Rumor has it that Carlton Johnson reads this message board every day. Why wouldn't he? As a BoD member wouldn't you be interested in keeping your finger on the pulse of your shareholders and your employees to know what they want and/or what they think? I guess it would really only matter if you were elected by a majority vote.
Or, do you prefer a director who sticks his/her head in the ground and only comes up when it's pay day?
Perhaps they are worried about a potential shareholder movement in their direction and they think that throwing a few bones might quiet down the pack.