Ted Fancher · Feb 20, 2005 05:35 PM
#0 sourceI've kind of taken a lot of heat for being obstructionist and other less pleasant things and I thought I'd try to present what it is I've been contributing that has raised such condemnation and the censure of some of the other Trustees.
The following two resolutions were presented to the Trustees prior to the last vote on the proposed rewrite of the bylaws. This was the vote that followed the aborted one cancelled by the President the afternoon of the vote he directed by taken on the 17th of January. We were then told to reconsider his further rewrite and were directed to vote again on the 29th. It is further worth noting that this direction included the threat that if any trustee informed another how we voted that trustee's vote would not count.
These resolutions were my attempt to put these recent events aside to allow some time for thought and consideration about what it was we were doing to our organization. The resolutions were seconded by District I Director Dave Midgley. Your President never acknowledged their existence. No action was taken by the Trustees.
I will leave it to you the readers to determine if these constitute improper and obstructionist actions.
January 24, 2005
To: The PAMPA Board of Trustees
From: Ted Fancher, PAMPA Vice President
Subject: 1. Motion to Table; 2. Motion to Commit
Lady and Gentlemen:
The following two motions are being made in hopes of putting an end to the troublesome and ultimately debilitating debate taking place among the Trustees and the membership regarding the proposal before us to substantively rewrite the bylaws of our organization.
Whatever the intent of the maker in forwarding this proposal for consideration, the real world result has been a devastating and negative impact on relationships between both the elected representatives of the organization and the membership. To say that the potential exists for a fracturing of the organization that has served us so well over the last thirty years is not a stretch.
We should not allow ourselves to preside over such an occurrence. It serves neither the Board nor the organization well to do so. In an effort to forestall that possibility and to offer a means of achieving valid gains envisioned by the proponents of the divisive proposal before us, I offer the following motions.
By this communication I am seeking seconds for both motions and assistance in directing them to the President so that he can fulfill his responsibility of calling for a vote of the trustees on motions before them. I would ask for a second from the floor and a motion for a vote on the resolutions. To wit:
Resolution Number One
Whereas the proposal currently under consideration which substantially alters the existing PAMPA Bylaws has met with significant opposition and strained relationships between factions of the PAMPA membership who either strongly oppose or strongly support the proposal, and;
Whereas the best interests of PAMPA and its members is not well served by actions which cause such divisions, whether pro or con, and;
Whereas PAMPA has existed and prospered for over three decades utilizing the existing bylaws and there is, therefore, no compelling reason for precipitous action in the alteration of those bylaws, particularly action that may threaten the well being of the organization and strain the familial atmosphere that has been the hallmark of PAMPA over those thirty plus years of its existence.
Therefore be it resolved: the Board of Trustees of PAMPA hereby votes to table the existing motion regarding the Amendment of our Bylaws as Submitted by member, John Brodak.
Resolution Number Two
Whereas the debate surrounding the now tabled proposal to substantially alter the existing PAMPA Bylaws has demonstrated that, as currently written, they are not adequate to address the needs of an organization in which conflict exists between competing visions of PAMPA’s future, and;
Whereas it is in the best interests of PAMPA and its members to prudently and cautiously amend the existing document so as to allow a greater degree of control during periods of contention; addressing each Article in turn with due diligence and care to preserve the strengths of the existing document while amending it to provide the needed direction for resolution of disputes, i.e. voting procedures, handling of committees, financial management, etc.
Therefore be it resolved: the PAMPA Board of Trustees agrees to establish a committee of the whole, including all trustees, the purpose of which will be to conscientiously and without malice consider each Article of the existing bylaws and reach consensus as to what, if any amendments are appropriate.
Therefore be it further resolved: the Committee will take no action for a period of three calendar months after approval of these resolutions to allow tempers to subside and permit a fresh start to their deliberations.
Therefore be it further resolved that this Committee of the whole will be charged to complete their evaluation and submit to the membership a consensus proposal in a period of not less than one year and not more than two years from the date established by the above waiting period.
Therefore be it further resolved: the Committee shall be chaired by a member elected by the body by a two thirds vote. This Chair shall be neither the President nor Vice President of PAMPA.
Therefore be it further resolved: the Chair of the committee will make a quarterly report to the membership regarding the status of the Committee’s deliberations.
Therefore be it further resolved: All committee members will be encouraged to seek the input of their constituents while considering the proposal. There will be no secret ballots or secret deliberations. Transparency of the process to the membership will be a goal at all times.
Finally, be it lastly resolved: the first order of business of the Committee will be to establish an appropriate means of communications amongst themselves easily accessible to all. The exclusive forum available on the PAMPA Web Site for the Trustees would be one appropriate location.
Respectfully submitted:
Terry G. Fancher, PAMPA Vice President
Postscript:
Lady and gentlemen:
It is time we, the Trustees of PAMPA, assume our prescribed responsibilities and duties as so clearly stated in the bylaws we agreed to honor when we accepted our offices as elected representatives. It is the Board that has been given the responsibility to set the direction and purpose of PAMPA. We must act in a proactive fashion to insure that we, first, do no harm to PAMPA and, second, that we act wisely to insure that decisions we make in our role as representatives of the members are truly in their best interests and reflective of their desires to the greatest degree possible.
It is my feeling that in order to do so, we need to put the divisiveness of the last several months behind us and agree to work together as a body to do a better job of preserving the organization. None of us has been given the power to make unilateral changes to the way we do business. We must insure that we, the Board of Trustees, reserve to ourselves the responsibilities we have been given by the wisdom of our founders who made their wishes crystal clear regarding our role.