The Duque Papers – 4

The LNC prior to the 2024 convention, as analyzed by by then-LNC-member Miguel Duque.

EPCC

• Another monstrous issue is the workings of the Employment Policy and Compensation Committee, chaired by Steven Nekhaila, which is wildly out of scope. The EPCC attempts to act as an HR department taking complaints from staff and also as managers of Angela and the Executive Director, while being board members vying to steer the whole ship. They are permitted to write theirown sprawling employment policies out of thin air unless overturned by majority vote by the LNC, which has no appetite to scrutinize 7 pages of new policies. This committee has allowed a small few to exert huge political control over staffing.
• The EPCC and Steven Nekhaila have, in Angela’s words, undermined and usurped
  Angela and Lainie Huston (outgoing Executive Director) and their efforts,
  politicizing employment decisions and hobbling the operations even further.

• In March of 2023, Angela to Anna (direct quotes, refer to screenshots):
• “[Dustin] shouldn’t be on the EPCC. He’s practically harassing [Lainie, trying to get her fired] … it’s almost like a hostile work environment”
• “Ask Miguel to whip for her. This absolutely cannot go to a vote”
• In April of 2023, Angela to Miguel (direct quotes, refer to screenshots):
• “Dustin and Steven frequently miss EPCC meetings and are late. They are not good committee members for this committee. Dustin and Steven keep information from me and Kathy, and change their minds repeatedly. They seem to have a dynamic that’s a holdover from the last LNC. Keeping secrets, pitting people against each other.”
• “I think it would be great if I could get you a little more involved in decisionmaking and driving the narrative forward … Involvement with staff or EPCC would be really helpful”
• “Dustin can’t make a lot of [EPCC] meetings so they just cancel them now”
• Angela: “OK, get ready to go to war with him [Dustin Nanna, over his desire to fire Lainie]”. Miguel: “I should move to remove him from EPCC for his negligence. I was there to witness it when he and Nekhaila were like ‘gee shucks Miguel, do you think we owe Lainie an apology?’ Yeah mother fuckers, you do!” Angela: “Yes! That will help a lot. I’m trying to go on the offensive.”
• “What I don’t get [about some who didn’t like Lainie] is that I have the same complaints about Lainie but absolutely love her. No one is perfect. It’s kinda bullshit”
• Angela to Anna in May of 2023 (direct quotes, refer to screenshots):
• “Dustin and Steven are definitely moving to axe her but I’m pulling out all the stops”
• “Lainie definitely needs a public showing of support”
• “I think it would be reasonable for state chairs to ask for a certain amount of info/details before major personnel changes happen so they can understand/be prepared”
• “There’s no agendas for executive session. RONR has been horribly abused for all of this BS. Caryn Ann is the enabler for that … notice how we had no follow up to the meeting [Lainie] knocked out of the park??”
• Yet as Miguel attempted to start voicing criticisms about Dustin and Steven, Angela backed down and called him off. Why?