response to Wim's letter

[MITCH KIEL]

To all:

        I thought we'd agreed that PianoTech would be a discussion area for
piano technical matters, and that PTG political issues would be avoided.
However, because Fred posted Wim's letter, I beg everyone's forgiveness for
posting this short response. Believe me, I would rather have spent my Sunday
afternoon working in my shop or getting my PTG committee work done.

        I've attended lots PTG Council sessions, including last year's. The
version of events as promulgated by Wim and a few others is very different from
mine, to put it succinctly.

        A bigger difference is our respect for the democratic process. If I vote
contrary to Wim, it does not mean I've been manipulated. If a majority of
delegates vote against his proposals, it does not mean we've been duped. All of
us who serve as Council delegates deserve credit for trying to be responsible
and informed. We study the issues and talk to other delegates, including those
with whom we disagree. Our votes are not thoughtlessly bestowed.

        But my biggest objection is with the letter's bitter tone and personal
attacks.

        I've known and worked with the people the letter accuses, including Leon
Speir, Bill Spurlock, and Fern Henry. I find the letter's characterization of
these people to be incorrect as well as rude. I believe this kind of incivility
is not acceptable political behavior. Inflamatory accusations of Machiavellian
conspiracies demean both the organization and the accuser, damage the democratic
process, and obscure the valid disagreements among us. Indulging in a
mean-spirited game of character assassination leads to divisiveness and away
from progress.

         Let's agree to disagree without being disagreeable. Let's work a little
harder to address our differences with less ill-will and more mutual respect.
That way, we'll actually solve some of our problems and have less to complain
about.

        And now back to butts and flanges.

        Mitch Kiel