In August, USA Swimming held a meet the candidates forum for the Board of Directors election. The meeting was posted on August 26th on YouTube, but is unlisted (which means it cannot be found from searching nor will it appear on the main YouTube page). It can only be accessed directly from the link.
The Board of Directors elections have very strict anti-campaigning rules which we have covered a few times. This “meet the candidates” forum is one of the only ways they are allowed to discuss their views and any changes they would want to make in the organization.
You can see the full list of House of Delegates members here. There are more than 350 voting members. The “Meet the Candidates” video only has 113 views as of the time of publishing this article
I want to know why this video is “unlisted” on Youtube? If we want the swimming base to care about USA Swimming Board leadership, then why are we hiding this? If I call 100 random swimmers, coaches, parents across the country, my guess is that few if any will know who is actually running for board of director positions…. Personally, my opinion, I think this is a manufactured outcome, 100% by design.
…for the uninformed. Mary T Meagher (Plant) aka Madame Butterfly, ran for the board…and few were aware of this fact, and she did not get a seat. If you have any understanding her background and what she has done since retiring and you know that Mary could’ve been a board member over the last few years, you should be a little angry. I know Mary’s positions across a lot of topics, and we disagree on big topics—-but I have 100% faith in her selflessness and her ability to build consensus, something we’ve been sorely lacking on the board.
If you asked 100 random club swimmers if they were a part of USA Swimming, only about 5-10 percent would know they’re even members. Their parents don’t even know. Not saying USA Swimming shouldn’t be transparent, just that only a small minority — very small — care about the politics.
Brent Lang is the most qualified
Brent Lang is beyond qualified. My hope is that Brent with create a new positive era in board governance.