Sunday, December 27, 2015

Looking back



This blog began in the spring of 2010, following the unfortunate legislation that gave the Arizona Historical Society control of the mineral museum. The blog took the position that a historical society (any historical society) was not a proper agency to operate a science museum.

At the time, the forthcoming disaster resulting from this mistake could not be imagined.  No one thought that the AHS would close the top rated mineral museum and scatter its contents across the state, as it ultimately did. No one thought that the AHS would defy Arizona law and lock out 40,000 children per year. No one thought that the AHS would squander the mineral museum budget year after year, accomplishing absolutely nothing.

Looking back from the present, it is now apparent that the AHS is not "any" historical society. It is presently an extraordinarily bad one. The AHS is a rogue government agency that squanders millions without providing useful services. It has never had a satisfactory performance review, and does not have adequate collection control procedures. It is not even capable of accurately preserving Arizona history. In particular, it has failed to accurately preserve its own history.

It is now apparent that the State mineral collection is clearly in jeopardy. Appropriate correction of the legislative / executive error made in 2010 is urgent. Arizonians need to insist that the Legislature pass a bill with corrective action in 2016, and that the Governor sign it.

6 comments:

  1. Your answer is Dr. Ann Woosley and her minion Bill Ponder. Look no further than those two. Remove those two and reform the do-nothing Board of Directors and you can go a long way.

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  2. Time for the board of directors to grow a spine and make the agency respectable again. They don't seem to know how to hire a decent director. Does not seem like the AHS is getting much for the $120,000 they pay the director.

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  3. If the AHS Board of Directors does not raise funds, or conducts public relations to conduct awareness of the tax payers to the agency, or hire directors who can those things, or vote on such major issues as a Centennial Museum/taking over a Mineral Museum then dumping it's collections, or whether the agency goes into the Rio Nuevo Complex (and waste $1,400,000 dollars).
    Then why do they even exist? Their record of hiring directors like Jim Moss, Mike Weber, Ann Woosley is not very good.
    Time for them to do their job.

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  4. Thanks for the information you shared that's so useful and quite informative and i have taken those into consideration....
    100,000,000 views

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  5. At a certain point, you cannot treat a problem. The only solution is removal.
    The problem is at every level of AHS. Yes the previous 3 directors were criminal in their illegal actions. Fact.
    The board does nothing, in regards of oversight thus allowing the problems to continue. At least 2 board members are involved in illegal fund activities. Fact. AZ Centennial Museum never had a chance of being anything except a swindle. Staff always knew this. Fact. Staff is incompetent, hired for purpose. Capable staff was let go, those who were kept were also for purpose. They tow the line and have no spine in any definition. There are staff who hold the evidence which could stop all of this fraud immediately...don't. They are, imho, the true villains because they tow a line for their perceived security. Of course if there was an investigation of the top, it may be found that the library, archives, collections, etc. are all committing gross negligence. It is easily proved that AHS collections have left the back door for many, many, years.
    It a nutshell, Yes A. Woosley is negligent. She was that at Amerind. There is no record of any of her employment being favorable. Anyone could have seen that/this coming regarding Woosley. Ponder...well he is an okie-doke. He is there as a token nodding head. He does nothing and makes employee stats look good. Removal of these 2 is necessary...but you would still have too many rats for employees. Kill AHS Charter!! No visitation. No ethics. The longer they exist, the longer they destroy history. Example: Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson is a national treasure....and not state run. We can have nice things, just not when it is controlled by bad people. Create a vacuum, close AHS, and it will be filled by something better. Fact.

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    Replies
    1. This blog cannot currently confirm all of the allegations made in the above comment. However, some of them are documented in the consistently unsatisfactory AHS performance reviews. Go to www.azauditor.gov, click on "reports and publications", then on "state agencies". Then,scroll down to "historical society".

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