CAn this backfire?

[Pumbaa]

I saw this lead in to the Sound off section.  My first impression is sour grapes.  In addition some of the membership data is out of date. 

My main point being is this how we want CAP to appear in the media?  Even iin a negative situation would we not be served better to keep the positive spin?

Now this could very well be the newspaper creating a salacious headline for attention.  If that is the case then the good Captain should demand an apology.

"Foothills Cadet Squadron KICKED out after 9+ years"

Foothills Cadet Squadron of the Colorado Wing Civil Air Patrol was just informed by the US Army Reserve in Lakewood that we are no longer wanted in their building after 9+ years. They are wanting to charge us $4,500.00 in rent, and as a non profit organization with limited finances we are unable to afford that amount of money....

See entire letter at link...

http://denver.yourhub.com/Edgewater/Stories/Sound-Off/Im-Mad-About/Story~292316.aspx

[FARRIER]

You must have dug to find this one.

[jimmydeanno]

I saw this lead in to the Sound off section.  My first impression is sour grapes.  In addition some of the membership data is out of date. 

My main point being is this how we want CAP to appear in the media?  Even iin a negative situation would we not be served better to keep the positive spin?

Now this could very well be the newspaper creating a salacious headline for attention.  If that is the case then the good Captain should demand an apology.

"Foothills Cadet Squadron KICKED out after 9+ years"

Foothills Cadet Squadron of the Colorado Wing Civil Air Patrol was just informed by the US Army Reserve in Lakewood that we are no longer wanted in their building after 9+ years. They are wanting to charge us $4,500.00 in rent, and as a non profit organization with limited finances we are unable to afford that amount of money....

See entire letter at link...

http://denver.yourhub.com/Edgewater/Stories/Sound-Off/Im-Mad-About/Story~292316.aspx

I'm not sure what you are saying...are you saying that CAP has been published in a negative light because the word "KICKED" implies we did something wrong?  Or are you saying that the article appears as though CAP is "angry" at the NG for needing their space back...

I think the headline did exactly what it was intended to do.  It caught your attention, made you read the article, made you wonder why the NG wants to charge such a wonderful organization an exorbanant amount of rent, and let's you know they are looking for somewhere to meet...

[NIN]

I think the concern is two-fold:

1) Is this the kind of press we want to get for the organization?? "CAP KICKED out of local Reserve Center after 9 years.." or similar is an AWFULLY negative headline.  A PR pro would cringe at that.  A better headline, brought on by a better articulation of the problem by members interviewed, would be "Civil Air Patrol cadets seek new meeting place.." 

2) What is that going to do to the relationship with the USAR?  The local USAR commander picks up the paper and reads that and any chance that that CAP squadron, or CAP throughout that entire USAR REGION, of getting to a Reserve Center now drops to near zero.   What about the squadron up the road in Fort Collins that enjoys a fine relationship with the USAR and doesn't pay a dime?  Is the facility commander there going to talk to his counterpart down in Lakewood who says "Yeah, those CAP guys really trashed us in the press.." and the guy up in Fort Collins says "Hmmm, you know, I think they need to go.."  It also tends to color any future relationships with the USAR.  What happens when Wyoming Wing wants to hold its cadet comp at the Cheyenne Reserve Center?   What if the Cheyenne Reserve Center is the HQ company for the unit in Lakewood?  Whoops.  CAP comes in: "Hey, can we use the reserve center on April 14th for our cadet competition?" USAR: "No."

That can and will tend to backfire.

Now, did the newspaper reporter or editor probably write an inflammatory headline independent of what the members of the unit said?  Possibly.  Having been quoted on "background" information in an article before (Reporter: "So, what, is CAP like JROTC or something?"  NIN: "Not exactly.. I wouldn't print this, but we're more like the Boy Scouts with schnazzy uniforms than JROTC.  We have weekly meetings, we're not based in the school curriculum, etc..."  Paper: "Its like the Boy Scouts with schnazzy uniforms, said Ninness.."  DOOH!  Lesson learned that day, the hard way!), you have to make sure that everybody who talks to the press in the unit is sync'd to the same story and the same party line.  Last thing you need is some C/Amn saying "Yeah, dude, it sucks that we were KICKED out of the Reserve Center" and the reporter goes "Wow, yeah, great headline.. Sweet! Good angle! Thanks!"

If it was my unit, I'd remind people that only the PAO & the Commander should talk to the press, and any kind of contact with the press would emphasize that the unit's change in venue its due to a change in USAR policy that affects all organizations wishing to use the USAR facilities, not just Civil Air Patrol, but that as a youth-oriented non-profit, we rely on the good graces of the community for low-cost options for meeting and HQ space.  That kind of thing. Not "We got our butts kicked out... Woe is us.."

