I have resigned as President of TUG

[Kaveh Bazargan]

Dear fellow TeX Users and TUG members

I have resigned as President of TUG.

At the TUG Annual Meeting (26 July) I said:

=========================
In 2015 I was elected TUG President, 307 votes to 110, on a program of reform and renewal for TUG. This was the first contested election in ten years.

The Board suspended me from office. They did not do this properly. I say more about this elsewhere.

I can ask this meeting, or a court, to reverse the suspension. Even if re-instated I would face a Board I could not work with. For this reason I have resigned as President of TUG.

The TUG members will, in Spring 2017, elect the next President and half the Board. This is their opportunity to vote again for reform and renewal, widening TUG's audience and reach.
=========================

Earlier that day I distributed to those at the TUG Conference a printed statement on recent events in TUG, and asked the TUG Board to allow me to send a resignation message to all TUG members.

At the TUG Annual Meeting Jim Hefferon (acting TUG President) said that the TUG Board did not agree with my statement and would respond in due course. Here are the essentials of my statement.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

**My background with TeX**

I started using TeX in April 1983, just in time to write my PhD dissertation at Imperial College. I am officially the first TeX user at Imperial, and possibly first in UK. I attended my first TUG meeting exactly 30 years ago in Strasbourg. From the first time I used TeX I fell in love with it and my love has not diminished.

I started my business in 1988 in the UK, with TeX at the centre of the operation. After years of hard work the business is now established, with multiple offices, and major publishers as clients. TeX remains at the core of my business.

**Giving back**

I feel a strong sense of gratitude to TeX and friends, their authors and the TeX community that shares my commitment to this marvellous technology. In recent years I have done what I could to “give back” to the TeX community, including presenting at TUG conferences, hosting two TUG meetings and sponsoring several, and recording no less than 14 TeX conferences, including the Toronto conference, free of charge. Last year, a few days before the 2015 TUG board elections, I had an epiphany – why not run for the presidency of TUG? I was aware of many opportunities for developing a stronger awareness of TeX in the publishing industry, and attracting funding for TeX projects and for this Group. What better way to give back than to use my influence in the publishing industry to raise the profile of TUG to where it deserves to be?

**The lawsuit**

In 2014 I started proceeding that asked a court in India to resolve a dispute
with a former business associate, over ownership of proprietary software. The
details are probably not of interest to TUG members, but they are not a secret
and I am happy to give more details if people are really interested. The dispute
is unconnected with TUG.

**Election as President**

I was nominated by TUG board member, Arthur Reuternauer, and threw my name in the ring just before the nomination deadline, with a clear agenda for change. When I was elected President by 307 votes to 110, I immediately made plans to deliver what I had promised.

**The TUG Board**

The members of TUG already know that the Board suspended me as President because of the lawsuit in India. Here are some facts that trouble and concern me about the Board's conduct.

1. They did not tell the TUG members that the other party in the lawsuit asked the Board to remove me as President.

2. They did not get legal advice before acting, and they have not published the legal advice TUG has since received.

3. The Board knew, when they suspended me, that I was addressing their concern about TUG references in court papers. Their concern was that I had submitted as evidence the public TUG website page that announced the result of the 2015 election.

4. They did not follow the TUG bylaws regarding conducting meetings by email.

5. There are no minutes available relating to the suspension.

6. The principal ground for the suspension was the fact that the other party in the dispute over ownership happened to be a member of TUG.

7. In their response to my appeal, the previous principal grounds stated at the outset was replaced by a lesser matter, namely concerns about court papers.

8. The Board's pressure on me to change my court evidence amounts to taking sides in the lawsuit, and may be legally improper.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Kaveh Bazargan
Former President of TUG

[Norbert Preining]

Dear Kaveh,

I am bare of words about your complete misrepresentation of reality and the facts. But in contrast to you I prefer not to do public finger pointing.

Enjoy your agenda, and good luck for the election in 2017.

[jfin...@gmail.com]

Dear Norbert

Last October you and the other TUG Board members had a difficult matter, namely a request that Kaveh Bazargan be suspended as President for alleged misconduct.

You, with the Board, decided to suspend him for what you called conduct that was "preventing proper fulfilment of the President's duties". Your name appears as a signatory to this statement, which was posted to both TUG members and to this newsgroup.

Kaveh started this thread by posting a response to these allegations, and stating concerns he has about the Board's conduct. Your response was:

> I am bare of words about your complete misrepresentation of reality and the facts. But in contrast to you I prefer not to do public finger pointing.

It seems to me that you (and the Board) have done what you call finger pointing. Do you have evidence to support your allegation, that Kaveh has misrepresented reality and the facts? For example, are any of the eight facts listed by Kaveh false?

If you have such evidence, please share it with the newsgroup. For example, Kaveh's claim
* There are no minutes available relating to the suspension.
could easily be refuted by supplying me with the relevant minutes.

with best regards

Jonathan