A Request for transparency from FIRST

[DonRotolo]

I received a phone call from Bill Miller Wednesday (I've been procrastinating on writing this).

FIRST understands the point of the letter, has discussed it at the highest levels, and absolutely takes it seriously. They are mindful of changes and their impact, and want to keep teams as well-informed as possible.

They do regularly consult with Hall of Fame teams and WFA winners (and sometimes local teams) when making important decisions, and wish they could involve a wider audience but logistics sometimes prevent that. (To Jack Jones' point, oure letter was developed that way).

He told me that they'll definitely take action on this, and I suggested to Bill that we push the time frame on this issue to the end of the 2010 season, so they could develop a quality communication of their vision, not just dash off something. He seemed grateful for the extra time, and promised they'd absolutely address it to the best of their ability.

Originally Posted by Andrew Schuetze

I still have to believe that the staff at FIRST is working towards the benefit of the program which has to be to the benefit of most teams

After speaking with Bill Miller, I have to agree Andrew. These guys are passionate about it.

Originally Posted by Alan Anderson

It occurred to me this morning that FIRST already seems to be trying to give us more advance warning of things, in the form of Bill's Blog.

It's the medium- to long-term plans that are needed in order to give us direction.

Alan, did you tap into my phone call? I agree that we are seeing greater transparency already, and now we are pushing the envelope harder (in a good way). I thanked Bill for his blog. In my own opinion, don't be fooled by the informality of the blog, he means what he writes.

Originally Posted by Daniel_LaFleur

FIRST made a decision to be more transparent with their mid-range plans a few years ago (It seems to me) and now they are paying for it.

As far as I'm concerned, I don't need to know everything, immediately. Just like here at work, "Management" informs us the best they can, but not everything can be said publicly.