Ameraucana Forum

The Official Ameraucana Forum => Exhibiting, Promoting & Club Notes => Topic started by: Beth Curran on August 16, 2018, 01:02:43 PM

Title: Election
Post by: Beth Curran on August 16, 2018, 01:02:43 PM
As you know, this is an election year, and there will be several open seats on the board. I am not running for reelection - between two major surgeries in the last 3 months and a middle schooler becoming increasingly involved in sports and extracurricular activities,
I feel I'm spread too thin to do the job justice.

I have appointed Sue Paolini and Becky Howie as Election Commissioner and Assistant Election Commissioner, respectively.

Any member who wishes to run for office and/or nominate someone for office should notify the club secretary by no later than October 1st, 2018. Ballots will be mailed out on October 15th, 2018, and must be received back no later than November 1st, 2018.

Please note that this is a quick turn around, so we need to pay close attention to deadlines!
Title: Re: Election
Post by: Suki on August 16, 2018, 04:32:08 PM
I think I answered this somewhere else.  I guess there are two calls out there.
Title: Re: Election
Post by: Beth Curran on August 17, 2018, 12:32:53 PM
You posted under the thread for the 2019  national, but I'm not sure how to move it over here.

I cannot find the Constitution, but as of this year only directors of two year standing can run for Sec.  Anyone can run for directorship that fits the category of a Classic Member -- joined at the start and not a member of the ABC.

The constitution is on our main site under downloads: http://ameraucanaalliance.org/download.html

Unfortunately I can't cut and paste because my tablet doesn't like pdf files, but it says that nominees for PRESIDENT must have served 2 full 2 year terms on the board (effective  1/1/18) but I don't see that requirement for any other position.

Charter members with no lapse in membership are eligible to serve on the board as long as they are not members of any other Ameraucana organization, to avoid potential conflict of interest (or even the suggestion of).
Title: Re: Election
Post by: Suki on August 17, 2018, 01:40:24 PM
You posted under the thread for the 2019  national, but I'm not sure how to move it over here.

John has to do that.

I cannot find the Constitution, but as of this year only directors of two year standing can run for Sec.  Anyone can run for directorship that fits the category of a Classic Member -- joined at the start and not a member of the ABC.

The constitution is on our main site under downloads: http://ameraucanaalliance.org/download.html

Unfortunately I can't cut and paste because my tablet doesn't like pdf files, but it says that nominees for PRESIDENT must have served 2 full 2 year terms on the board (effective  1/1/18) but I don't see that requirement for any other position.

Well I did request a while back that it be removed for Charter members.  It used to say as of 2018, the requirement for officers was different. I never heard about my proposition, but I posted it on FB as well and many others were surprised by that, so maybe it was dropped.

As for the lapse, that's what I thought, once you lapse your former suppport is over.  Pity. 
Title: Constitution Change
Post by: Suki on August 17, 2018, 01:51:42 PM
Article 8 - Election of Officers Officers shall be elected every two years. No member may hold more than one Board office at a time. Any charter member without a lapse in membership (becomes “Any continuous member for at least 5 years”, on January 1, 2020) that is not also a member of another Ameraucana breed club (due to any possible conflict of interest), may be nominated as a candidate to office.
Nominees for President must also have first served at least two full two year terms on the Board of Directors, before taking the office of President (effective 1/1/2018). Nominations must be received by the Secretary by October 1st . Ballots shall be prepared by and mailed by the Secretary to members by October 15th . Completed ballots must be received by the Election Commissioner by November 1st . When only one member accepts the nomination for any office that person will be elected by acclamation.
==============================


I believe that the EC should be in charge of the whole process not the Secretary. 
Ballots should go to the EC and Asst. 




Separate issue:  If no one votes for the nominated person -- beyond themselves -- I don't think that thy should win by acclamation.


Next one:  I also put forward that the Constitution should be in HTML text format for easy viewing not PDF, nor should there be two versions they can easily get out of sync.
Title: Re: Election
Post by: Beth Curran on August 17, 2018, 07:00:34 PM
The EC, not the secretary, receives the completed ballots. The secretary mails out the BLANK ballots, because the secretary handles most club correspondence and has supplies on hand to do it.

