Election discussion

You already know a lot about me and the next 3 candidates:

FM Paul Truong: He is by far the most successful person in chess marketing, promotion, public relations and management. He is also the best negotiator which will be very helpful for the USCF when it comes to dealing with sponsors and supporters. He can bring many things to this federation that no one could in the past. He is an ultimate professional in every sense. He will also help fix many current weaknesses of the USCF and end the destructive chess politics.

Dr. Mikhail Korenman: He has a strong record in promoting and organizing major chess events. He’s a member of the USCF Scholastic Council. He is well respected by many people, including former Russian President Mikhail Gorbachev, 7-time World Champion Anatoly Karpov, and many others. He can help unite the USCF. This is very important. We need someone who understand scholastic, college and adult chess and can help bridge these areas to stop the losing trend of memberships.

NM Randy Bauer: He has had tremendous success as the budget director of the state of Iowa, dealing with a multibillion dollar budget. We need his financial and budgeting expertise to help end massive losses. We need to stabilize our finances. Losing money in 9 of the last 11 years is not a direction we can afford to continue.

Now, I will introduce the other candidates:

Jim Berry: An incredible chess enthusiast, a generous chess sponsor and organizer. These are his own words: “I am a banker. I will bring a real life understanding of money: its production, its uses, and its very nature. I sit on the board of directors of a 2 billion dollar bank NASDAQ: OKSB. Income from dues needs to be spent wisely and judiciously. That’s what bankers do. I will insist that we set a USCF budget with care and then I promise not to allow that budget to be compromised.”

Don Schultz: A current board member. He has a long history with the USCF. His wife Theresa is a wonderful lady. Here is his description of his wife: “Teresa and I will be celebrating our fiftieth wedding anniversary. We have three daughters and nine grandchildren. Teresa has always been supportive of my chess work. In fact, in 2004 she won the award, “chess mate of the year”. While no official records are kept, I am quite certain, Teresa has cooked more meals for chess people than anyone!” I certainly agree with this.

Mike Goodall: These are his own words: “I have had many jobs: From postal clerk to Scientific Data Analyst at the Lawrence Radiation Laboratory; from taxi driver to PBS Television executive; from retail clerk to Benefit Authorizer for the Social Security Administration.” Mike also stated that Mr. Sam Sloan, who violated countless code of conducts and was censured by the USCF numerous times, is a good board member and they are friends.

FM Stephen Jones: These are his words: “I have been an attorney for over 30 years. I am a former professor of mathematics and an FM. I do not make money teaching, organizing, or directing chess. I have never had any financial dealings with the USCF. In short, I view chess as an ordinary player, like the vast majority of all USCF members. It’s only a game.”

Joe Lux: These are his words: “I taught three summer chess camps with David MacEnulty in the South Bronx. One of the fifth grade students whom I taught, Steadroy Lloyd, now attends St. John’s University on scholarship. Every other boy from that class is now in prison.”

Sam Sloan: This is the description of Mr. Sloan according to the USCF President Bill Goichberg: “Sloan violated a court order by removing his daughter from New York in 1982, then did the same with Virginia in 1986, was jailed for the latter in Virginia in 1990, and then attempted to abduct his daughter during a supervised visit in Virginia in 1991. The court order awarding custody to the “kidnappers” stated in part, “Mr. and Mrs. Charles Roberts have raised the child in a stable normal middle class lifestyle and the child is thriving well in school. They have developed a close relationship… and she views them as her parents. Shamema indicated to the court her desire to live with Mr. and Mrs. Roberts and that she did not wish to see Mr. Sloan.” Also, “On September 5, 1991 while Shamema was visiting Mr. Sloan under the supervision of Mr. Rick Groff of the Amherst County Department of Social Services, Mr. Sloan tried to leave with her running to a rental car which he had parked near her home. In his posession were airplane tickets to Japan and the child’s passport. The child ran from him to Mr. Groff’s vehicle and locked herself in the vehicle. Mr. Sloan was arrested and charged with abduction in the City of Lynchburg.”

Please feel free to discuss the pros and cons of each candidate. Please stick to the facts and no personal attacks.