When IVI and IPO merged

The merger of IVI and IPO may have been launched in the living room of my apartment.

Representatives of both groups met there and discussed, for the umpteenth time, the benefits of joining forces permanently, not just during elections. This time, they decided to move forward with the idea.

Both groups were hoping to stem their declining memberships. IVI had dropped from 2,000 to 800 members, IPO from 800 to 200. It was felt that a merger would bring everyone together and strengthen the Independent political movement.  

Various issues and situations were explored in discussions, a merger proposal was presented to both groups, and it was overwhelmingly approved. 

A logistics committee was formed to work out transition details. I was the only person who served on the Boards of both organizations, so I assumed I would be chosen to participate because of my unique perspective. I wasn’t. 

Both groups selected merger opponents, hoping to ensure that nothing important would be sacrificed in the new process. I was passed over because I was perceived as holding dual loyalty and neither group could be sure I would support its positions. 

And I think some people thought I was too young and too much of a contrarian for such an important task.

I felt at the time that some members of the transition committee were using their positions to try to sabotage the merger.

The result of their labor was a patchwork of procedures that preserved factions, rather than eliminated them, and created internal friction that lasted for many years. They had not found a way to mitigate the cultural differences between the two groups.