Tuesday, October 10, 2023

Realtor Assn CEO Cites Racism for "Separation"

Nita Martin announced her "separation" as Chief Executive Officer of the Central Mississippi Association of Realtors on Facebook: 


Dear Central Mississippi REALTORS® Community,
It is with mixed emotions that I write to inform you of my separation from my position as Chief Executive Officer of Central Mississippi REALTORS®, effective immediately.
Since March 2022, we have undoubtedly made significant strides in our mission to serve our community and promote the real estate profession. However, it is with a heavy heart that I must address the mounting racial tension that has been experienced during my tenure, which I believe is at the core of my request to vacate the position.
During my time as CEO, I have encountered multiple instances of harrasment, disregard for my leadership, and sabotage. These actions not only undermine the principles of unity and inclusivity we hold dear but also hinder our ability to fulfill our mission effectively. Such behavior has no place within the REALTOR® association, and it is my sincere hope that my departure will create an opportunity for much-needed reflection and change across the industry.
From the onset of being hired at CMR, I began to uncover a number of shocking and deeply troubling matters and even more that persist now.
Despite those challenges, I am immensely proud of the positive growth and achievements that have occurred under my leadership which include significant enhancement in our organization's financial transparency. Central to this effort is our adoption of Bill.com, a state-of-the-art financial management platform, which provides members with real-time visibility into association expenditures. Additionally, we have outsourced our accounting functions to Bruin and Associates, a reputable firm known for their expertise in REALTOR® Association financial management. These changes reflected my commitment to openness and accountability, ensuring that officers of the board had a clear and accessible view of how their resources are being utilized to advance the association's mission.
Under my direction, CMR has also expanded its outreach, increased community engagement, and initiated valuable programs that have had a meaningful impact on our members and the communities of Central Mississippi. I have strengthened the local Government Affairs Program through coordinating training volunteers on how to screen candidates and invest in local candidate races. I introduced Power Hour forums to engage with municipalities on hot topics, Career Day to inspire the next generation of real estate professionals, and revamped the new member orientation experience breathing new life into the opportunities to engage with professionals in related industries.
I have full confidence in the potential of Central Mississippi REALTORS to continue on this path of progress. I encourage all of you to press forward for positive change within our organization. It will be increasingly crucial that you foster a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion that embraces the richness of our differences and promotes unity. By working together to address the issues and by emphasizing shared values, you can ensure a brighter and more inclusive future for Central Mississippi REALTORS®.
I want to express my gratitude to each and every one of you for your support and dedication throughout my time as CEO. It has been an honor to serve my hometown, and I remain hopeful that the organization will move forward in a direction that truly reflects the values of the REALTOR® brand.
I will be available in the coming weeks for a smooth transition, and I look forward to witnessing the continued growth and success of Central Mississippi REALTORS® from a different vantage point.
Thank you again for your support, and please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or concerns.

59 comments:

Anonymous said...

"Y'all are racists, but I'm here to work with you."

Anonymous said...

Everything is racist.

Anonymous said...

"Under MY direction"... There you go. An Association IS ALWAYS under the direction of its BOARD OF DIRECTORS. Apparently 'wasn't quite the platform she expected it would be....

Anonymous said...

Decries Racism- but does not say why.

Anonymous said...

If I was CMR, I would equally be concerned about the qualified CEO candidates
that were NOT selected for this job.

Anonymous said...

There is always "the rest of the story"

Anonymous said...

Dear CMR Board, my strong advice is that, THIS TIME when you select leadership plan to focus on leadership skills/abilities/qualifications/experience and NOT on a woke agenda. Free advice.

Anonymous said...

I thought it was a terrible hire and this really doesn’t surprise me

Anonymous said...

Nita Martin may want to change her name to "Nita Job".

Anonymous said...

The consistent use of out-of-context, meaningless buzz words and non-parallel sentence structure demonstrates her effective communication skills (read, lack thereof).

As DJT put it: "SAD."

Anonymous said...

One side of the story is always unverified and vague accusations of racism. Now let’s hear the other side.

Anonymous said...

Did she quit or was she fired?

Anonymous said...

"multiple instances of harrasment, disregard for my leadership, and sabotage"

I'm sure that could possibly have anything to do with your leadership, so it must must be that others are racist.

Anonymous said...

Mississippi Realtor Convention starts today through Thursday in Biloxi, guess she didn't want to go to that.

Anonymous said...

Wonder why so many posters continue to deny racism exist. Short memory maybe. There was no racism in Rankin County until the Goon Squad ask the gentlemen to get back across the Pearl River and leave their women alone.

