[quote]
Originally posted by Laurie
Proposed Bylaws Amendment #1, Article IV:Section 2
An interpretation of the proposed bylaws amendment dealing with proxies is that proxies ARE allowed on any issue where a balloted vote opportunity has NOT been provided. Therefore, I will continue to issue my proxy to a member in good standing who will be attending any future general membership meetings, each meeting individually, if this proposed bylaws amendment passes. This will enable my voice and vote on issues not on the agenda.
yes, that interpretation is correct.
In addition, the proposed amendment does not consider that proxies will be received in the revision to Article IV: Section 2 where the word “proxies” has been lined out when speaking to how the proxies’ results shall be stored. Further, the proposed amendment to Article XIII, Removals & Absences specifically states the use of proxies, again highlighting the need to keep the word “proxies” in, as these are results/records that need to be kept safely in storage.
the wording is unclear. above that line you will see that it says that the proxies are to be validated by the election committee. several places give that description. OF COURSE the proxies need to be kept in safe storage and verified by people with no conflict of interest, that was not done. it is one of the things we intend to change.
Therefore, I will be voting NO on this particular amendment, as it requests the deletion of the word “proxies” in (3) & (4). The amendment in (2) specifically allows proxies in certain conditions and the resulting paperwork must be handled and stored properly.
bearing in mind the above please reconsider. these changes are to insure adequate protection to our voters, not diminish them. they are badly worded due to the ad-hoc nature of amendments. some time age there were moves to completely review the by-laws, their language and intent. we recieved good advice from qualified people but unfortunately it wasn't followed up at the time. my recent experiences with trying to make sense of our laws has led me to believe that this is not just advisable, but is in fact necessary. we now intend a complete review, bearing in mind the previous input, before the end of the year. your help would be much appreciated.
Further, if there is passage of the amendment, I will look for the proposed quarterly membership newsletter to include the agenda, along with the ballot, at least 6 weeks before any general membership meeting.
i an unsure where six weeks came into this. as i understood it, it was between 10 and 60 days for notifications, and 21 for election ballots (and therefor presumably other ballots) however we do intend to send quarterly newsletters. additionally we are trying to revamp the web page to allow greater participation and exchange of documents. it is our hope that we will be able to reach progressively larger numbers of the acres. far from 'ignoring' them it is of paramount concern to this new board that we increase membership. that means contacting the people who are NOT members.
PS thank you for posting the questions and giving me the opportunity to reply. we should make it plain that i am a different laurie from you. i would hate you to be the recipient of animosity directed against me. so....i am laurie birch treasurer HACA.
#10048;