Number One
Dear Capitol District & PICA Members,
The Board majority has responded to President Newcomb’s call for an Emergency Board telephonic Board meeting for the following matter:
“I would like to ask you for an emergency board meeting to discuss and possibly take action to issues pertaining to Rick von Geldern. Our Ethics
Committee has been meeting and investigating complaints and I have issues with two of his recent postings.”
Since there have not been any Ethics Committee recommendations to the Board or Board determinations of any violations, it is curious how President
Newcomb in his transparency is calling for an Emergency Board meeting and to “possibly take action.” Just curious how the cart gets put before the horse
on this one?
Due to numerous threats of lawsuits, possibly a half-dozen total, the PICA insurance carrier was put on notice this week. If any of my district’s or
general members have questions as to what your Board is dealing with pertaining to these issues, please feel free to ask since it has yet to be
articulated to me by President Newcomb, preferably in the transparent skies of the PICA Listserve where we shouldn’t have any secrets or backroom
agendas.
Also, I urge every PICA member to attend this telephonic Emergency Board meeting should it actually take place and hear your 2011 Board of Directors
in action. What day and time is best for the Capitol District’s members so I can make an intelligent response on behalf of my district to the Board of
Directors?
Respectfully, Rick von Geldern, Capitol District Director - 2010 & 2011
Number Two
PICA members,
If you are tired of these issues being brought to light or my postings, hit delete and put your head back in the sand.
When SB202 was going on and CALI leaders lied to the legislators and CALI members that this bill was wanted and voted on (in support of the bill), I
found it necessary to leave CALI. I wrote an email to the list serve thanking everyone who helped me and I was able to help. I also mentioned
one of the reasons for leaving CALI, SB202. For this I was placed on a 30 day suspension from the list serve.
I learned of PICA and was very happy. While I didn’t get much (one job) work from PICA, I was able to send work out to other members and exchange
information.
I later became involved in the “Politics” of PICA by starting the Northern District & becoming the District Director. I was proud of the
accomplishments that the 2010 board was able to do. We found where: Taxes had not been done or reported to IRS or the Franchise Tax board for OVER 3
years, PICA had not been given a “non- profit status (the application and check had not been sent in since 2005 if my memory is correct) Check book
not reconciled for THREE + years and no record of debit card usage, what bills to whom was paid. The PICA BoD were given complaints but members of a
lot of issues which we investigated and handled what we felt was appropriately. Right of Wrong, we tried to deal with all of the issues we
were given by the By-laws, what was best for both parties, fairly, and what was best for PICA. We were fought tooth and nail, boycotted at the ABM and
faced accusation that were found to not be true. NOW some of those who boycotted the ABM (which saved PICA from going broke and gave PICA 2011 a
start with $7,000.00), made false accusations are now on or chair your committees and are on your BoD.
Mr. Newcomb stated that a member is posting to “PICA” and is not authorized to do so. Great. What happened to the group that was unauthorized to use
PICA in the [email protected]? They were not authorized and their “JOKE” email to dismantle the Capitol District so they could get rid of Rick
von Geldern was not taken as a “JOKE”. Now the current BoD and Mr. Newcomb seem to be choosing which bylaws they want to enforce and which they want to
ignore. I was present at the BoD meeting on Jan. 22nd. We did vote on a “warning” but nothing further and now the BoD seems to have taken the next
step. If PICA continues in this direction guess what?, we have just become a “jr. CALI”.
I saw the handwriting on the wall prior to the start of the new BoD. I wasn’t happy but stayed on the BoD to try to keep the progress we (BoD 2010)
made from being erased. Guess what? It’s not going up hill! Yes I did leave the 2011 BoD because of my personal reasons but there was more. How
many times and sleepless nights do you have to have before you realize it’s going to happen no matter what you say or do? This BoD is out of control
and clearly has no leadership or direction. They appear to be head hunting a small group of people. I may be one of them. Well I’m off the BoD and
had I not sent in my dues in Dec. I would have saved my money. I am VERY tired of hearing lies about transparency regarding 2010 BoD and the current
BoD. how many of you have seen the nice piece of work from Len and the current BoD (two pages) regarding how they think the 2010 BoD messed up ?
It almost is comical —- ALMOST!
Should PICA continue the way the President, VP’s, Sect./ Treasure and BoD are (and no reason to think they will change) I will be leaving PICA soon.
Maybe this post to the list serve will get me put on moderation. I have been retired from LE (after 26 years) for 13 years now. I get referrals
from Judges, other PI’s and the attorneys I work with. I haven’t received work (other from Rocky Pipkin and Rick von Geldern) from another PICA
member but like I said, I have shipped out work to many other PICA members.
To bad, but the way I see it, PICA looses, I know I’m not the only one. The membership is already down about 200 +/- members from last year. How many
more leaving will it take for our leaders to wake up, if they even care. Disgruntled??? Yes I am. However I must say, I talked to a lot of members
in my area and outside the Northern District trying to give Mr. Newcomb and the new BoD a chance. Now it seems that I was in error and those that left
were the smart ones. I even offered to help one member pay to continue with PICA. Now I wish I could be $129.00 dollars in my pocket richer. I
am willing to, be quiet, get off the list serve and not be a member if the Pres. and BoD wish to refund my money. If that were to happen, I will not
even say good by but good riddance. I am very tired of the garbage that is going on by our “leaders”. To bad as I know there are a lot of really good
people out there in PICA.