Anonymous said...

Utter bullshit... she would be suing anyone she could if she had real charges of racism. That "card" is about worn out.

Curly Bill said...

Well……….bye.

Anonymous said...

Worthless “profession”

Sell your own house, save tens of thousands $$ and your brain cells from having to deal with a realtor.

Anonymous said...

She was fired for performance and professionalism issues. This has been coming for a while and the racism accusation is utterly ridiculous. Great move by the board.

Anonymous said...

“Professionalism” sounds like a loophole whites always use. Your white frat boys from Ole Miss aren’t more professional you just don’t like the hair, the clothing style, or the African American vernacular so you call someone “unprofessional” because they don’t talk like John Wayne or whatever you think you sound like in your head.

Anonymous said...

The entire Realtor and MLS system is run by a bunch of Nazi's. They treat their members like shit and do nothing but constantly create rules, fines and drama.

I had hoped by now, technology would have negated their existence but they are still collecting fees and aggravating the piss out of the membership.

Hopefully, the day is coming when this organization no longer exists.

Anonymous said...

Better audit their books

Anonymous said...

"'Professionalism' sounds like a loophole whites always use."

For one, "professionalism" means not bringing a bunch of personal grudges and other personal baggage into the workplace. I hope that helps explain it.

Anonymous said...

1:15 sounds really racist.

Why would one assume "professionalism" is interchangeable with "white"?

Do you really think so little of Black people?

Anonymous said...

"Inclusivity" = woke

Woke /wok/ informal . US

(adj.) A state of awareness only achieved by those dumb enough to find injustice in everything except their own behavior.

Anonymous said...

The profession of real estate agent is far and away the most "dog eat dog" worklife on the planet. Forget racism. It's mild by comparison. Good luck, Ms. Martin, you should have refused the honor.

Anonymous said...

Posting on Facebook to gain sympathy and plant the seed that she was removed from her position for any reason other than her lack of professionalism and leadership is comical. I guarantee she wasn't "removed from her position" without a reason - and there is a years' worth of documentation to support that decision. A look into her job history clearly reveals she has a pattern of being removed from a position and then suing for racial discrimination of some sort. So, her post is just setting the stage. Nita is far from a victim. She is calculated and manipulative. She uses people to get what she wants then discards of them. Just ask Jeanelle Marshall. In no way was she qualified for the CEO position, and she was not hired according to the policy laid out in the CMR bylaws. She was brought in as part of an agenda. An agenda that began with bullying, harrassing, and then running off all the qualified staff who had been there for years who also happened to be white. No one knows that she had stacks of resumes on her desk when hiring for new positions, but she only interviewed black females. And all these people commenting on her Facebook post stating #istandwithnita have no clue of the real monster they are supporting. That in fact it is Nita who is racist, and Nita who bullied and harassed staff. She's gone through how many staff members in a year? What is done in darkness will always come to light. Watch and see!

Anonymous said...

@4:29 agreed! And can't wait to see what the temp guy, wannabe Governor (Central MLS 2023 YTD Rank 570 LOL) thinks he can do with this shit show.

Anonymous said...

This is hilarious! Why don’t y’all take your hoods off and sign your name to your posts?

Gail Powell

Dwanna Stanley said...

#IStandWithNita and if you all really believed the crap you’re posting, you will post with your name attached! But ya know, you won’t knowing your entire reason for wanting her ousted is because you felt like she was turning the association “Black”. Everyone is not racist, but the 23 persons who signed the document to go to the Board are looking mighty suspicious.

Anonymous said...

She keeps throwing the same cards. Seems like it's time to shop for a new deck and remove the "you're racist" "I'm a victim" and "It's not MY fault" cards.

Elizabeth Knight said...

In my 51 years of being a member of the Realtor organization, I can truly say
that the hiring of Nita Martin was the worst mistake made in all those years. She is the least professional
person we've ever had the misfortune to hire. Of course she accuses racism to cover for her own actions as well as many inactions. I believe she herself is a racist and her termination is a step forward for CMR. Now we can get back to business and move forward without the chaos she brought to a wonderful professional, ethical organization.

Kingfish said...

Didn't see any lawsuits filed by her in federal, Rankin, Madison, or Hinds County Circuit courts

Race Card Alert said...

She has a firm grasp on "victimhood."

Anonymous said...

4:29, this comment sounds like someone who is more than just a random commenter. I’m a member of CMR and this is the most information I’ve gotten all day long…including from board members/the president. Curious how you have information that we, as paying/active members don’t have. We’ve been given the term “subordination”. That’s it.

