"We give more authority to outside people who really have no stake in the organization than we do the board of directors, many of whom have spent their entire life working for the association," said Alfred Rucks, a 12-year board member from Las Cruces, N.M. "It gives the impression that the board isn't of sufficient caliber to pick the CEO, and some of us are offended by that."
It is unclear whether the group has the numbers to block the executive committee's pick, but some hinted that they will try.
"We do not have to accept any recommendation," said Ernest Johnson, a board member from Baton Rouge, La. "No one can dictate to us what to do and how to vote."
Johnson said he's concerned that the search committee will pick someone like Gordon - a civil rights outsider with a long corporate resume.
"I'm a firm believer that someone who can raise money should not be the driving force," he said. "Are we supposed to be worried about raising money or about fighting for civil rights?"
Coalition members said the organization should be less concerned about finding someone with cachet and should look for someone inside NAACP ranks.
"We're an organization that has continually ignored the people whom we have trained and groomed," said Alice Huffman, a board member from Sacramento, Calif., who ran against Bond last weekend, losing 30-21. "But we need someone who understands our culture."
Huffman was a member of the search committee that chose Gordon. "Members are nervous about this," she said. "They don't want to be embarrassed again."
Bond said the search committee is dedicated to finding someone who embodies the organization's mission and legacy, but would offer no further details.
The coalition also has complained that NAACP leadership is out of step with the 2,000 branches it serves around the country.
Last weekend, some board members pushed to change a policy that requires local units to hand over 60 percent of their membership dues to the national office in Baltimore. Branches keep 40 percent for local operations. Representatives from the NAACP's local branches recently voted to swap percentages, keeping 60 percent for themselves.
But at last weekend's meeting, the board rejected the local units' action. Some board members said the rejection violated the NAACP's constitution.
Bond said only the board is permitted to make decisions about membership dues. He said a majority of the board disagreed with the local units' formula.
"I was astounded that anyone would propose taking a million and a half dollars away from the national treasury at a time when our units were asking for more services," he said.
Bond said a huge fundraising campaign recently shrunk last year's $3 million deficit to less than $300,000. He said he did not want to revisit the organization's former financial troubles.
But Huffman said that when the board rejected the local units' plea, it showed contempt for their hard work.
"We have a responsibility to keep our units strong," she said. "Every significant grass-roots activity of the last 10 years has come from the field."
kelly.brewington@baltsun.com
