IAFF-FC: The Independent Board
Or just more fluff and suck up?
While many know that Ed Kelly and Frank Lima are deeply involved with the IAFF’s disaster of a financial corporation, less well known is that there are eight so-called “independent directors” as well.
It’s fair to ask what role they have been playing as more and more tawdry details emerge.
Directors are supposed to ensure that the officers operate the entity in an ethical and responsible way.
Is this how they run their local unions, ignoring the facts, heads in the sand?
Did they know that the IAFF was asking for pay-to-play money from potential vendors?
Were they aware that the “Wealth Management Initiative” was effectively gutted when vendors balked at the payout?
Or have they been playing the role of Kelly/Lima stooges, with an empty title and a per diem to add a sheen of legitimacy to another attempt at fleecing the members?
The title “independent director” surely implies they have a responsibility to speak out when they are aware of IAFF-FC actions which are not in the interests of the membership.
So where are they right now? Perhaps hiding behind the petticoats of Edzo and Frankie, hoping they can keep their perks but avoid the hard work of ethical oversight.
But with a federal lawsuit and an SEC complaint in the offing that’s not likely to happen.
They should issue a strong statement in favor of transparency and reform and demand that it be sent to all IAFF members.
Edzo, Frankie and the lawyers would cringe in terror but ethics would carry the day.