The Case of the Vanishing SPJ President: Koretzky Resigns!

He's up! He's down! He's up! He's down!

Lunsford: Somebody give that girl a cigar

​The Juice just received this email from Michael Koretzky, whose November 19th coup attempt at our local Society of Professional Journalists chapter caused what one local observer has dubbed a "kerfluffle." Looks like Koretzky has stepped down and Darcie Lunsford is the new president as of this a.m. Good Luck Darcie!

And yes, after consulting our textbook, we put a call in to Ms. Lunsford to get a comment about her sudden, meteoric ascent  -- aren't we supposed to do that? We await details and will post as necessary.

Koretzky, we hardly knew ye. Here's the email in full:

Dear SPJers:
This morning, I resigned as president of the SPJ South Florida chapter. Darcie Lunsford is your new president, effective right now. Darcie was elected executive vice president last Thursday, and Article V, Section VII of our bylaws state, "The executive vice-president shall become president if a vacancy for any reason occurs in that office." Darcie was a good president several years ago. I think she'll be an even better one next year.

I'm resigning because members of the old board filed complaints with SPJ National, charging that last Thursday's elections were both illegal and unfair. I found this ironic, since last year, those same board members held NO election. They flouted their own bylaws and simply stayed in office another year. Regardless, they vowed a fight to the death. While I doubt they'd have succeeded in overturning the election, I know for certain they would've delayed and distracted our chapter for weeks or even months.

Thankfully, my resignation appeases their bloodlust.

And I get what I want: A new and better board. I said last week that this race was about programming, not personalities or power trips. So even though I'm resigning, I'm not leaving. I'll still produce as many programs as the new-and-improved board will permit me.

Finally... While I believe, along with many others, that this election obeyed our bylaws, I've been asked why I led such an "underhanded" effort that nominated nearly an entire slate from the floor. Well, when a board of directors holds no election in 2008 and doesn't advertise its election in 2007 -- which means only board members showed up and voted themselves back into office -- how I can trust it to follow the rules in 2009? All that's academic now. Those board members are gone. The ones who remain from the previous board are hardworking, talented, and ethical -- as are the new board members.

If my resignation allows this upgraded board to be seated and start working, I step aside willingly and look forward to a kick-ass 2010. -- Koretzky