If there is only one person willing to run for a position, they win by acclamation because the alternative is to leave the position vacant. In which case the president has to select and board vote for someone to fill it. And if there's only one person willing, there's only one person to select.

You will get no argument from me on PDF files. I loathe them with every fiber of my being and would eradicate every last one if it were within my power, but other people seem to like them. Getting rid of them would require some evidence that the majority of members prefer something else.

The procedure for requesting an amendment to the constitution is outlined in article 12, which I again cannot cut and paste because it's a PDF, but the jest is you submit it to me, I present it to the board for vote, a majority vote by the board gets it on the ballot, with a majority vote by the membership the change goes into effect January 1 following the election. So with this being an election year, now is the time to present proposed changes.
Title: Re: Election
Post by: Suki on August 17, 2018, 11:50:25 PM
ok.  thanks Beth.  What's your email?
Title: Re: Election
Post by: Beth Curran on August 18, 2018, 11:26:04 AM
bncarey (at) hotmail (dot) com
Title: Re: Election
Post by: John W Blehm on August 18, 2018, 11:47:31 AM
Note that contact info for all our Alliance officers is on the last page of each Newsletter.
Title: Re: Election
Post by: John W Blehm on September 11, 2018, 05:17:56 PM
As you know, this is an election year, and there will be several open seats on the board. I am not running for reelection - between two major surgeries in the last 3 months and a middle schooler becoming increasingly involved in sports and extracurricular activities,
I feel I'm spread too thin to do the job justice.

I have appointed Sue Paolini and Becky Howie as Election Commissioner and Assistant Election Commissioner, respectively.

Any member who wishes to run for office and/or nominate someone for office should notify the club secretary by no later than October 1st, 2018. Ballots will be mailed out on October 15th, 2018, and must be received back no later than November 1st, 2018.

Please note that this is a quick turn around, so we need to pay close attention to deadlines!


Beth is busy with a hurricane coming her way and asked me to post this for her...
Quote
...Also, Sue officially resigned as EC, Becky will be EC and Harry Shaffer will be assistant. Can you update on the forum? Thx!

FYI...EC=Election Commissioner.
Title: Re: Election
Post by: Suki on September 14, 2018, 10:27:13 AM
John reminded me that we must notify the secretary by the end of month.  I do believe that is another change and should be the President.
Title: Re: Election
Post by: John W Blehm on September 14, 2018, 10:31:34 AM
John reminded me that we must notify the secretary by the end of month.  I do believe that is another change and should be the President.

It will be if my proposed constitution is accepted.
Title: Re: Election
Post by: Suki on September 14, 2018, 10:33:38 AM
That is a good point John.  I do think that the Constitutional changes deadline should be moved earlier so directors/president and nominees know what they are getting.  Right now the deadline overlaps so those running are basically putting themselves in the position of a pig in a poke.
Title: Re: Election
Post by: John W Blehm on September 14, 2018, 10:36:58 AM
Here are our members that are running for offices.  I'll update this post (Reply #13) as others notify me.

As of 10/1/2018:
President:
John Blehm

Secretary/Treasurer:
Sue Paolini

Club Director (4 positions):
Russ Blair
Stan Alder
Jeff Sonsalla

Please note that according to Article 5 of our constitution...
Quote from: http://ameraucanaalliance.org/DnLd/Constitution.pdf
All Board members are expected to help with Secretarial duties at the request of the Secretary and upon appointment of the President.  These duties may include the placing of club meets, reporting meet results for the newsletter, sending club awards to members, tallying exhibitor points, publishing the newsletter, acting as webmaster and other duties related to the internet and social media, organizing and facilitating the club’s National Meet and any other areas as needed.

