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The Pacifica Foundation’s national board of directors is meeting in Berkeley today for the first time since 1999 when the radio network executives abandoned their East Bay offices for Washington D.C. amid mounting criticism of their management style. 

The differences in opinion that fueled a contentious legal battle and power struggle between the Pacifica board and local member station KPFA-FM will undoubtedly be one of the topics discussed at the three-day meeting. 

Another anticipated topic is the appointment of a new executive director and the possibility of the foundation moving back to Berkeley, Pacifica officials said Thursday.  

aThe board of directors in town this weekend is not the same board that fired Nicole Sawaya, KPFA’s critical station manager, a dismissal that enraged local listeners three years ago. The new board is a court-negotiated body of directors appointed last December. 

The new 15-member board is made up of more people from outside the national power structure than the former one. So local dissidents who have argued for more say over the direction of the network now have a stronger vote. 

The Berkeley meeting is the third charged with organizing the network in the wake of its crippling insurgency. The board is slated to operate until March 2003, when a new board will be created. 

“I’m hoping we can recover from a very trying and difficult time,” said Philip Maldari, co-host of the KPFA morning show. “It’s an exiting event this weekend because a year ago we were very scared that our whole network was going to be sold off.” 

City Councilmember Kriss Worthington also expressed enthusiasm about the weekend’s event. 

“They seem to have made a lot of progress and it’s great to be welcoming them back to Berkeley,” he said.