-Vera Okyne Swings Barrages of Accusations At PA Chapter Prexy
-But Flahn Deflects, Vera Smells The Rat And Quits
The fall out of Fred Gwyan’s suspension and subsequent impeachment might just be brewing hard feelings within the Pennsylvania Chapter of the Grand Gedeh Association in the Americas. A looming nemesis may be anchoring against PA Chapter President Karwho Flahn with flaming arrows coming from one of PA’s National Board representatives, Vera Davis Okyne.
Ms. Okyne turned up the lights on May 22, 2017 when she tendered her shocking resignation alleging a litany of allegations bordering on financial improprieties, lack of transparency and lackadaisical attitude on the part of Mr. Flahn to man up and defend Mr. Gwyan.
Vera Davies Okyne’s Letter of Resignation
In her letter of resignation, Vera asserted, “…it is with profound regrets that I write to submit my letter of resignation from the local Board and subsequently from the National Board of Directors” of the GGAA. Ms. Okyne said her parting with the two layers of board breaks her heart to curtail her service and membership to the two bodies.
Top among her five concerns was Mr. Flahn’s alleged inaction to step up to the place and do something about the woes that befell Mr. Gwyan. “While this crisis was self-inflicted…the mother chapter did nothing to amicably resolve the crisis but inflamed same by taking side without investigating the facts,” Vera lambasted.
She claimed to have complained several times to the Chairman of the National Board [Isaac Bull Yonly], but he refused to recognize she and others. She did not name who else was not recognized.
But then Vera also claimed that the local board has not convened a meeting to pass on the revised constitution of the Chapter to be adapted by the general membership. The PA Chapter President is however not member of the local board, nor does he chair it.
“No coordination between the Chapter Administration and Local Board, working relationship between your administration and the board are either non-existence or very poor,” Ms. Okyne said. She claimed that the local board has not received a budget from the Flahn administration.
Karwho Flahn’s Response To Vera Okyne
Vera said, “Request of meetings with the local chairman yielded no results. “I have made several attempts and phone calls to the Local Chairman to convene Board Meetings to no avail…,”
She also accused Mr. Flahn of failing to make detail financial report. “The financial position of the Chapter is unknown,” Vera noted, “Grant money from the Philadelphia City Government has not been accounted for.”
But no sooner had Ms. Okyne tendered her resignation than the PA Chapter President rebuffed her allegations in a letter, titled, “Acceptance of Resignation and Rebuttal to False Claims.” But Flahn said “…it wasn’t an easy task working with you.” He did not say what made it difficult to work with Vera Davis Okyne as board member.
He rejected all the claims made by Ms. Okyne and termed them as “very erroneous” reasons for her resignation. “It’s very unfortunate that you will chose to state things that you have no facts to substantiate,” Mr. Flahn scolded.
Responding to the five concerns of Vera one after another, the PA President said his “administration’s decision to side with the national board of directors in the case of former President Gwyan’s refusal to submit to the board’s investigation is based on the facts made available to the chapter by the national board.”
Mr. Flahn noted that Mr. Gwyan failed to come to the chapter’s meeting to provide evidence to disprove any claims made against him by the national board. He said he made so many attempts to have Mr. Gwyan appraise his fellow members with details from his perspective.
On the lack of detail financial report, Flahn chided Ms. Okyne as saying, “It is unfortunate and very possible that you wouldn’t have known the chapter financial standing or have any copy of detailed reports on the chapter finances and information on the city grant to the chapter, when you do not attend meeting as required.”
According to Mr. Flahn, Vera’s first full meeting was on February 16, 2016 and the half meeting was on February 18, 2017. “Mrs. Okyne, during the length of your absence, the chapter administration made detailed financial reports supported by bank information on the accounts. As a matter of recent facts, GGAA-PA administration made a detailed financial report just before we headed to Cleveland, Ohio for the recent GGAA annual national convention,” he added.
He said the Philadelphia city grant money to the chapter was “discussed in our March 26, 2017 meeting and attendees of that meeting and majority of our membership know where the chapter stands pertaining to the Philadelphia City Grant money to the to chapter.”
Mr. Flahn seemed to have discarded Vera’s concerns on local meeting, saying that he as president of the Chapter does “…have the authority to appoint board members but, I don’t run the day-to-day affairs of the board.” He then rebuffed Ms. Okyne’s claims that there was no coordination between the chapter administration and the local board.
“For the records and up to the date of your resignation, there has never been any (verbal or written) reservation from you about any of the two claims of yours. Again, these claims are false and misleading,” Mr. Flahn said.
