by When the NRA Nominations Committee first released their list of nominations for the 2024 Board of Directors election it had 28 names on it. As I noted at the time (Sept. 27th), 25 of those on the list were current board members with 23 having been nominated in 2021. The only three new persons nominated were Craig Haggard, Susannah Warner Kipke, and Gina Roberts.
Fast forward to early November when the complete ballot with the four petition candidates was released. I did not take notice of it at the time but the Nominations Committee had added another two nominees to go along with the four that were on the ballot by petition. I’ll attribute my oversight to being on vacation with family as well as being excited that all four petition candidates had made it.
The additions to the ballot were former NRA President Carolyn Meadows and Greer Johnson of Duluth, Georgia. Ms. Johnson, 72, is on the Board of Trustees of the NRA Foundation. I have been told she is or was a “Friend of Wayne”. Meadows and Johnson both have served as officers on the Board of the Stone Mountain Memorial Association in Georgia at the same time. Note that these two were added to the ballot before Wayne LaPierre resigned.
Adding more people to the list of nominees aka padding the ballot is meant to decrease the odds of one or more of the petition candidates being successful in their quest to be elected to the Board of Directors.
What makes this more egregious is that the Nominations Committee had to be aware that Mrs. Meadows’ health was an issue. Going back as far as the 2020 NRA Annual Meeting in Tucson, it was apparent from her video appearance that she was suffering from a neuro-muscular illness of some sort. More recently, she was supposed to be a witness in the NRA trial in New York City. Attorneys for the NRA informed the NY Attorney General’s Office in mid-December that her health might not allow her to testify in person at the trial. This was amended to both in person and virtually.
From the letter to the court by the Attorney General’s Office:
On January 5, 2024, the NRA finally provided a medical affidavit for Ms. Meadows. Ms. Meadows’ physician represents that she is unable to testify in person or virtually because of her health condition. Subject to a representation from NRA counsel that Ms. Meadows did not attend, in person or virtually, the January 2024 Board meeting, Plaintiff will use Ms. Meadows’ videotaped deposition in lieu of live testimony.
If Mrs. Meadows’ health is such that she cannot even testify virtually, how can she effectively serve on the NRA Board of Directors? The answer is she cannot and it is a disservice to the members of the NRA to even nominate her.