Why did NAMI TC need to remove itself from the discussion about Paradise Center, one can not help but wonder? And then it gets curiouser.
Note that Melissa Gibbons is no longer the President, and that Carolyn Apodaca is now Acting President.
It was just a few months ago that the NAMI board was elected. What happened that caused the removal of Melissa Gibbons?
Did it have anything to do with the Paradise Center Scandal?
Were people associated with NAMI-TC appalled that Melissa Gibbons removed NAMI Tarrant County from the HR discussion about "Paradise Center?"
Why is there no explanation in the April NAMI-TC newsletter why there is now an Acting President? Why is there no explanation as to why Melissa Gibbons is no longer the President?
I tell you, the Paradise Center Scandal just keeps getting curiouser and curiouser.
What's next? The sudden removal of Jim McDermott as MHMRTC CEO in advance of incoming lawsuits?
11 comments:
The lack of honesty and openness by NAMI-TC and MHMR-TC serve only to increase public distrust on both organizations and their leadership. Like I usually say to my kids when they were young, you don't hide and refuse disclosure if you don't have anything shameful you don't want others to know about.
Both of these organizations are trying to hide some shameful things. And that's a crying shame.
It certainly is like peeling a rotten onion, with each layer comes another piece that contributes to the rottenness.
MHMR and Jim McDermott or their Trustees need to explain what's going on because many people have been hurt by their decisions and actions, and now a reputable chapter associated with a powerful national organization.
I do foresee even more revelations of misconduct, if not crimes, in legal proceedings.
I agree with the questions regarding the "disappearance" of Melissa Gibbons. However, I am even more perplexed by why little Jimmy and his girls are still allowed to remain in place and drawing big salaries after all the major screw ups and injuries they've inflicted on so many people and the community as a whole??
The cloud hanging over the agency gets darker and darker with each passing day of the McDermott regime. Does this guy and his gang have no shame?? Or any regard for the common good? Gutlessness, classless, and now shameless.
Let me get this straight, BEFORE her unexplained abdication as president Melissa Gibbons and her husband held the two most important positions on the Board of NAMI-TC, president and treasurer. That's a major red flag right there.
Some friends who are NAMI-tc members have also reported that the Gibbons and another officer were responsible for carrying out jim mcdermott's order to take this neutral position, which is really odd and not commonly practiced or even called for in this situation.
It all comes back to these people feeling like they owe jim mcdermott their positions and stature, so they carried out his c.y.a. operation in spite of what it might do to their own and their organization's reputations. My guess is that they, like jim mcdermott and mhmr-tc,never in their wildest imagination conceived that the little consumer-run nonprofit would ever fight against mcdermott's bullying ways.
OMG!!! What other questionable actions on the part of people given the public trust are there? My fellow employees in the MR (idd) side are astounded by the abuse of scarce taxpayer funds in the hands of this ceo and his cronies. They are making the whole agency look bad. It will look even worse once lawyers get involved.
How were these improper things allowed to go on unnoticed for so long? And why are the people responsible allowed to continue holding their positions of power? What's wrong with this community? ?
From my perspective as a public relations professional, NAMI-TC and MHMR-TC should spend their money and effort on decent PR help because, my goodness, their favorable rating is probably in the same zone as used car salesmen and dictators like Muammar Gaddafi. Either these people have no clue or just do not care about how they are perceived by the community at large.
Col.Gaddafi would agree, though.
Here's a VERY intriguing point: in the same issue of the NAMI-TC Newsletter, right before the board's position statement, it said that Dr. Jim McDermott had sent out a letter to explain and to reassure the many consumers who come to Paradise Center.
The odd thing was that most of my clients I've talked to along with my co-workers' clients have consistently reported that there was no such letter distributed or posted the week following the coup, MUCH LESS THE VERY NEXT DAY AS WAS CLAIMED BY THE CEO IN THE nami-tc NEWSLETTER.