Title: Re: Election
Post by: Suki on September 14, 2018, 10:38:56 AM
Thanks.  Hopefully they'll be more than just Russ and me turning out.
Title: Re: Election
Post by: John W Blehm on September 27, 2018, 10:03:22 AM
I have a revised constitution that will be on the ballot for members to vote on.  There are many changes from our existing constitution, but the main theme is to make it less ridged and less restrictive while spreading out the secretarial duties, so that 90+% of the work isn't on one person.  Please support it when you receive your ballot.  :)

Quote
Ameraucana Alliance Constitution – proposal 9/22/2018
 
Article I – Name
This organization shall be known as the Ameraucana Alliance.
 
Article II – Mission
Our mission is simple…an alliance of folks focused on the promotion of standard bred Ameraucana chickens and positive support for those interested in standard bred Ameraucana chickens.

Article III – Membership
Any person may become a member upon payment of the annual dues.  However, a member may be expelled by a majority vote of the Board of Directors for acts deemed harmful to the Ameraucana breed and/or this organization.
 
Article IV – Dues
Annual dues shall be set by the Board of Directors and shall be payable on January 1st for each calendar year.
 
Article V – Organization
Section 1.  The officers comprising the Board of Directors shall consist of the following:
         President
         Club Director (2 to 6 positions)
Section 2.  Officers shall be elected by a majority vote of the membership to a term of two
years beginning on the first day of January following the election. 
Section 3.  Open positions on the Board of Directors shall be filled by a person selected by the President and approved by the Board of Directors.  If the President is unable to serve, the remaining members of the Board of Directors will select a replacement, from the Board, by majority vote.
 
BY-LAWS
 
Article 1 - President
The President shall be Chairman of the Board and responsible for the execution of the Constitution & Bylaws and shall receive and process all proposals for their amendment.  The President may preside at club meetings or appoint another member to preside.  The President shall appoint an Election Commissioner and Assistant Election Commissioner for the biennial election.  Committees, headed by a Board member, may be appointed by the President and he/she shall assign duties to officers and members that volunteer.  The President shall endeavor to see that all officers properly discharge their duties and may assist with any duties as he/she sees fit. 

Article 2 – Honorary Vice President(s)
The Board of Directors may establish a policy concerning an honorary (non-voting) Vice President(s).
 
Article 3 - Board of Directors
The Board of Directors shall control the affairs of the club at all times.  Policy decisions require the President to allow a discussion period by the board followed by a vote, with only a consensus needed for issues of lesser importance.  The Directors shall remove from office any officer, upon majority vote of the Board, for misconduct or failure to adequately perform the duties assigned.  Directors shall be responsible for actively promoting the club and its' activities and take an active part in the recruitment of new members.  They shall contribute quarterly reports/articles to be published in Ameraucana Newsletters.  All Board members are expected to help with secretarial duties at the request and upon appointment of the President.  Volunteer members, other than officers, may also help with secretarial duties when appointed by the President and confirmed by the Board.  These duties may include the placing of club meets, reporting meet results for the newsletter, sending club awards to members, calculating exhibitor points, publishing the quarterly Ameraucana Newsletter, acting as webmaster and other duties related to the internet and social media, organizing and facilitating the club’s National Meet and any other areas as needed.  Each Board member may be an Administrator on any internet forum and social media site that the club has. 
One director will also act as Treasurer upon appointment by the President.  The Treasurer shall have access to all monetary accounts of the club.  The Treasurer shall collect and receive all monies due the club, pay all bills undertaken by it, and publish a “Treasurer’s Report” in the club Newsletters. 
The Treasurer shall surrender all pertinent files, monies, and other club property to the new Treasurer at the expiration of his term of office in a timely fashion.

Article 4 – Ameraucana Newsletter
Our Ameraucana Newsletter is our official means to disseminate information to our membership, but since it is only received quarterly the board may also use our Ameraucana Forum (Ameraucana.org) and/or email to communicate information it feels is relevant.

