The Cloverdale Legion is dealing with some internal strife.
Craig Thomson, president of the BC/Yukon Command, sent a letter out to members in early January noting the difficulties and the upcoming changes. In the letter, Thomson wrote that Branch No. 6 in Cloverdale is suffering from "persistent in-fighting within the executive" and that "ongoing significant operational challenges" are hampering the day-to-day work of the Legion.
Thomson also wrote that after "concerns were raised by several members" he placed Branch No. 6 under trusteeship and appointed Pat Ostrom, Doug Hadley, and Karen Kuzek as trustees to act on behalf of the Cloverdale Legion.
Thomson did not respond to interview requests from this newspaper.
BC/Yukon Command held a meeting on Jan. 22 at the branch about the trusteeship.
The meeting was open to the public as it was supposed to be an information meeting only. Ostrom, Hadley, and Kuzek were present along with more than 100 members.
It was explained at the meeting that Ostrom, Hadley, and Kuzek have a mission to turn the executive around and put Legion back on the right footing.
Ostrom told the Cloverdale Reporter there have been some minor challenges as the trusteeship has started, but nothing the three-member group can't handle.
"I'm fairly new at this trusteeship stuff, but I think everything's going as okay as it can," Ostrom said. "We're running it business as usual for now. And trying to get to the bottom of what the root cause of our in-fighting issues are."
A member of Branch No. 6 spoke to the Cloverdale Reporter, on condition of anonymity, about the recent meeting.
The member said at the meeting people were naming names and letting out more information than the leadership of the BC/Yukon Command was happy with and the Command shut down the meeting.
The member said president Joe Carter was suspended, and with the lack of other executive members to run the Legion, that is why the trusteeship was undertaken.
The member said several people at the meeting wanted Carter reinstated, but that the meeting was about how the trusteeship would work and the calls for Carter's reinstatement were dismissed.
The source did not reveal why Carter was suspended.
Ostrom confirmed the entire executive was dissolved.
"That's how a trusteeship works," he explained. "All the executives have been stood down. The bylaws have been suspended."
He said the three trustees are now running the branch and make all the financial and executive decisions.
He added the first thing they needed to do was get signing authority.
Next up, he said they'll identify all of the issues the branch is facing, prioritize them, and then start working through each one in an attempt to find lasting solutions.
"I'm hoping this is only a short-term gig," Ostrom added. "I'm hoping in a few months, or less than a year's time, that we can return to a vote and then elect an executive and go from there."
Ostrom said the next information meeting is March 26.
Carter reached out to the Cloverdale Reporter to correct an earlier version of this story that said he was suspend for two years. Carter said he was only suspended for one year.