SPAR revolt?

[02roadking]

Wouldn't it be more helpful to actually have a listing of what positions are open and what qualifications are needed before anyone wants to announce they'd like to run for them? But of course, that would require spar to do the right thing, by listing openings and actually holding an election, instead of the select few making appointments.

Besides that, the executive board made up the governance committee, of themselves....and aren't they the ones who are supposed to oversee applicants? So isn't it their responsibility also, to let the neighborhood and or membership know of openings and what, if any, qualifications are expected of applicants to meet? Hell, they haven't even decided to hold elections...which should've been held by now.

I agree that elections need to be held and the bylaws need to be followed and not changed without the memberships approval. On that I agree.
 
  That said, I'm just trying to find out if you folks really have anybody that wants to volunteer their time to the SPAR board or do ya'll just love to listen to yourselves about how you are advocating the "truth and justice" for all sentiment.

[jbm32206]

02roadking: I'm just trying to find out if you folks really have anybody that wants to volunteer their time to the SPAR board or do ya'll just love to listen to yourselves about how you are advocating the "truth and justice" for all sentiment.

First of all, I think this goes beyond people just wanting to listen to themselves and advocating for truth and justice...and I find that rather insulting to those of us, (myself included) who have been out spoken about the wrong doings of the spar board.

There's nothing wrong with speaking up and we certainly have every right to do so. I refuse to sit back silently and allow that to happen. It's a shame that others will and are allowing it to happen...but that's one's choice. If it bothers you or anyone else to 'listen' then don't...simple as that. Nobody is forcing anyone to read this thread (and the others on other forums) If you, or anyone else has a differing opinion, then of course, that's their choice as to whether or not to join in on the discussion or start their own thread(s)

Along those lines, if you or anyone else is content with how things are being handled, content with the board changing bylaws to suit their agenda, to do away with the need for members to participate in electing members of the board, then silence is of course what will allow that to continue. However, if you or anyone else is not happy with how the board changed the bylaws or how the board had not made public any positions available and have not held an election when there should certainly be one, then speaking up is the right option.

I, for one and there are several others...who are not at all happy with the manner in which the bylaws were changed. Not happy at all with no elections. Not at all happy that the executive board appointed only their own members to serve on this governance committee, which is to oversee positions available for the board and who they will deem qualified to even run for any open positions. It's all extremely prejudice and slanted. This, IMO, is not working together with the membership, nor the community in which this organization is supposed to be serving. They self appoint, they decide how the bylaws will meet their needs/wants and the membership and community are no longer a part of the mix. This is wrong and anyone with good conscience knows it.

[02roadking]

Thanks for the answer to my question.

[jbm32206]

You bet 

[strider]

Jbm32206, your post was an excellant response to that quote. Just to go one step further:

There have been some good people willing to run for SPAR Council office.  At the last election, a few good people did and a couple did get elected and a couple did not.  Then there was an outcry over possible election discrepancies. To be honest, that seemed to be somewhat reasonably explained away.  However, the recent lack of elections, the lack of willingness to follow the by-laws at all and now the executive board basically slapping the membership in the face has given huge credibility to the fact that the complaints over the last election were valid.  In the face of this, I'm not sure anyone has bothered to really consider whether they would be willing to run or not. Why would they when it has become obvious that even if the elections were to be held, the final outcome may very well be predetermined.

The Executive Director made the argument to me for appointments that they actually had a good marketing person on the ballot a couple of elections ago and she did not get elected.  I took her meaning to be that only by appointments could "they" get the people they wanted.  I have been to a recent board meeting and it very much seemed to me that if a board member did not want to follow the "party line", then they were belittled and , in one case, almost physically threatened.  It did not make me want to run for a board position.  Not unless I can see at least a willingness to listen and make the proper changes to insure the voice of the entire community will be listened too.

We have been asking for changes and a willingness to be open to both phrase and dissension.  It is time to ask for more.  The current executive board is half made up of people who are not even legally on the SPAR Council board at this point.  Then look at the Governance Committee that is charged with the setting up and running of elections.  This  is the committee that illegally determined that no elections were needed and it is also mostly made up of those same people who are not legally on the Board at this point.

It is time to call for those people to step down.  Let the rest of the board set up elections and I do believe you will see more than enough candidates to fill the open positions.  Good, qualified people who have the best interests of the entire community at heart.  It is what is needed.  It is what is right.

[02roadking]

You guys are killin me....

[deportman]

You guys are killin me....

Dude, what is your friging point???

[jbm32206]

Does that mean the old saying's true...truth hurts....

[02roadking]

You guys are killin me....

Dude, what is your friging point???

I was not making a point. I just asked a question and I got a stump speech. That's all.
     

[sheclown]

 
I agree that elections need to be held and the bylaws need to be followed and not changed without the memberships approval. On that I agree.
 
  That said, I'm just trying to find out if you folks really have anybody that wants to volunteer their time to the SPAR board or do ya'll just love to listen to yourselves about how you are advocating the "truth and justice" for all sentiment.

It was the last part of this statement which was taken as offensive and sort of negated the first part.

So, to answer the first part of this statement (from "That said..." to "...SPAR board") the answer is yes, there is talent out there ready, willing and able.  But, the important point here is that most all posters have supported the people currently in power.  They are just dissatisfied with the way the power has been handled recently.  They have questions.

