Board of Buffalo ReUse faces removal
Founder’s backers call special meeting
Supporters of Buffalo ReUse’s deposed founder, Michael Gainer, have called for a special meeting of the membership next week to oust the board of directors.
That action, if successful, could lead to Gainer’s return to the organization he started nearly three years ago, but also put the organization on a collision course with others who have helped sustain the organization financially.
Members began receiving letters in the mail Monday announcing the Sept. 3 meeting. The agenda calls for a vote to remove the board and the installation of an interim board until the annual meeting Sept. 22.
Harvey Garrett, who was brought into Buffalo ReUse in March as chief executive officer and to replace Gainer as executive director, said he and the board plan to invite members, staff, funders and others in the community to a meeting prior to the special member meeting.
“We hope to find a path that doesn’t put the organization at any further risk or in a legal quagmire,” Garrett said.
Chris Smith, a Buffalo ReUse founding member, said the drive to remove the board triggered by Gainer’s firing underscored a concern that the board was moving away from its commitment to use green deconstruction and salvage to combat poverty. Buffalo ReUse sells the materials through its Re- Use store on the East Side and also uses the work to promote neighborhood development and job creation for inner-city youth.
“The organization is about more than buildings. It’s about a community mission to address issues of social justice and communitywide disinvestment,” Smith said.
He was one of a group of nearly 20 people, several of them founding members, who met at a hastily called meeting Wednesday, two days after Gainer was fired as operations manager.
A special meeting can be called when 10 percent or more of the membership requests one in writing, Smith said. Eleven of the approximately 35 members signed the letter.
Garrett said the board is exploring how Gainer could remain a part of Buffalo ReUse.
“The board has been meeting with Michael individually in hopes of finding a way to work together going forward that doesn’t jeopardize funding and compliance with our nonprofit status.”
Gainer blamed his dismissal on poor relations with Garrett and the board, while acknowledging he had made “lots of mistakes,” including poorly managing Buffalo ReUse funds.
Most of the funding came from the John R. Oishei Foundation, which gave Buffalo Re- Use $200,000 in unrestricted funds for 2008 and 2009, as well as additional dollars that included $10,000 to pay for a “personal mentor” for Gainer.
Buffalo ReUse also has received grants from other foundations, including the Baird Foundation and Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo.
The board issued a statement concerning Gainer’s termination last Tuesday, alluding to unspecified problems that included protocols that weren’t followed and a failure to respect the chain of command.
Stephanie Simeon, the board chairwoman, also said at the time that specific details surrounding the firing were not being discussed “out of respect for the integrity of [Gainer’s] professional career and his identity.”
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