Bud Houston
Houston Investigative Services
Number Three
Fellow PICA Members
Subsequent to my posting of yesterday announcing that a member has been placed on “moderate” (allowed to receive e-mails but outgoing e-mails go
through the moderator)it has come to my attention that some misrepresentations are being spread.
To my knowledge this is the first time a member has ever been placed on moderate and NO other member has been warned. There was a vote of the Board
on January 22nd to issue a warning and advise him that further demeaning comments would result in being placed on moderate. That occurred.
I assure all members that NO other member has been placed on moderate.
I have also noticed that the moderated member has apparently constructed his own distribution list and calls it PICA. You might receive e-mails with the
header reading “PICA.” This person did have access to members e-mail addresses and can construct a distribution list which seems to have
happened. He does not have permission to use PICA’s name.
I am truly sorry that PICA is going through this unnecessary disruption. The PICA board remains focused on keeping you, the members in touch with all
that is happening and bringing education and events to you.
Again, NO OTHER PICA MEMBER HAS BEEN PLACED ON MODERATE AND NO OTHER MEMBERS HAS BEEN WARNED OF BEING PLACED ON MODERATE.
Len Newcomb
Number Four
Dear Fellow PICA Members,
It is with great anticipation that I await Mike Ferrari’s dish on PICA history this weekend from the perspective of the 2010 PICA power team of
Mike Ferrari & Matt Garrison. Yes, in 2010 they were tightly aligned with their beliefs for PICA along with Robert Montgomery. I don’t know if their
relationship involves outside activities, but they were always inseparable at our Board meetings. If they accomplished anything for PICA then, I must
have missed it, but as Mr. Ferrari alludes, this is a volunteer job and he must have been tied up with other things…… And now Ferrari/Garrison have
joined forces with Gary Brummond to form PICA’s public face to represent PICA’s legislative issues. Just think, PICALI’s collaborative power
legislative team of Francie Koehler, Matt Garrison, Gary Brummond, and Mike Ferrari, how can we go wrong?
Speaking of Matt Garrison, I responded to his recent Ethics & Grievance complaint through my attorney and in being transparent have attached my
attorney’s letter to Len Newcomb and the Board of Directors regarding the matter. I have also responded to Francie Koehler’s complaint, for things I
allegedly did even before my PICA membership started. Expect public follow up and disclosure on these issues.
Although I’ve heard a lot of voiced concern, I haven’t yet heard a single voice step up in support of our Executive Board, President Newcomb, VP
Dryman, VP Pastor Travers and Sec/Tres. Montgomery. Not even a public peep from Steve Wachtel or David Boykoff. Why not? They won the 2011
non-contested election, didn’t they? Mr. Ferrari seems to forget that the 2010 Executive Board, (yes, the same one that “hijacked” PICA), were each
elected in a contested election with real opposition candidates. In fact, the 2009 President, (I forget Claude’s last name) was ousted by an
overwhelming vote, wasn’t he Mr. Gump? Maybe Mr. Ferrari should have upheld his oath to PICA in 2010 by holding district meetings and everyone should
know why the ABM was pulled from his charge after months of nothing.
Another thing some of you should know is that there was a secret PICA2011 group in violation of PICA’s very first written bylaw. And yes, their
mission as evidenced in written email communications was/is to remove Rick von Geldern from PICA. Members of this
secret-invitation-only-bylaw-violating-group, in part, were Newcomb, Dryman, Ferrari, Garrison, Montgomery, Randy O., and the group’s moderator was our
very own Gary Brummond, or should I say CALI’s and NCiSS’s very own, Gary Brummond.
John Bretz was/is right and is thus far the only one with the integrity to admit to the wrongs of this secret group. Pastor Travers speaks of
“conspiracy theories” as though they didn’t exist. Pastor, you just weren’t invited to be a part of the group and they discussed having the ONLY
contested race for 2011 to be against you. Right Randy O.? We’ve asked the Board’s participants for public disclosure of their communication exchange,
but thus far they are unwilling to share. Others, however, are.
President Newcomb’s vision is education, cleaning up the Listserve and transparency. How educated does anyone feel ending two months into 2011?
How clean is our moderated Listserve? How transparent does anyone feel your Board has been with you in 2011?
Walk like an Egyptian. History in the making.
Rick von Geldern, Capitol District Director, ………..and Very First Moderated Member
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Well, I really can’t help but comment.
First off, Rick may say “Walk like an Egyptian,” but he’s not Liam Sternberg and not even close to being as eloquent as Liam is (in case my readers are wondering about that one, buy me a drink at a convention and I’ll tell you a really funny story about Liam, his girlfriend Libby, and the ass that the local Mayor in their French village made of himself….it’s one of those “the emperor is naked” type stories and in an odd way reminds me of a certain participant in the above exchange…).
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