Montefiore’s “bizarre” election
DAVID Freeman and his ticket were elected to the Montefiore Home board in a bizarre election and annual general meeting on Sunday.
DAVID Freeman and his ticket were elected to the Montefiore Home board in a bizarre election and annual general meeting on Sunday, December 8.
Freeman asked the members to raise their hands to vote as he individually went through each nominee.
Although not everyone voted for the first 11 nominees, who were endorsed by Freeman and the board, he announced they were unanimously elected and declared them board members after each individual vote – before he’d even taken a poll of those voting for the remaining two nominees, Gaby Berger and George Fishman.
When polls were taken for Berger and Fishman, members almost unanimously voted against their election.
After the election he declared: “I think that’s very clear and I think that’s very democratic.”
Before the vote took place, Freeman responded to an article in last week’s AJN regarding governance of the Home by saying that his board had undertaken its own search and worked closely with the JCA to identify new candidates. “I am pleased to say that we have recruited four new potential board members,” Freeman said.
One of those “four new potential board members”, however, was former board member Lisa Brender, who stood down at the 2011 AGM and was awarded a Montefiore Foundation Award for her 10 years of dedicated service to the Home.
Speaking to The AJN, many of those present said they were furious at how the election was conducted, using terms such as “bizarre”, “worrying” and “unbelievable”.
When asked by The AJN if he thought the election displayed proper governance and also how the Home determined if those voting were members, Freeman said: “The annual general meeting reached the following decisions, most of which by unanimous resolution of those present: The executive of the board were elected unopposed, the members voted and elected 11 candidates to the board.
“The voting was conducted on an individual candidate basis and members were given the opportunity to vote in favour of the nomination or against the nomination so there could be no doubt about the outcome,” Freeman said.
“The members voted overwhelmingly against the nomination of Mr Berger and Mr Fishman.”
JOSHUA LEVI
Montefiore Home president David Freeman (right) with CEO Robert Orie.
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