Two Coaches Ousted from Avon Little League Board

After the Avon Little League Board did not re-elect two coaches who led the U-12 Mission III All Stars to last year's state finals, at least one of them decided not to coach in the spring and at least two other board members resigned in protest.

When a majority of board members did not vote to renew Steve Harris' and Chris Moore's terms in a September election by anonymous ballots, it came as a surprise to them and some other board members. Moore was at the meeting, but Harris was not.

"My reaction to being voted off was disappointment. I thought I'd served the league well over my time and no one enjoys being told they would rather not have you as part of a group," said Moore, who had announced at a previous meeting before the election that he was relinquishing his role as vice president. "I have no knowledge of any board members ever having been voted off the board. Some have voluntarily left during their term, but none have ever been voted off to my knowledge."

Moore, who no longer has a child eligible for the program, had planned to stay on the board for another year in an advisory role. While Harris' oldest child is no longer eligible for Little League, he still has daughters in the league's softball program who he has coached in the past couple years, according to former board member Eric Pritchard. Harris could not be reached for comment.

The board's decision didn't sit well with Pritchard, so he resigned after the September election. Board member Jim Nastri also stepped down from the board at a later meeting. Pritchard said he is unaware of any board members who wanted to stay on the board and weren't re-elected.

"It's never happened in my time at the board. It's unprecedented," said Pritchard, who served on the board for eight years, including four as president. "I couldn't support the vote."

The election results were challenged, but current board president Mike Ryan said that review of the election process confirmed its validity.

“The September vote was conducted according to the rules and the results of that election stand," he said.

Each Avon Little League board term is two years and the board currently has 17 slots, Pritchard said. The board gained six new members in the fall election and eight left including retiring members, according to Ryan.

“We had our elections. We’ve had resignations and the changeover that boards experience," Ryan said. “I’m not at liberty to discuss the specifics of which board members had expiring terms or which board members were not elected."

Ryan said that the board extended an invitation to the wider community to become involved in Avon Little League through volunteering or running for the board.

“In the process of doing that, a number of people expressed interest," he said.

The reasoning behind why Harris and Moore were not re-elected is unclear. When asked if he knew why, Ryan said, “For the business we conduct inside the board room, we have a policy of confidentiality and for that reason I’m not at liberty to go into any details."

Pritchard believes that objections from some board members about a travel team Moore and Harris formed for 13-year-olds after the All Star tournament could have factored into the vote. It gave players ineligible for the oldest Little League age group another option for fall baseball besides the Farmington Valley Babe Ruth League.

"In my opinion, a few board members felt that it did not support 'Avon baseball,'" Pritchard said. "I also believe that several board members felt that these boys should play Babe Ruth versus forming a separate travel team."

But Pritchard said that Avon Little League – 5- to 12-year-olds – and the Farmington Valley Babe Ruth League – 13- to 15-year-olds – are "two separate organizations with separate missions and objectives and leadership that serve two distinct age groups," Pritchard said. To his knowledge, he said that neither Moore nor Harris "made any fanfare about the team and public knowledge of this action didn't emerge till after All Stars was complete, which was appropriate."

"I don't believe that the Avon Little League board has jurisdiction on what parents or kids that are no longer Little League eligible do," Pritchard said. "In my opinion, there were members of the board who voted that night that believe that Chris and Steve should not be on the Little League Board if their sons weren't going to play Babe Ruth."

Pritchard also noted that when he was board president in 2011, the Avon Little League Board "reviewed a player drafting procedure due to controversy surrounding the 2010 draft results." He said that Harris and Moore were both outspoken on the subject and that ideas and opinions were challenged in board discussions as a result. In Pritchard's opinion, some board members were offended and some didn't want to be challenged on their points of view. But he said "that level of discourse is critical to vetting and rendering an effective Board decision."

"I think it created hard feelings that seeped into the review process," Pritchard said. "It was a controversial discussion."

In theory, someone would only be voted off the board if they no longer represented the "spirit of the league," according to Pritchard. He said that during his presidency, he would review any problems caused by a board member "with the executive committee" and then he would discuss the issue with the individual to resolve it. If he or she didn't correct the behavior, Pritchard said he would request the individual's voluntary departure from the board.

But Pritchard found Harris and Moore to be "honorable" men who were "passionate" about the league and doing what they thought was best for the board and kids.

Pritchard said that Harris and Moore, along with Nastri and Ron Theriault, were "directly responsible" for the U-12 Mission III All Stars' success last year. The team – which Harris managed – lost to Fairfield in the state finals, advancing the furthest any team in Avon Little League history has gone in the tournament and coming close to qualifying for the regional level. Avon, the District 6 champion last year, was also the first team in the district to make it to a state championship since 1998.

Harris also assisted former Little League player Matt Howard with his Sperry Park beautification project, helping him "earn the highest Boy Scout honor, the Eagle," Pritchard said.

Ryan commended all former board members on their service.

“They did terrific work. Avon Little League doesn’t happen without people like them," Ryan said. "We’re proud of what the 12-year-old All Stars accomplished last year."

Ryan said the board is looking to move on and that there are many plans for Avon Little League ahead.

"We have a new board and we’re looking forward to a long list of things we have to do for 2013," Ryan said.