Article 5 - Election Commissioner and Assistant Election Commissioner
An Election Commissioner and Assistant Election Commissioner shall be appointed by the President by August 20th of an election year.  They cannot be current officers or on the ballot for office.  The Commissioner may receive ballots via email, thru an online voting site and by U.S. Mail.  The Commissioner shall tally them and promptly forward the results and the ballots to the Assistant Election Commissioner.  The Assistant will then forward only the official election results to all Board members.  The Assistant Election Commissioner shall retain the ballots until December 31st, in case of any challenges to the election, and then all ballots and copies shall be destroyed.

Article 6 - Election of Officers
Officers shall be elected every two years.  Any continuous member (no lapse in membership) for at least 12 months that is not also a member of another Ameraucana breed club (due to any possible conflict of interest), may run as a candidate for office.  Candidates for President must also have first served at least one full two year term on the Board of Directors, before taking the office of President.  Candidates must notify the President by October 1st of their candidacy.  Ballots shall be prepared by and mailed by a Director, appointed by the President, to members by October 15th.  Completed ballots must be received by the Election Commissioner by November 1st.  When there is only one candidate for any office, including any write-in canidates, that person will be elected by acclamation.  No officer shall have more than one voting position on the Board of Directors.  The official election results shall be included in the Winter Newsletter and the new officers shall assume office on January 1st.

Article 7 - Sanctioned Meets
The Board of Directors shall approve a Meet Policy to govern our sanctioned meets at poultry shows.

Article 8 – Annual Meeting
An annual meeting, open to all members, shall take place each year in conjunction with our Ameraucana National Meet whenever feasible.

Article 9 - Interpretation
A simple majority (more than half of all ballots cast) is required for passage of membership votes and an absolute majority (a majority of all Board members, not just those who voted) is required for passage of Board of Director votes.  Email counts as “Mail”.  In all cases of dispute arising from interpretation of the Constitution and Bylaws of this club, and on all other matters not covered herein, a majority vote of the Board of Directors shall decide the issue.  Such decisions shall be declared final.

Article 10 - Amendments
Any proposal to amend or alter the Constitution and/or Bylaws of the Ameraucana Alliance shall be submitted to the President by October 1st of an election year.  He or she will in turn submit the proposal to the entire Board of Directors who will vote whether to place the proposal before the membership for a vote.  Proposals passed favorably by the Board of Directors shall be included on the ballot with the biennial election of officers.  If adopted the amendment shall become effective on January 1st following the election.  The amended Constitution and Bylaws shall be included with the Winter Newsletter.
Title: Re: Election
Post by: John W Blehm on October 01, 2018, 10:33:52 AM
Here are our members that are running for offices.  I'll update this post (Reply #13) as others notify me.

As of 10/1/2018:
President:
John Blehm

Secretary/Treasurer:
Sue Paolini

Club Director (4 positions):
Russ Blair
Stan Alder
Jeff Sonsalla

Please note that according to Article 5 of our constitution...
Quote from: http://ameraucanaalliance.org/DnLd/Constitution.pdf
All Board members are expected to help with Secretarial duties at the request of the Secretary and upon appointment of the President.  These duties may include the placing of club meets, reporting meet results for the newsletter, sending club awards to members, tallying exhibitor points, publishing the newsletter, acting as webmaster and other duties related to the internet and social media, organizing and facilitating the club’s National Meet and any other areas as needed.

Nominations close at midnight.
Title: Re: Election for Directors
Post by: Suki on October 02, 2018, 02:43:33 AM
So Mike is no longer running for Director? 
Title: Re: Election for Directors
Post by: Mike Gilbert on October 02, 2018, 08:38:10 AM
So Mike is no longer running for Director?

Correct.  Jeff lives near me, and I didn't think it right for two directors to be so close geographically.  But I would continue to assist as able when and if asked. 
Title: Re: Election
Post by: Suki on October 02, 2018, 01:29:06 PM
Thanks for the explanation.
Title: Re: Election
Post by: John W Blehm on November 10, 2018, 10:09:57 AM
The constitution/bylaws change passed.  :)

There were also a some write-ins for the open 4th Club Director position, but none were eligible as per our current constitution.