Anonymous said...

Dear lord, why did they hire that walking woke show in the first place?

Anonymous said...

If you can get shit done, people don’t care what color you are.

Anonymous said...

Ah yes, the racism angle. Works on and for simps and liberals, the rest of the world just laughs.

Anonymous said...

no lawsuits...follow the money....green is not racism!

Anonymous said...

"I introduced Power Hour forums to engage with municipalities on hot topics, Career Day to inspire the next generation of real estate professionals, and revamped the new member orientation experience breathing new life into the opportunities to engage with professionals in related industries."

That sounds like a mouthful of bullshit.

"It will be increasingly crucial that you foster a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion that embraces the richness of our differences and promotes unity."

Is that actually the mission of the realtors association?

Anonymous said...

Disheartening

Anonymous said...

Sad

Anonymous said...

Her word salad was a quote from her BS resume. Racist loser.

Anonymous said...

I'm sorry "woke" police...if Realtors and their clients in the area are all races/religions/creeds etc. then so should the board and association reflect. That being said inclusivity isn't the bad thing some want to make it out to be. However, if this person isn't an effective leader that should be the focus.

Anonymous said...

I've studied this and I can only find a broad-brush stroke claim here. Unless you specifically call it out or follow it up quickly with proof it falls on deaf ears and comes across as weak and undermines real racism. Racism is a serious claim and shouldn't be used as a scapegoat for someone's own inadequacies. Stop it. Stop it now.

Kingfish said...

I did find a decade old wage hour claim/lawsuit in federal court.

Anonymous said...

@kingfish. Thank you for this and for pointing out the discrepancy …that’s the problem, lots of misinformation, lots of emotions, very little proof. Claims of proof but no real proof. “A pattern…of lawsuits citing racism” suggests a history, not an old case regarding wage. Therein lies the problem and I’m not convinced that comment isn’t from one of the ones that caused the fall from within…could be wrong but I certainly hope these statements all have proof, not just so and so said, which is all I’m privy to. Posting anonymously only because those of us who are opposed to the way she’s been treated (not woke, thank you), are being challenged behind the scenes from various members in an attempt to silence. It’s dirty, it’s not ok, and for the record, I’m not black so this isn’t black v white, this isn’t woke, this is a human being who is being chastised and given no real reason for the urge to step down. Answers-real answers, documentation to back it up and not the shady, just trust us BS. In this instance-case numbers. If you’re going to make a claim (the previous commenter), give me case numbers otherwise you sound like a bantering fool.

Anonymous said...

Several things I'm aware of is she wouldn't release the board minutes or the CMR checkbook and she charged elaborate functions at the CMR's expense without board approval. Actually she may be sued. There are some very upset folks including our African American REALTORS.

Anonymous said...

@11:29, actually you have to have 3 people sign off on anything before funds are released and the current interim ED would be one aka: board treasurer…so there is no way that is true. Again, lots of misinformation that could be easily clarified with proof….any proof of written communication requesting board minutes that were ignored? Any proof of misspending? Proof on that would be pretty simple, right?

Anonymous said...

For the love of pete- REALTORs, quit arguing about this on a friggin' public forum for all eyes to see- especially y'all apparently in the know, currently or formerly in positions of authority, at the Board.
-signed,
the sane membership

Anonymous said...

I’m concerned, as a CMR member, that there may be racism. Our Board certainly doesn’t have enough black members, doesn’t reflect the percentage of black agents and there has only been a handful of black Presidents of the Board. In the past, fees and penalties against agents for mistakes in mls were always met with NO moderation at all, all about raising money for CMR, not helping or supporting members, meetings almost always held in Madison County and new building in Madison County…not a fair representation of Central MS Realtors. Shouldn’t meetings be held in multiple counties? Why would most tri county meetings be held in Madison County. Nita tried to change that and it wasn’t popular. The majority of Board members are white, most are not in the top 100 producers and most want to keep the same status quo from years past. Perhaps they have more time to participate rather than sell. If Nita has such a horrible past of suing for racial discrimination and is such a horrible hire, who hired her?…who recommended her for promotion? Perhaps she was set up for failure due to her color. FYI. I’m white!

Anonymous said...

Under her leadership, CMR has become a 'woke' organization with MANY realtors pushing away. If she didnt get her way, it was racist. Typical of her. Im glad she is gone - maybe I will start participating more.

