Make candidates opinions available via Lynx?

Dec 22 03:40 UTC 1994

My housemate just posed me a question, and I thought I'd pose it
to everyone here in turn.

Would it make things easier for our members if the candidates
for the next Board election each answered a selection of
questions, and this information was made available on a
hypertext page via Lynx?  (I don't know how easy it would be
to do this with the menu shell, any comments?)

This way, anyone could call up this page, and easily read what
each candidate's stand on the issues was.  The hypertext
programming needed would be trivial, the hardest part would
be getting the answers out of the candidates.  >8)

What does everyone think of this idea?

If so, what questions should the candidates answer?

response 2 of 38:

Dec 22 05:30 UTC 1994

I think this could be done in an ordinary item too...

response 4 of 38:

Dec 22 07:25 UTC 1994

Another possibility, suggested by LeAnn this evening, would be to
add another option to the vote program, which called up the *statements*
solicited from candidates specifically for that purpose. I believe
that the board should adopt a motion specifying that such statements
would be requested of candidates, but it is otherwise a pretty normal
procedure in elections in most organizations. STeve in #1 raises
the question of whether this might be forcing candidates to do it,
but it would not have to be required - so a "no statement" could be
entered for a candidate. 

response 6 of 38:

Dec 22 08:38 UTC 1994

perhaps a separate program called "candidates?"

response 8 of 38:

Dec 22 19:29 UTC 1994

Uh, in most elections I've dealt with, there is a specific rule
against campaigning within a certain distance of the polls.  I'd
think that putting platforms into the vote program would be
violating this general rule.

A platforms item in coop, on the other hand, wouldn't be a bad idea.

response 10 of 38:

Dec 22 21:01 UTC 1994

I think the campaigning distance at the polls is to protect people from 
being harrassed.  That doesn't apply here.  The question is how easy is
it to get the info on the candidates when you want it?  When I want to 
vote, I want the info.

Rather than for or against statements, I want resumes.  I want to know what
expertise the candidates have and the resumes of the other board members.
Will we have an accountant type, hardware type, software type, legal eagle,
etc.?  

response 12 of 38:

Dec 24 09:40 UTC 1994

Too bad there isn't a way to find out what other members have to offer in 
the way of knowledge.  I know other non-profits seek to fill board seats
with people in the community who have special expertise which would be 
needed.  but 90 people isn't a large pool of people.

response 14 of 38:

Dec 24 20:17 UTC 1994

Without getting into details - there are well known "stages" in the
evolution of non-profit board, and Grex is in stage 1, the "participant"
board, on which the members are also the ones doing a lot of the work. A
later stage is the "institutional board", where most of the board are
community leaders, who find and develop resources for the non-profit, and
the doers are volunteers and paid staff. The problem of getting experts in
needed areas (law, for example) on a small, "participants" board, is that
there is not enough for them to do, unless they are also participants. The
speed of these evolutions can be slow or fast, depending also on the
effort put into growing, or not. (There is a discipline of "board
development" because of the importance of non-profits in many social areas
of education, health, social work, etc.)

response 16 of 38:

Dec 24 23:41 UTC 1994

   Well, I'll be one to fight to see that we stay a "participant" board
forever then.  We Don't Have To Crumble The Way Of Other Organizations.
Iccky.

response 18 of 38:

Dec 25 00:47 UTC 1994

A participant board looks like it is going to be here for quite a while 
longer anyway.  So, can we ask some experts in the community outside Grex
to volunteer some much needed information.  How about AARP?  That help
would be free and likely very helpful

response 20 of 38:

Dec 25 20:58 UTC 1994

For your consideration, STeve, I offer the following thoughts on the
transition from a participants to an institutional board. One of the early
steps is creating more officer positions, to make an "executive committee"
(EC). This becomes the body that carries out the daily business of the
organization, reporting to the board and getting their guidance from the
board. Initially, the board would probably still be participants, but they
would be just slightly removed from conducting "business", but still in
control of policy. One advantage is getting more member involvment,
without creating a larger board. 

Then, as time goes on and the EC becomes more adept, they become the group
that really knows what's going on, and they tend more to seek support from
the board for what they think should be done. The board becomes more
advisory, and less participatory. Then is when the door is open to seek
community leaders to lend their knowledge and contacts in support of the
organizatiion. I'm not sure if this is what you refer to as an "ossified"
board, but I would point out tht the active functions you envisage would
have only been transferred to an EC, which makes most of the decisions,
though with the support of the board.

The role of the membership in Grex could remain the same, but now electing
the EC (and still with referendum powers). (I'm not laying out a specific
scenario for Grex in these imaginings, but just indicating the normal
course of evolution of an organization as they get bigger, handle more
money, need to hire staff, etc. If you don't want Grex to get that big, by
the way, stop trying to expand functionality and connectivity.)
 
Well, the Mayor might not be willing to serve as an advisor, out of
fairness to all non-profits in town, but maybe the Manager of the local
Ameritech office, for his/her communications industry knowledge? Or, the
Director of the Public Library? A board with community leaders on it is
*WAY* down the road for Grex, but it is a thought to consider, to the
extent that we think we do serve an important community function. 

Since this is the "candidates opinion" opinion Item, I'd like to ask them
to ponder the future this far ahead, and indicate their general
inclinations for growth and change in managing the business of the
organization. 

response 22 of 38:

Dec 27 15:40 UTC 1994

I guess it is time to make another place for the latest candidats' opinions
because after all the discussion some opinions may need clarification.  If 
no one has done it already, I'll make one now.

response 24 of 38:

Jan 3 17:48 UTC 1995

Welcoming input is one thing, but seeking out input from knowledgable 
business people is another.  Business decisions many times don't require
a person to use the system.   Community leaders are not the people I 
would consider as prospective board members unless they had skill in
an area of business which was lacking on the board.