[Major_Chuck]

It's written not as an news article but more of a personal appeal.  The facility is Army Reserve, not Army National Guard and they may play by different rules when it comes to their facility.

I feel there is more to this story than actually meets the eye.  I feel for the unit being displaced but it happens all the time.  The Army is in budget crunch time.  (Thank the Congress for that one).

[Major Carrales]

Well, as a PAO I would have phrased in differently...


Foothills Cadet Squadron to Change Location after 9+ years
Contributed by Major Joe Ely Carrales, CAP


Foothills Cadet Squadron of the Colorado Wing Civil Air Patrol was just informed by the US Army Reserve that there will be a change in the agreement for the use of their building.  This change comes after 9 years in that facility. According to sources, the directors of the facility intend to caharge the unit $4,500.00 in rent. A major issue for a non profit organization with limited finances.

"We are currently looking for a temporary place to hold our meetings"  said Captain Michael Lawson, the unit's commander. "If you have the space and are willing to help out an outstanding group of kids learn the life skills needed in our society please email me ASAP so we can start our meetings again. If you happen to have a permanent place for us to meet, that would be AWESOME!"

Civil Air Patrol is a volunteer, non-profit 501 c 3 organization operating as an auxiliary of the United States Air Force, performing "Missions For America" with approximately 64,000 members nationwide. Civil Air Patrol is responsible for 95% of all inland search and rescue missions tasked by the Air Force in the United States. Our primary missions are "Emergency Services", "Cadet Programs" and "Aerospace Education". Federal, state and local authorities rely on CAP's volunteer pilots and ground personnel to provide search and rescue assistance, disaster relief, homeland security, counter-drug operations and cadet training.

More information on the Foothills Cadet Squadron is available at www.orgsites.com/co/foothills The unit currently meets onThursday nights from 6:30 to 9:00 pm.

Captain Michael Lawson concludes by saying... "We are great tenants, as we clean up after ourselves, are very responsible and have the best kids in Colorado in the organization. If you can see it in your heart to help us out in our time of need the entire Squadron membership would be extremely grateful. "

-30-

I would then attach some photos with captions showing cadets in action.



While it is an appeal to the community, we should avoid the section that sounds like an attack on US Army Reserve.  I am sure that this comes as a shock to this unit, but it is not the end of the world for them.  By that I refer to the concept that when a "door closes" often another one opens.

Our unit has had some difficulty with meeting locations. Currently, we have three places where we meet and none of them that provide space for storage.  But, the unit goes one.  We are in negotiation with variosu levels of government to try to improve our situation...but it will not kill our momentum.  If need be, strike a deal with a restaurant to use a prive dinning area.  Make the meeting a working meal and they will bend over backward for your business.

One thing is certain, if a unit enters a hiatus...it will die.

[LtCol White]

I really think this was a bad idea. They are making a public issue of something that should be internal. They are making the NG look like bad guys here and calling them on the carpet in the media. NOT a good thing. VERY bad politics.

[mikeylikey]

Story removed "deal is being reached".  So either the Army saw this and decided bad publicity on their part, or there was no story to begin with (as in a deal was going to be reached, but one option brought up at a meeting was to charge CAP rent).

[ColonelJack]

I really think this was a bad idea. They are making a public issue of something that should be internal. They are making the NG look like bad guys here and calling them on the carpet in the media. NOT a good thing. VERY bad politics.

I fully agree that, of the many different ways this could've been handled, the way it was handled was about the worst.  But ... putting Devil's Advocate hat on here --moment ... doesn't the NG already know CAP is a non-profit outfit?  Why in the world would they think they could get $4500 in rent (is that annual rent or monthly, by the way) out of an organization that ain't got no money anyway?  The squadron's been in there for nine years, so I would assume that the NG unit knew something about them.

Painting the NG as the bad guy is not a brilliant idea, but in a way the NG is the bad guy here.  You don't solve a budget crunch by trying to get money out of an organization that doesn't have any ... and the number of other potential "renters" for space on an NG facility is shockingly limited.  I have a feeling that there's more to this than we're being told. 

Perhaps the NG unit got irritated about something the CAP unit did ... or the NG command changed and the new CC didn't think it was appropriate for CAP to be there, but couldn't come up with a face-saving way to kick them out ... or something.  I don't know.  But I do know that I'd have written the article from a completely different perspective ... and I'd look into why the NG wanted the CAP off their playground in the first place.

Your mileage, of course, may vary.

Jack

[LtCol White]

I really think this was a bad idea. They are making a public issue of something that should be internal. They are making the NG look like bad guys here and calling them on the carpet in the media. NOT a good thing. VERY bad politics.

