David Contreras - Part 2: The Path to Accountability—A Call for Governance Reform

Part 2: The Path to Accountability—A Call for Governance Reform

David Contreras

In my previous communication, I highlighted the structural decline of our League, specifically regarding our shrinking membership base and the erosion of our grassroots foundation. I outlined a reality that many in leadership wish to ignore: our operational model is not merely stagnant; it is in a state of rapid, accelerating decline.

Having established the scope of the problem, we must now address the core of the solution: Accountability. We can no longer afford to be passive observers of our own institutional collapse.

The Reality of Our Decline

Our national presence is at its lowest point in recorded history. The 2026 National Convention saw delegate attendance drop to just 325—a decline that signals a breakdown in our grassroots structure. Our council rolls are shrinking, and our financial health is precarious, characterized by systemic funding challenges and an inability to maintain the revenue necessary to meet operational expenses.

These are not "market headwinds." Other major civil rights organizations navigate the same environment while maintaining stability and growth. We are failing because we have prioritized political image-making and the perception of influence over the foundational work of grassroots organizing and fiscal discipline.

The Performance Gap: CEO Accountability

The CEO is hired to serve the Board, the membership, and the community. His job description mandates two primary functions: managing strategic growth and securing the organization’s financial future.

By any objective measure, these core initiatives have underperformed. We have witnessed a focus on high-level political optics that has not translated to actual membership growth. Most concerning is the Board’s recent decision to grant a multi-year contract extension to the CEO despite these clear performance deficits. A contract extension is intended to be a reward for demonstrated success and organizational stability; awarding one in the midst 

of this decline suggests a failure of the Board’s fiduciary duty.

A Mandate for Action

We can no longer afford to be passive observers. To protect our future, we demand the following:

 Total Transparency: The Board must provide the membership with an honest, unvarnished assessment of our financial state and verified membership numbers. We must stop the "smoke and mirrors" and confront the data.

 Actionable Remedies: The CEO must be required to present a concrete, measurable plan to restore our fiscal health and grassroots membership, tied to specific, time-bound milestones.

 Rigorous Accountability: The Board must uphold its fiduciary responsibility. If the CEO cannot meet the contractual expectations for growth and financial management for which he was hired, the Board must hold him accountable, even if that means seeking new leadership. The CEO is an employee answerable to the members, not an independent authority.

The Bottom Line

We are at a critical crossroads. We must decide today: Are we here for the prestige of titles, or are we here to serve the mission?

True growth requires the courage to admit where we are failing and the discipline to fix it. We call upon the National Board to fulfill its duty to the membership and the future of this League. Let us stop relying on empty rhetoric and start rebuilding our foundation from within. If we do not act now to make our leadership accountable, we risk losing the very organization that has served our community for nearly a century.

We owe it to our predecessors and our successors to act before it is too late.