Was Walsh Really Sacked Over Secret Stuff?
If Schaitberger and the board say that Walsh’s expulsion was over the release of confidential emails then it’s fair for all members and especially those from the 7th district to be curious about their content.
Exactly what qualifies as being so “confidential” that a duly elected and well respected vice president can be forced out of office?
What super secret labor strategy or political decision warrants such a decision?
Just Say It’s Confidential
Saying everything is confidential is an old management trick.
And, the lawyers love it.
Stamp “confidential” on it and folks are supposed to be afraid to discuss it.
The US government is famous for classifying innocuous and potentially embarrassing or damaging information as secret so that it can be hidden from the sight of us regular folk.
Could that be the case here?
What’s to Hide?
At this point a widening group of folks know of the probable content of the supposedly “confidential” emails.
I have spoken to a number of them and I believe that I have at least one and possibly two of the emails, as well as accurate information regarding others.
I’m not releasing the emails I have because as a writer I vow to protect my sources.
But, any number of other people could easily release them because it would prove their case and be a justification for their actions.
First among them is Harold Schaitberger who should be anxious, even eager, to release the emails to prove what a criminal Ricky Walsh is.
Unless.
What if the emails are being kept from view because they are embarrassing to Schaitberger and the board?
Remember, Schaitberger Stole Them
Before we actually jump into the details, remember how Schaitberger came upon this information: He hired a team of private investigators and then lied to the board as he spied on their privileged email traffic, a violation of the Constitution far larger than any thing Walsh might be accused of.
It’s just the latest example of Schaitberger’s kangaroo court selective justice that is designed to make him look good and to retain total control.
Though I won’t release the emails, I am happy to offer a fairly informed forecast of the subject matter.
Schaitberger’s house purchase conflict of interest- This is the email Schaitberger apparently cites as the egregious confidential breach. He engaged in the purchase of a house from a close friend who does substantial business with the IAFF. The Department of Labor found out and forced him to amend his reporting of a deal he surely should have known he would have to report. He was, and is, desperate to keep that fact hidden from the membership. Why? It shows a clear lack of ethics.
Board discussions about the $80 travel per diem- Over the years, board members, including Harold Schaitberger, have taken hundreds of thousands of dollars in illegal and unethical travel per diems when they do not travel. Many IAFF locals could have, and should have received additional services not available because the board is embezzling these funds. Schaitberger wants to prevent the release of any of this information because it is unethical.
Pension for Financial Corp chief operating officer (COO)- True insiders know that Schaitberger tried to ram through an illegal pension funding scheme for the IAFF-FC COO. He was 99% there when it all unraveled and the pension credits had to be scaled back and the IAFF-FC had to pay the IAFF several hundred thousand dollars. He wants to keep the true story of that disaster under wraps, especially about those who foiled his plans.
Finally, one of the emails discusses a board member’s probable political plans, a fact that would enrage Schaitberger. Why? As we all know, Harold Schaitberger is in complete control of the political future of the IAFF and no one is allowed to have a political future without his blessing.
So, there it is.
Spying to Retain Power
Harold Schaitberger improperly and unethically spied on the board, discovered “evidence” of the potential release of information he found personally embarrassing and then used the board to sack the most likely source of the information.
None of the emails have a single, solitary thing to do with confidential IAFF operational or strategic matters.
They simply reveal the shenanigans and desperate mindset of our narcissist-in-chief Harold Schaitberger.
Fixing the IAFF
The way to purge and heal the IAFF is through rigorous transparency and self-examination.
It’s time to be under the microscope and the Walsh disaster proves it, beyond a doubt.
The fact that Harold Schaitberger hired private investigators to ferret out truth-tellers and that the board was complicit in removing them is a powerful reason for why more facts, not less, are exactly what is needed.
Walsh said he violated the IAFF Constitution and his own code-of-honor.
How?
By discussing the deeds of scoundrels?
If that is the case, either we need a new Constitution or he needs a new code of honor.