David Mixner, a longtime gay and anti-war advocate has called upon the Human Rights Campaign the largest LGBT Equal Rights Group in the country  to hold several town hall meetings in cities reflective of LGBT community before hiring a new executive director to replace Joe Solmonese who will be leaving his position as executive director at the  HRC next month.

Mixner:

Who they select as their next president is not only important to the continued health and well-being of the organization, but it impacts the entire LGBTcommunity.

There is no question that they will proceed with a professional search for their new leader. They will hire an Executive Search firm, consult with their Board members and I am sure many others in their vast network.

 

However wouldn’t it be both really smart and also genuinely a right move if they held town meetings where anyone can come and express where they think the organization needs to go at this stage of history? They could pick out six locations that would be sure to be reflective of all segments of the community from rural areas to large cities.

 

Yes, I know that at times it will require enormous patience for the panel listening to the suggestions. There are those who’ll attend the town meeting to simply express anger. Also there will be a significant number of people eager to express their needs, constructive frustrations and some with amazing ideas. Listening is not hard and if the Board members listen carefully, they will find additional information that could make their next selection of a leader a wise and respected choice ready to tackle the future challenges that face us all.”