Since the events of the USATF Annual Meeting where the USATF Board of Directors overturned the nearly unanimous membership vote for Bob Hersh in favor of USATF President Stephanie Hightower for IAAF council nomination, the Athletes Advisory Committee as well as several other organizations are still not pleased with the result. 

 

Over the past several weeks since the Annual Meeting during the week of Dec. 2-5, the Athletes Advisory Committee along with the board members of USATF Long Island Association and USATF Southern California have sent letters expressing their concern and disbelief regarding the USATF Board of Directors’ decision to go against the popular vote at the Annual Meeting in Anaheim, Calif. 

 

Representing the Athletes Advisory Committee officers and event leaders, Dexter McCloud wrote to the USATF Board of Directors on Jan. 2, 2015:

 

“We have heard the voice of the athletes, and the majority of those athletes support Robert Hersh to be our IAAF Council nominee. To that end, Athletes Advisory fully endorses Mr. Hersh and recommends that the Board set aside its vote to override the recommendation of the membership at the annual meeting, and that it instead place Mr. Hersh in nomination for the IAAF Council.”

 

McCloud currently serves as the secretary for the USATF administrative division of the Athletes Advisory Committee. 

 

On Jan. 6, the Board of USATF Long Island wrote to the USATF Board of Directors in response to the events that took place in Anaheim, stating their disbelief in the decision to overturn the floor vote in favor of Hightower, “We are stunned and amazed at the USATF Board’s callous disregard for the delegates’ wishes. The USATF Board’s action does not in any way represent the collective will of the general membership.”

 

The letter continued with disapproval of the Board of Directors’ response to justify the decision:

 

“The USATF Board’s subsequent press release on Dec. 5, 2014, explaining the rationale behind its decision was shallow in substance and utterly ignored the importance of having USATF represented in the IAAF at the Vice-Presidential level in this key time of leadership change within the IAAF. The Board’s message dated December 9, 2014 was longer but was equally inadequate. Neither of these communications provided a sound justification for the action that was taken.”

 

Thom Confer, President of Southern California Association USATF, wrote on Jan. 7, “On behalf of our Association’s members and delegates to unanimously urge that you rescind your decision to override the overwhelming 392-to-70 vote of the delegates to support Bob Hersh as USATF’s candidate for IAAF Vice President and Council member.”

 

Confer continued by expressing that the Association cannot accept the Board’s explanation.

"Ms. Hightower is a ‘new era person’ - does not suffice to justify the Board’s action and smacks of ageism. This is unacceptable in any organization and particularly so in USATF, which prides itself in inclusiveness and diversity.”