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Grex > Coop > #285: Proposed Bylaw Change - Board Size & Quorum | |
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Message |
mary
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Proposed Bylaw Change - Board Size & Quorum
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Sep 27 13:56 UTC 2010 |
This is a proposal to change our bylaws, reducing the size of Grex's Board of
Directors and the number of board members necessary to meet quorum.
Presently, there are seven board members and this proposal asks that to be
changed to five. Quorum would change from five to three board members present.
This proposal would simply substitute the new numbers for the old. The current
bylaws state: **************************** ARTICLE 3: BOARD OF DIRECTORS
a. The Board of Directors (BOD) shall consist of seven individual members of
Grex, and shall include a
chairperson, a secretary, and a treasurer.
d. The BOD shall hold face-to-face meetings on a regular, bimonthly basis, and
in addition may hold special meetings if necessary. A quorum consists of five
BOD members. A board member will be considered to be in attendance at a
meeting if he or she is physically present at the location of the meeting, or
if he or she can, via a telephone or other electronic system, hear and be
heard by all the other attendees.
*****************************
With the proposed amendments the bylaws would read:
*****************************
ARTICLE 3: BOARD OF DIRECTORS
a. The Board of Directors (BOD) shall consist of five individual members of
Grex, and shall include a
chairperson, a secretary, and a treasurer.
d. The BOD shall hold face-to-face meetings on a regular, bimonthly basis, and
in addition may hold special meetings if necessary. A quorum consists of
three BOD members. A board member will be considered to be in attendance at a
meeting if he or she is physically present at the location of the meeting, or
if he or she can, via a telephone or other electronic system, hear and be
heard by all the other attendees.
*****************************
These changes are now up for discussion for two weeks. During that time 10% of
the membership will need to endorse the proposal in order for the proposal to
qualify for a membership vote.
We have very few members at present. Very few. Please consider sending in $18
to qualify as a voting member and be part of the process.
The bylaws can be found at:
https://grex.cyberspace.org/cyberspace/bylaws.xhtml
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| 49 responses total. |
mary
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response 1 of 49:
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Sep 27 13:58 UTC 2010 |
Looks like the formatting didn't exactly translate. Sorry.
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denise
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response 2 of 49:
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Sep 27 17:17 UTC 2010 |
I'm in agreement for these 2 changes.
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kentn
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response 3 of 49:
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Sep 27 18:24 UTC 2010 |
I'm in agreement with these 2 changes, as well.
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rcurl
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response 4 of 49:
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Sep 27 19:43 UTC 2010 |
Representation should be somewhat proportional to the constituency, especially
when Grex has no members....
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jgelinas
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response 5 of 49:
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Sep 27 21:00 UTC 2010 |
Oh, it has a few, Rane. :)
I don't know that I'm in agreement with the proposal, but I do think it
should be voted on. :)
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tsty
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response 6 of 49:
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Sep 28 07:12 UTC 2010 |
reformatted:
This is a proposal to change our bylaws, reducing the size of
Grex's Board of Directors and the number of board members neces-
sary to meet quorum. Presently, there are seven board members
and this proposal asks that to be changed to five. Quorum would
change from five to three board members present.
This proposal would simply substitute the new numbers for the
old. The curren t bylaws state:
****************************
ARTICLE 3: BOARD OF DIRECTORS
a. The Board of Directors (BOD) shall consist of seven individ-
ual members of Grex, and shall include a chairperson, a secretary,
and a treasurer.
d. The BOD shall hold face-to-face meetings on a regular, bi-
monthly basis, and in addition may hold special meetings if nec-
essary. A quorum consists of fiv e BOD members. A board member
will be considered to be in attendance at a meeting if he or she
is physically present at the location of the meeting, or if he or
she can, via a telephone or other electronic system, hear and be
heard by all the other attendees.
*****************************
With the proposed amendments the bylaws would read:
*****************************
ARTICLE 3: BOARD OF DIRECTORS
a. The Board of Directors (BOD) shall consist of five individ-
ual members of Grex, and shall include a chairperson, a secretary,
and a treasurer.
d. The BOD shall hold face-to-face meetings on a regular, bi-
monthly basis, and in addition may hold special meetings if nec-
essary. A quorum consists of three BOD members. A board member
will be considered to be in attendance at a meeting if he or she
is physically present at the location of the meeting, or if he or
she can, via a telephone or other electronic system, hear and be
heard by all the other attendees.
*****************************
These changes are now up for discussion for two weeks. During
that time 10% o f the membership will need to endorse the pro-
posal in order for the proposal to qualify for a membership vote.
