Jan,
Thank you for your efforts to mediate the board and contact Steve. I, personally, applaud your efforts as very constructive. With this last email from Steve, a good step has been taken to bridge the 'blackout' of information. On its face, I find the explanation reasonable and plausible. What they are doing there might not be exactly what any one of us would do, or like them to do, but it is something in the right direction. This is not to say that all ommissions have been forgiven by a long shot, but this is the first direct conversation with the man, and I think you have acheived excellent results for your 'negotiation' attempts.
Thank you and I hope you continue as a liason. I'm sure most on this board will continue to be skeptical at best, but I view any information as good information.