SFI History C9

Starfleet History Chapter Nine

Rob Lerman
The next election though was less than amiable. An assortment of controversy occurred when the nominee hand-chosen by Fleet Admiral Maddox, Vice Admiral Daniel McGinnis, the Region 12 Coordinator, began to receive some bad publicity about alleged mishandling of regional finances. While the charges were discounted, Admiral McGinnis lost the election. However the election returns were immediately challenged on the grounds the Election Coordinator, Fleet Admiral Maddox, may have been biased as she was on one of the opposing teams. However since she was on one of the losing teams, this appeal was disallowed and Admiral Rob Lerman was installed as the Eighth Fleet Admiral and Ninth Commander, STARFLEET, in January 1993.

Once in office, Fleet Admiral Lerman learned of the secret incorporation of STARFLEET by the Maddox Administration. He also learned that as an IRS-recognized non-profit organization, STARFLEET was required to file a Form 990 return each year to the IRS. Fleet Admiral Maddox had failed to do so and the financial penalties for said inaction were severe. For the next two years, Fleet Admiral Lerman and JAG Officer Captain Gary Decker, fought to prevent these penalties from being imposed, as they would have effectively bankrupted the organization. Also, the Maddox Administration was extremely slow and haphazard in providing records to the new Administration for their first year in Office.

Changes to the Constitution
As seemed to become common practice with each new Administration, a new Constitution was drafted under the direction of Captain Decker. However, the proposed changes were in violation of IRS regulations and were removed before being voted on. In fact, the "Decker Unit", as he was known, was so active that on June 29th, 1993 he was actually granted by the Judge Advocate General’s Office of the United States Navy with "full Legal Officer status". Yes folks, the STARFLEET JAG was officially recognized by the US Navy!

War with the Klingons
Vice Commanding Admiral Anita Davis declared "war" on the Klingon fan groups (KAG and KLAW) in June of 1993. This made Admiral Christopher Smith’s job as the Director of the Department of Klingon Relations, a precursor to the STARFLEET Diplomatic Corps, amusing, no doubt. DKR was formed to help ensure that the generally warm relations that STARFLEET and KAG/KLAW enjoyed remained that way, troublemaking Vice Commanders notwithstanding. When not annoying the Klingons, Admiral Davis oversaw an expanded Fleet Division Chief (FDC) Program.

The Lerman Administration, according to some members of STARFLEET, was not particularly imposing years for STARFLEET. The founders of the STARFLEET Marine Corps, worried by claims from Dan McGinnis during the 1992 elections that he would make the SFMC manuals STARFLEET property, created SMI – Starfleet Marines International – as an umbrella club to welcome Marines from all fan clubs, and not just STARFLEET. The STARFLEET Communiqué again began to fall behind schedule as more and more of the Administration’s efforts and time were spent trying to solve the IRS crisis.

Additional Chapter Types Approved
With Star Trek: Deep Space Nine becoming more and more popular, there were calls to allow STARFLEET chapters to be something more than just starships. The STARFLEET Office of Technical Information was tasked with drafting a proposal that would allow STARFLEET chapters to become space stations and Klingon chapters. Said proposal was approved by vote of the Executive Committee in April of 1993. The first to take advantage of this was Cascade Station in Region 4, and was soon joined by others, like Freedom Station in Region 3. Today, the space station option is a popular one, with over a dozen such chapters serving in STARFLEET. In addition to space stations, Klingon "exchange vessels" became a valid class of chapter. Vice Admiral Alex Rosenzweig of the Office of Technical Information began posting lists of starship names, registry numbers, and classes to assist new shuttles in choosing a name/registry/class.

Starfleet Academy
STARFLEET Academy continued to add schools and pupils. Captain Gail Rushing’s "STARFLEET Stampede" program moved into high gear. Regional summits and conferences grew so people could get together and meet one another. Each issue of the CQ was filled with reports of events, charities, and socials that members, chapters, and regions participated in. The Armed Forces Advocacy Program was started under Captain Paul Dyl to replace the moribund Armed Services Program that had been created under the Smith Administration. The Correspondence Chapter Program expanded under the Lerman Administration, with Commanders Allyson M.W. Dyar and John T. Burt tasked with helping create a list of CPs to assist them in recruiting members in areas where a meeting chapter was not available. Also, the "30-Mile Rule" separating chapters was rendered moot, allowing shuttles and chapters to form in close geographical contact. This raised the hackles of many, who felt that "member poaching" would result. Also, the "City of Charter" clause was adopted by the Admiralty Board to prevent chapters from arbitrarily "Region Hopping".

Starfleet on the Net
STARFLEET’s presence on the Internet expanded greatly under the Lerman Administration, which was not surprising considering Fleet Admiral Lerman and the Defiance were one of the hosts of the TrekNet BBS in the late 80’s. The Subspace Communications pen-pal service became something very different, unique, and powerful under Lieutenant Commander Bill Herrmann’s directorship. The STARFLEET Internet Mailing List also took off.

Epilogue
The various Regions of STARFLEET fought each other for members, chapters, and recognition. However, Fleet Admiral Lerman never shirked his duties and engaged the membership and Admiralty Board to help come up with solutions. The STARFLEET Policy and Recommendations Committee was chaired by Captain Kaye Downing and served as a way to funnel these recommendations to the Executive Committee and Admiralty Board. And while he started with 6526 members in 1/93, by 5/94 STARFLEET had 7809 members.

The Lerman Administration tried to keep the status quo as personnel worked toward the goals of the organization. However, secretly, others were setting the stage on events that would affect STARFLEET during the next election in 1994 and events beyond.