth of July Rockford, Illinois Race for SO and MOD had television news coverage and it was a great race thanks to the efforts of the local clubs. But, I'm quite sure you'll have nothing to say about that.

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What are the doing about sponsorship?

What are YOU doing about it? Seems to me, large-scale sponsorship is much more important to offshore racing than SO, and your company just lost one of its major sponsors. SO races are put on by local sponsorships which are very important and local in nature for putting on races. Large sponsorships tend to be in the nature of equipment subsidies (like Olson Foundry's substantial cost reduction in producing the D/25 tower). I'm quite sure you have no idea of what I'm talking about here.

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What are they doing about controlling costs and reducing overhead?

They are not suggesting that we move the APBA headquarters to Florida to help the LLC subsidize its overhead or suggesting firing Gloria Urbin. Didn't the Mike Jones administration (which included YOU) approve the purchase of the National Office from the Historical Society? Doesn't sound like you're really concerned with overhead.

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What are they doing in terms of new membership programs to increase the general membership numbers?

Since you are notorious for spewing rhetoric and refusing to answer simple questions, let me answer this for you: NOTHING!

Edward, feeding the membership statistical irrelevancies to prove that the "friends" are on the right track, will not work anymore. The friends are trying to destroy the organization all in the name of maintaining their power and control over the checkbook.

No, the Friends are trying to make sure the YOU don't get your hands on any more of the APBA members money since you have an inability to turn it over to the National Office and to stop YOUR disruption of the APBA National Office (really! Threating Gloria: that was a nice jesture of cooperation and "getting" along).

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There is a fundamental paradigm shift underway and it is real. I think the membership is mad as hell and have decided not to take it anymore. We are going to help change the association for the better. What is the "friends'" plan?

Mike A.

Seems to me Mike A., that the APBA members who care about the Association and understand YOUR "plan", have already voiced their thoughts on the subject when they came to Detroit and did everything they could to stop you and they continue to do that by asking a New York Judge to decide what is in the best interests of the APBA members. Ironic, isn't it, that the Friends asked the Judge to hold another election by the members if His Honor decides the Fall 2002 one wasn't valid. You see, Mike A., the Friends respect the rights of the members. YOUR position has been to oppose this request.

14-H