Instead of fostering the kind of dialogue in the boardroom that has in part contributed to our success, the board has inappropriately chosen to silence my concerns through termination as an executive officer.

One must not be afraid of a little silence. Some find silence awkward or oppressive. But a relaxed approach to dialogue will include the welcoming of some silence. It is often a devastating question to ask oneself, but it is sometimes important to ask it - 'In saying what I have in mind will I really improve on the silence?

All Lou Ness has ever wanted to do is have some dialogue with that board about why they did what they did because nobody ever told her that.

It's a personnel issue and we really can't comment on that. The board acted on his termination (Tuesday) night.

He's going from being the chief executive to being the chief administrative officer. It's a very different kettle of fish.

Dialogue between people of differing views is critical for fostering understanding in a democracy.