PS - I guess it's a good thing that my dues arent going to support Hillary anymore - maybe they will stop making large donations to extreme left politicians.

Anonymous said...

To 11/11/23 at 10:45pm:
You do realize it cost $ to rent a place to have meetings outside of the
new Bldg the association moved into 2-3 yrs ago?
The new Bldg is in an absolute great location, with plenty of parking,
being very centralized for the central Mississippi area.
You act like members have to walk or ride bikes to the meetings.

As far as your comment about setting her up to fail because of her
color, that’s the dumbest comment I’ve read on here.
Sounds like she had a golden opportunity but blew it and her color
didn’t have a damn thing to do with it.


Anonymous said...

“Our Board certainly doesn’t have enough black members, doesn’t reflect the percentage of black agents and there has only been a handful of black Presidents of the Board.”, why didn't you include the numbers to back your claim?

Anonymous said...

@10:45 and others - the bigger concern is that an overwhelming majority of CMR membership is so uninformed and uninvolved. It is apparent that some members didn’t become involved until Nita became CEO and are angry about not being a part of the discussion or voting process when they could have been all along!
There is criteria involved but most any CMR member in good standing can run for a position on the CMR board – at the very least starting as a director. Those positions are voted on by your fellow CMR members and then approved by the board. Does the board need more diversity? Sure. But it’s never going to get more diverse until more people of color run for a position. Much like any other election, you can’t not participate and then complain about the outcome.
The new CMR building in Ridgeland was a process years in the making. There was a building committee established and to my knowledge a lot of research and data went into the decision behind the location. Any member at any time could have submitted a request to appear before the board with a complaint about the building location or other concerns. Again, you can’t not put forth any effort and then complain about the outcome.
And yes, most meetings should be held there – do you know how much it cost to build it????? It could be at capacity every day and it would still be underutilized. You can drive by on any given weekday and the parking lot looks like a ghost town. Why have a building and pay for a venue and catering to hold a meeting elsewhere? That’s not using member dollars effectively.
CMR left Jackson for good reason. The leadership, the crime, the infrastructure………Imagine arriving at your place of employment to witness a homeless man defecating on the side of the building, using the outside water spigot to shower and wash clothes, or sitting outside your office window using the outdoor plugs to charge their cell phones while they watch porn and pleasure themselves. Not to mention the countless times car windows were busted in. Would you want membership to witness any of that?
When Jo Usry announced she would be retiring but would remain on staff until the end of 2021 to help with the hire of her replacement, then Board President Schneika Stokes created a sub-committee to search for her replacement. Several resumes were submitted. If any interviews took place, they were held offsite and kept private. As stated in the bylaws, the Board of Directors has the final vote in the hire of a new CEO. That didn’t happen. The sub-committee hired Nita and told the board that she was hired. So yes, she was set up for failure – NOT because of her skin color but because of the way in which she was hired was not by procedure. She was not hired by procedure because she was not qualified for the position and would not have been hired had she been voted on by the board. Period.
All Associations have bylaws and a Board of Directors for good reason – to protect the interest of the membership. If the sub-committee had hired a complete stranger that no one knew (Nita had previously been employed by CMR as the Governmental Affairs Director) and had followed the same action of telling the board they were hired vs vetting the candidate and voting on him/her and they came in and did horrific things with association funds/staff/etc; regardless of race I believe most members would be outraged that said person wasn’t hired correctly. It should be no different with Nita. Wrong is wrong and right is right.
The current bylaws are always available for the public to read on the CMR website. Use the search option and type in bylaws if you can't find them.
I truly hope this is a lesson to all membership to become more involved and aware of what is going on in your association. Know where and what your dues are going to. Have a voice. Ask questions.

Anonymous said...

One of the reasons I read JJ daily is because of thoughtful, educated comments like 9:42. You can get a lot of BS here, but also a lot of truth and clarity. Thank you. You explained it perfectly.

Anonymous said...

@12:05 those are not educated comments- those are the heavily influenced comments of one of the ones that got us in this mess!!!

Those comments- like most in this thread are opinions and NOT based in fact!!! That is someone who clearly hasn’t been to the building much during the week because there have been constant activities and member opportunities. I see plenty of cars there often. The only thing true is that there is not enough member participation. More members owe it to themselves, their clients and their careers to get more involved.

Kingfish said...

Not approving comment. First half was very good. Second half regarding a certain person not worth the risk of a lawsuit.

Anonymous said...

My understanding is she was fired for lack of professionalism and causing a lot of strife and drama. The firing was after quite a few complaints from realtors forced to work with her.


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