I fully agree that, of the many different ways this could've been handled, the way it was handled was about the worst.  But ... putting Devil's Advocate hat on here --moment ... doesn't the NG already know CAP is a non-profit outfit?  Why in the world would they think they could get $4500 in rent (is that annual rent or monthly, by the way) out of an organization that ain't got no money anyway?  The squadron's been in there for nine years, so I would assume that the NG unit knew something about them.

Painting the NG as the bad guy is not a brilliant idea, but in a way the NG is the bad guy here.  You don't solve a budget crunch by trying to get money out of an organization that doesn't have any ... and the number of other potential "renters" for space on an NG facility is shockingly limited.  I have a feeling that there's more to this than we're being told. 

Perhaps the NG unit got irritated about something the CAP unit did ... or the NG command changed and the new CC didn't think it was appropriate for CAP to be there, but couldn't come up with a face-saving way to kick them out ... or something.  I don't know.  But I do know that I'd have written the article from a completely different perspective ... and I'd look into why the NG wanted the CAP off their playground in the first place.

Your mileage, of course, may vary.

Jack

Oh i agree that it sounds like the NG is the bad guy in this.  I just think it is REALLY bad to play this out in public. Arm twisting in public ALWAYS makes for a bad relationship between the parties later. Just wait until they need to ask for a favor and see what the answer is. Sticking a finger in someone's eye isn't going to make them want to be your friend in the long run.

Its also VERY poor judgement and leadership on the SQ and PAO for doing this. VERY poor.

[ZigZag911]

There is never a good reason to make our military services look bad...CAP is supposed to be supporting the USAF (and by extension, the other branches)......if a public appeal needed to be made for meeting space, it should have been expressed as "USAR needs space formerly, generously donated to CAP for nearly a decade".

[floridacyclist]

Interesting twist...if you click on the original link, you get:

Foothills Cadet Squadron KICKED out after 9+ years
Contributed by: Michael Lawson on 4/11/2007

Story removed, Deal is being worked out.

Captain Michael Lawson, CAP
Foothills Cadet Squadron
Commander
www.orgsites.com/co/foothills

[stillamarine]

When we were looking at starting a Young Marines unit where I lived in MI, we talked to the local NG armory.

They told us roughly the same thing, some pretty high number. We just looked elsewhere, no bad blood.

Calling them out like this is slightly childish.

[Major Carrales]

Calling them out like this is slightly childish.

I totally agree.  The story should have placed a focus on getting a new location and made only a passing reference to the ARMY RESERVE.  They really have no obligation to have a CAP unit there. 

I don't much know about the "rent" thing.  CAP Units struggle as it is to have operating capital period...thousands a year is a bit much for any unit to spend on a non-hangar space.

[LtCol White]

Interesting twist...if you click on the original link, you get:

Foothills Cadet Squadron KICKED out after 9+ years
Contributed by: Michael Lawson on 4/11/2007

Story removed, Deal is being worked out.

Captain Michael Lawson, CAP
Foothills Cadet Squadron
Commander
www.orgsites.com/co/foothills

Doesn't matter that it was removed. It NEVER should have been there to begin with.

[floridacyclist]

I agree. I still find it interesting that this was apparently the commander's story, or at least that's how it appears.

[DogCollar]

Just as an observation...

I realize that there is indeed a need to "vent" feelings and frustrations.  However, whenever that is done (or has appearances of venting) with the written word, it can only lead to trouble.

As in this case, the authors expression of feeling "kicked out" will ruin any opportunity to have a constructive relationship with that National Guard unit for the forseeable future.  Those "feelings" are best articualted in private...and left unpublished.  I guess there is a lesson in this for us all.

[LtCol White]

Just as an observation...

I realize that there is indeed a need to "vent" feelings and frustrations.  However, whenever that is done (or has appearances of venting) with the written word, it can only lead to trouble.

As in this case, the authors expression of feeling "kicked out" will ruin any opportunity to have a constructive relationship with that National Guard unit for the forseeable future.  Those "feelings" are best articualted in private...and left unpublished.  I guess there is a lesson in this for us all.

Venting should be a private thing

[RiverAux]

Bad, bad, bad public affairs move that could have easily been avoided.

[Major Carrales]

Bad, bad, bad public affairs move that could have easily been avoided.

2d Lt Fairchild had an Idea for a "CAP PAO" forum where stories/letters like this could be posted and reviewed by fellow PAOs (behind a firewall for objective review and privacy).  That would have prevented this...

[LtCol White]

Bad, bad, bad public affairs move that could have easily been avoided.

SHOULD have been avoided

[Major Carrales]

Has anyone  contacted the commander of that unit to solicit a response.  I began to realize that we are basically "talking about a fellow CAP Officer" without his knowledge?

Let me know, if not I will do so.

[LtCol White]

In reading the posts, no one has indicated that they have done so.

[flyguy06]

You guys keep saying NG. I thought it was the Army reserves. Two totally different organizations.