Jan. 5, 2010

The Board of Directors of San Diego LGBT Pride wholeheartedly apologizes for its indiscretion by providing a onetime only stipend to its chair Philip Princetta in early October 2009.

The stipend in the amount of five thousand dollars was given of pure intention, lack of malfeasance and just plain ordinary love for an individual who has donated literally thousands of hours of his time and energy at the expense of his own business and personal life to this organization and the community it serves.

If there is anything this board has learned from what we call the “pedophile crisis” of 2005, is that perception is everything and that absolute transparency is the order of the day. Never under any circumstances whatsoever, did the board intend to hide or mitigate this transaction.

Understanding that the former Executive Director did indeed bring this organization forward in many ways, there has always been a disparity or tension between the Board and the recent ED regarding transparency of information between the operations aspect of the organization and the board of directors whom are responsible for oversight of anything and everything having to do with San Diego Pride.

On Dec. 17, 2009, over two months after the check for $5,000 was drawn, two board members were approached by the Executive Director with a plan that he said could make this entire issue “go away.” That plan was for Philip Princetta to resign prior to Dec. 31, 2009. By doing so, he would not be listed on the IRS 990 form and as such the stipend to our board chair would never have to be disclosed.

From a legal standpoint, Dr. Princetta and the Board knew this idea was inappropriate and certainly not transparent. One can only imagine our dismay that the Executive Director of this outstanding organization would devise such a plan.

Ninety-nine percent of what this community has read so far on the issue is inaccurate and based on pure spin. It is a plan to remove the current governing body of this organization and “take it over”, plain and simple.

The Board of Directors of San Diego Pride has no intention of resigning. Instead we are going to apologize to our community and ask them to open their hearts to forgiveness. We will rebuild our board of directors and the minute we feel comfortable with board leadership that will continue the tradition of San Diego LGBT Pride as a community organization we will indeed let go and turn the organization over.

We want to make it crystal clear that our community understands San Diego LGBT Pride is a strong, solvent, charitable organization that they should always be proud of.

As pure as the intention was behind it, the stipend paid to Philip Princetta will be paid back to San Diego LGBT Pride in full.

The Board of Directors of San Diego LGBT Pride