Whispers around the agency is that such a letter was not written until after the Paradise Center Board President had written the ceo and his team a couple of times urging them to help explain to the many confused consumers about what had happened to Ms. Davis and their community center.
Somebody is not telling the truth.
We've been told by reliable sources connected to NAMI-TC that Ol' Melissa the President and her Treasurer hubby were using the highly lucrative 2010 NAMI Walks as the basis for pushing the Board to create a paid position of Walks Coordinator for her. This is the same volunteer position that she had performed the last two years. But this unprecedented financial windfall of almost $100,000.00 just sitting in their bank account apparently got some very human tendencies rolling: the volunteer now believes she deserves to get a piece of
that big old pie-- as in the form of $20/hr @20hrs/week just to coordinate this one event in October--while the Board and the chapter enjoy their new status as the favored beneficiary of MHMR-TC and BRAVO newfound philanthropic endeavor, as revealed in a supposed bonus cash incentive for when she brings in an even larger money via bigger corporate sponsorship amounts.
The sources are pretty certain about these financial arrangements but they're unsure about if her suddenly dropping out as the newly elected President was related to the revelations in this blog site. In any event, your blogging and the contribution from interested readers certainly has caused some needed introspection and scrutiny.
That is a very interesting question that you asked at the end of your post, Mr. Durango.
It appears that this PhD man Jim McDermott is also crafty, calculating, and cunning. He probably won't be caught with a major doozy, but a series of actions and decisions that show a pattern of unacceptable conduct will likely be his undoing. He was smart enough to use money to cover the important "bases", but arrogant enough to commit what he deemed little things that don't really count.
A friend from Tarrant County sent me a copy of the March 2011 newsletter. I found this small but rather damning little sentence, "Dr. McDermott and MHMR had sent a letter dated February 18, 2011 to reassure the participants of the Drop-in Center that follows:"
The problems with that sentence and the heading of the letter are (A) the consumers and other staff consistently report that no such letter was seen until several days later; (B) the term "Drop-in Center" was not used by him and MHMR until several days after 02/18/11 because they were still claiming to own everything that was Paradise Center, including the name until something forced them to change their ways; (C)the NAMI of Tarrant County Board did not meet to vote on their neutral position statement until the first week of March; (D) several people have reported that the actual letter letter was un-dated (unusual, esp. due to its time-sensitive nature)and addressed "To: Drop-in Center participants", NOT "Paradise Center members" as previously.
The word is that the man has been known to fudge and get away with such small, but often NOT insignificant representations when viewed in the larger context.
We also heard that he was actually forced to write the little latter ONLY after email appeals from the Paradise Board President Linda Groom that he sent some staff trained in counselling people after traumatic events to go and explain to the confused consumers what had happened to their director Ms. Davis and the community center that they've always knew belong to them and their organization.
Until we see the email proof it's just a believable RUMOR for now. Whatever the details, this raises the serious issue of the honesty of ceo and the agency, especially in their representations of the factual details related to this scandalous matter. This is where journalists , or the dreaded lawyers, would be helpful in finding out the facts.
We still cannot believe that local leaders have not tried to resolve this ugly matter before it goes to the judicial realm, where it will mostly likely get uglier. But that's how Tarrant County usually deals with things.
Well, the overwhelming evidence indicate that "problems (did) arise" as did issues of significant concern regarding how the consumers who relied on the Paradise Center were treated ..or mistreated.
SO WHY HASN'T NAMI OF TARRANT COUNTY LIFTED A FINGER TO FOLLOW THROUGH ON ITS CAREFULLY WORDED POSITION STATEMENT?? WHAT ARE THEY WAITING ON.
Or WHO, may be more appropriate.
Nami-tc can't say or do anything that the people who bought them don't approve of first. Advocating for the consumer-run organization Paradise Center or working to prevent exploitation of the mentally ill apparently are not approved by MHMR and BRAVO.
Nami has sold its soul and moral authority for m.o.n.e.y.
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