We have very few members at present. Very few. Please consider
sending in $1 8 to qualify as a voting member and be part of the
process.
The bylaws can be found at:
https://grex.cyberspace.org/cyberspace/bylaws.xhtml
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jgelinas
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response 7 of 49:
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Sep 28 21:25 UTC 2010 |
Hmmm... Not quite what the item was intended for, but still . . . I'd
like to modify the attendance definition to eliminate the reference to a
specific sense. (What happens should we elect a deaf member to the
Board? OK; that's facetious, since the Director would likely be
physically present.)
I propose rewording the clause to:
"or if he or she can, via a telephone or other electronic system,
communicate directly and simultaneously with all the other attendees."
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mary
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response 8 of 49:
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Sep 28 21:32 UTC 2010 |
I'd support that change.
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cross
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response 9 of 49:
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Sep 29 16:26 UTC 2010 |
I like it. I'd change "hear" to "communicate" and remove mention of
telephone (or any specific technology).
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mary
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response 10 of 49:
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Oct 11 22:26 UTC 2010 |
Two weeks have gone by and we seem to have two members endorsing this going
forward. So I'm asking this bylaw change be put up for a membership vote. This
is the text for the ballot:
MOTION: It is proposed that Cyberspace Communications Bylaw Article 3,
subsections "a" and "d"
be replaced as follows:
ARTICLE 3: BOARD OF DIRECTORS
a. The Board of Directors (BOD) shall consist of five individual members of
Grex, and shall include a chairperson, a secretary, and a treasurer.
d. The BOD shall hold face-to-face meetings on a regular, bimonthly basis,
and
in addition may hold special meetings if necessary. A quorum consists of
three BOD members. A board member will be considered in attendance at a
meeting if he or she can communicate and be understood by all the other
attendees.
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mary
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response 11 of 49:
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Oct 11 22:27 UTC 2010 |
Between text edit and Grex something seems to go very wrong with
formatting. Sorry, again.
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rcurl
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response 12 of 49:
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Oct 12 04:17 UTC 2010 |
I checked the bylaws listed in coop, and found that there are no
provisions for the choice/election of chairperson, a secretary, and a
treasurer, or their terms, or how they can be removed from office.
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mary
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response 13 of 49:
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Oct 12 11:13 UTC 2010 |
True. That has always been left to the elected board to decide. Our
bylaws are pretty casual in terms of only addressing the broad strokes.
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jgelinas
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response 14 of 49:
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Oct 12 14:49 UTC 2010 |
Personally, I'd prefer, "communicate WITH and be understood by," but
that is a minor quibble. :)
I endorse this proposal coming to a vote.
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denise
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response 15 of 49:
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Oct 12 15:27 UTC 2010 |
So do I [along with the change in dues].
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jgelinas
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response 16 of 49:
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Oct 12 16:30 UTC 2010 |
(Each item has to have its own endorsement, Denise.)
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mary
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response 17 of 49:
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Oct 12 18:55 UTC 2010 |
I too like "communicate with" and will add that to the proposal, which now
reads:
MOTION: It is proposed that Cyberspace Communications Bylaw Article 3,
subsections "a" and "d" be replaced as follows:
ARTICLE 3: BOARD OF DIRECTORS
a. The Board of Directors (BOD) shall consist of five individual members of
Grex, and shall include a chairperson, a secretary, and a treasurer.
d. The BOD shall hold face-to-face meetings on a regular, bimonthly basis,
and in addition may hold special meetings if necessary. A quorum consists
of three BOD members. A board member will be considered in attendance at
a meeting if he or she can communicate with and be understood by all the
other attendees.
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jgelinas
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response 18 of 49:
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Oct 12 19:17 UTC 2010 |
Thank you, Mary. :)
I still endorse putting this proposal to a vote. :)
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rcurl
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response 19 of 49:
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Oct 12 20:22 UTC 2010 |
Re #13: "That has always been left to the elected board to decide. Our
bylaws are pretty casual in terms of only addressing the broad strokes."
Yes, pretty "casual": the bylaw don't even say that the Board can choose
the officers. No one can, as far as the bylaws go. Or anyone can? It
would be very simple and hardly constraining to add "..chosen or removed
by a majority vote of the Board." to the end of 3.a.
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cross
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response 20 of 49:
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Oct 13 04:06 UTC 2010 |
You know, Grex is in such a state right now that it seems counter
productive to quibble about anal details like those in resp:19. I
endorse this going to vote, as is, instead of starting another round
of discussion that will delay it even further.
It it really needs to be addressed, it can be addressed at another
time. Let's not lose sight of the forest for the trees.
To reiterate, I suppose this proposal going forward to a vote, as is.
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