The Supreme Council of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite - Northern Masonic Jurisdiction (NMJ) has just issued a public "Statement of Facts" in the wake of their investigation and ultimate expulsion of Past Sovereign Grand Commander David Glattly last month. The statement was emailed to all members of the NMJ and has been posted on their public website HERE.
According to the statement, Glattly was expelled from membership in the AASR-NMJ for "deliberate breach of fiduciary duty, violation of Supreme Council confidentiality, and endangerment of protected whistleblowers." It states that an overwhelming majority of the Supreme Council's 54 Active Members voted in favor of his expulsion.
Glattly was compelled to resign as Supreme Grand Commander back in August 2021 after an internal whistleblower gave a letter to the Supreme Council outlining a list of allegations and complaints over his behavior after taking office in 2016. Those allegations included Masonic ballot fraud, favoritism in hiring and inappropriate employment practices, excessive spending and failure to stick to budget restrictions, and purportedly creating a "toxic workplace environment." Those allegations resulted in an internal investigation by the Active Members of the Supreme Council, as well as an independent, external forensic audit and investigation.
Glattly was compelled to resign as Supreme Grand Commander back in August 2021 after an internal whistleblower gave a letter to the Supreme Council outlining a list of allegations and complaints over his behavior after taking office in 2016. Those allegations included Masonic ballot fraud, favoritism in hiring and inappropriate employment practices, excessive spending and failure to stick to budget restrictions, and purportedly creating a "toxic workplace environment." Those allegations resulted in an internal investigation by the Active Members of the Supreme Council, as well as an independent, external forensic audit and investigation.
The internal investigation concluded that all of the whistleblower's allegations turned out to be to true, and backed up by the facts.
The allegation of ballot fraud concerned the election of the nominees to receive the 33rd degree in Cleveland, Ohio back in 2021. The alleged ballot fraud was confirmed by video evidence, along with direct testimony that at least four black cubes had been cast as negative votes, that no more black cubes were made available in the ballot box, thereby denying other members the ability to cast any more negative votes, and that Glattly had erroneously declared the ballot "clear" despite the four black cubes cast.
David Glattly's long letter in which he laid out his side of the story just before he was expelled was posted on this website back in December (see AASR NMJ Past Commander David Glattly Speaks Out). In February, a copy of a letter written to the Supreme Council by the whistleblower (REDACTED) that led to the subsequent investigations was leaked to the Reddit/Freemasonry subreddit. That story was updated on February 20th and the letter was amended to the end of Glattly's story in an effort to bring more transparency to this incident.
The AASR-NMJ did not issue statements at that time because the investigations were still underway. That's understandable, since no attorney in his right mind would advise a corporate client to shoot its collective mouth off about internal cases of corporate misconduct involving its officers – at least, not until the actual facts of the matter are fully known. Despite the long delay since Glattly's letter first appeared, the NMJ should be applauded for being forthcoming and transparent over this episode, now that it can be substantiated by facts.
Please see my apology on March 10th for taking any side whatsoever in this matter: My Deepest Apologies: Is Red or White Wine Best with a Plate of Crow?
This is a clear and truthful narrative. The institution has clearly weathered significant challenges and demonstrated commendable, thorough actions to reach this rightful conclusion. I'm proud of the NMJ.
ReplyDeleteHere's an updated link: https://scottishritenmj.org/blog/glattly
So Glattly cheated! It all makes sense now.
ReplyDeleteThere's absolutely no room in our Fraternity for those who disgrace the sanctity of the Masonic ballot. And then there's everything else!
Thanks to Illustrious Brother Kevin Hecht for his willingness to stand up for what was right. It is honorable men like him who make our world and fraternity a better place. It was interesting to read the comments that accompanied the earlier post about Glattly's expulsion and what was seen at that time by some as a conspiracy against him due to what the commenters called a lack of reasons from the SC. I am always amazed at some people's lack of understanding around these processes and their willingness to assume sinister motives. The rest of us knew that with time there would be a presentation of the facts supporting this decision. Hopefully these people have learned to not rush to judgment, but as we see all around us everyday there are plenty of people willing to do just that all the time. Once again, thanks to Ill. Kevin Hecht for bearing this heavy burden.
ReplyDeleteCan the AASR NMJ recovery any of the lost money? Will there be any criminal charges? When voting do the active members have to tell the master why they will be voting with a black cube like in blue lodge. I believe this is the protocol in MA. I could be wrong, I’m always open to learning more
ReplyDeleteSo which 2021 recipients of the 33rd degree were black balled?
ReplyDeleteDoes it matter? There is nothing in the record shown that they had anything to do with the favoritism or even knew about it. They should not be tarnished unfairly. I will trust the SGC to do the right thing.
DeleteThis was an excellent statement. The expulsion was absolutely the correct decision.
ReplyDeleteIf this is all totally true, then the charges and actions were taken in the wrong venue. Conduct unbecoming of a Freemason, under which these charges would certainly fall (save maybe the balloting issue, being specific to the AASR), should have been presented in Bro. Glattly's Blue Lodge.
ReplyDeleteIt certainly "seems" the expulsion was the correct decision, but an institution that reports to both the IRS and the State of Massachusetts probably owes a better explanation than they one they've given.
ReplyDeleteThe 990s are public information. Were the 990s incorrect? If so, who engaged in tampering? If not, how was the Supreme Council so asleep at the wheel that they didn't notice the malfeasance for years?
Frankly, if anything this said to me that more members of the Supreme Council need to resign/open themselves up to greater accountability.
Here are some suggestions to actual avoid this sort of thing in the future:
1) The letter mentions a whistleblower policy. Where is that policy publicly available? How would future whistleblowers know to whom the whistle should be blown to?
2) Where are past budgets that members can access?
3) What mechanisms will be put in place to avoid this sort of issue in the future?
The Supreme Council seems to have taken some important first steps in cleaning things up. And they should be commended for that. But, as someone who has worked in a number of non-profits over the years, including finance committees, if those at the top don't put in future safeguards, this will absolutely happen again.