Bike Newport: A stranger to integrity and financial responsibility.

Note: I initially requested public documents from Bike Newport in August of this year.  I've followed through with additional requests, yet no response from the Bike Newport Executive Director, Mrs. Bari George.

Dear Ms. George,

 I request the following public documents.  Additionally, I'm interested in your comments on past practices at Bike Newport (items 4 and 5). 

1) Bike Newport 501(c)(3)

 2) Bike Newport IRS Form 990. Background: The IRS Form 990 is a tax document required from non-profit organizations each year by the IRS.  The 990 allows the IRS and the public to evaluate nonprofits and how they operate.  Nonprofits must file the new Form 990 that requires more disclosure of potential conflicts of interest, compensation of board members and staff, and other details having to do with financial accountability and avoidance of fraud. 

3) Bike Newport procedure in determining compensation for the Executive Director. Background:  "The IRS Form 990 requires nonprofits explain the process used to approve the compensation of the executive director/CEO (and certain other key employees): "Did the process for determining compensation of the following persons include a review and approval by independent persons, comparability data, and contemporaneous substantiation of the deliberation and decision?" (Form 990, Section VI, Part B, line 15) Nonprofits filing the Form 990 must describe the process on Schedule O.

 4) Procedural rules for Bike Newport.  I was one of the six original members of the Board of Bike Newport.  The board was divided on the compensation for the Executive Director, which was voted on last November.  The vote was taken without a full board present.  The vote was not placed on the agenda for the meeting.  Even though the board was divided on the compensation package, the board did not fully discuss the issue nor bring in a third party to help us mitigate the conflict.

I was not present, nor another dissenting board member, both of us had questions regarding the compensation package and were set to vote against the motion.  Why were we denied the opportunity to vote?  To me, it seems that the Acting Board Chair took a look at the attendance and conducted a "quick, let's vote" tactic.  Is that anyway to do business, especially in a small community and with people who share the same commitment to cycling advocacy?  Comments?

 5)  In the November 6th edition of The Newport Daily News, Sean Flynn quoted Ms. Elizabeth Lynn, executive director of the van Beuren Charitable Foundation: "We're very excited with Bike Newport and want to promote its work" she said.  "We are very interested in capable leadership but did not require who they hire or how much they pay."

 Is this statement accurate?  The board was presented with a different version of the hiring "process" in August 2012. In all fairness, the hiring process (advertise for the position, take applications (only one), interview, offer the job only took 60 minutes!!  Is that a good practice or just behind closed door business as usual?

Sincerely,
Chuck AlbrechtCDR, USN, Retired