As to the second part of this statement....as Deportman stated "what's the friggin point?"

[uptowngirl]

You guys are killin me....

Dude, what is your friging point???

I was not making a point. I just asked a question and I got a stump speech. That's all.
     

Here is the non-stump speech.

There are people who would be willing to run and sit on the board, but not if they get the crappy treatment others have when they want the board to follow it's own rules.

There are/were plenty of people on the board that have tried to do the right thing and have been verbally attacked and/or back stabbed for supporting the boards own rules. From what I understand from several former board members it is a complete joke.

Why in the world would anyone want to sit on a board with some fo the people who want to do what they want to do period? They will not listen, will not budge, and then send out an email written by someone not even ELIGIBLE to be on OUR board, which does not make sense, and is just a swipe at certain people <she> and her friends do not like.

Personally who cares, I don't anymore.... I will sit back and watch and laugh as they lose more and more face not only with the neighborhood, but with the city, and LISC too.

[02roadking]

I was not making a point. I just asked a question and I got a stump speech. That's all.
     

[/quote]

Here is the non-stump speech.

There are people who would be willing to run and sit on the board, but not if they get the crappy treatment others have when they want the board to follow it's own rules.

There are/were plenty of people on the board that have tried to do the right thing and have been verbally attacked and/or back stabbed for supporting the boards own rules. From what I understand from several former board members it is a complete joke.

Why in the world would anyone want to sit on a board with some fo the people who want to do what they want to do period? They will not listen, will not budge, and then send out an email written by someone not even ELIGIBLE to be on OUR board, which does not make sense, and is just a swipe at certain people <she> and her friends do not like.

Personally who cares, I don't anymore.... I will sit back and watch and laugh as they lose more and more face not only with the neighborhood, but with the city, and LISC too.
[/quote]

 





Even though I am a SPAR member, at least I think I still am, I really am out of the loop with all this. I haven't even been to a general meeting in a few years, maybe longer. I try to stay away from most drama, but after 29 pages on this thread, I just had to throw my question out there. No insults were intended, it's just was my perception of this thread.
  Uptowngirl, thanks.
 
 

[zoo]

and now the executive board basically slapping the membership in the face has given huge credibility to the fact that the complaints over the last election were valid

Unlike strider, sheclown and jbm, I am a SPAR member, and I don't feel slapped in the face at all b/c members of an under-appreciated volunteer board have life/professional issues that require their immediate attention (and of course the holiday season alone is enough to complicate calendar coordination). Many other members feel the way I do, so please stop mis-representing us all by speaking for "the membership" and/or "the community."

Some non-members have figured out how to use this board, and others, to suit their purpose of undermining current efforts. I've heard it from the horses' mouths that the City and LISC do not want to deal with bickering factions in this neighborhood (it's ONE of the reasons they stayed out of here so long!) So this non-member group is in the process of undermining a lot more than SPAR!

Remember how the city paved the entire east side in 2007, sends street sweepers into Springfield for the first time in 30 years, plants trees, upgrades electrical infrastructure so the grid can handle our computers/peripherals, locks down the dog park at night and keeps a city worker at Confederate during daylight hours, mows Klutho (at least more frequently), and finishes underground infrastructure projects/roadway projects on Main/8th?!?!?

Now I know the COJ hasn't handled all of these things perfectly - I've seen a few complaints re: piles of dirt left on the corner by the street-sweeping equipment, or a few dying trees b/c the COJ had money to do it, but not right. But if anyone doesn't see these things as positives for the community, then we will have to agree to disagree. And if you want more of these types of things to stop happening, then hop on strider and sheclown's bandwagon - the COJ will bug out of here b/c it's too much trouble. That may stink, but that is the reality.

I wouldn't claim everything is handled perfectly the way it is. Unlike some post-ers, I don't think it's realistic to expect perfection from an all volunteer board (that some seem to just want to complain about rather than take part in) when our own federal gov't can't get entitlement programs, the tax system, healthcare, education, foreign policy, etc. right, and our own municipal gov't is underfunded/resourced for just the infrastructure issues facing it.

Springfield's problems aren't as big as our nation's, or even our city's, but I expect these groups to make the best effort to make progress - and that is what SPAR is doing. Again, all anyone who wants proof of this firsthand has to do is call SPAR and ask how they can help. They will be contributing, and will have the opportunity see all of the progress SPAR's under-appreciated board is helping to make.

I'd like to hear strider and sheclown's plans for attracting businesses to our commercial corridors or revitalizing the park system (and please be sure to include timelines, budgets, and funding sources). I haven't heard a plan from them for any actual positive neighborhood change? Please submit an outline of what you would do to improve Springfield (and we've already gotten that you would adhere to bylaws, get rid of certain boardmembers, make sure others are added through the elective process - this is fine, but what can you bring to this community after that?)

So while trash may still get left on my corner and aging underground pipes are creating holes in our newly paved streets, I'll take an under-appreciated volunteer board, made up of real people with other life/work concerns like yours and mine, working hard with an under-funded charitable organization (LISC) and an under-funded municipal govt, to make any positive change ANY DAY, over a few folks who aren't members, and who don't live in the community, who want to complain and disrupt successful relationships with orgs that now want to contribute to improvement.

Btw, SPAR is not technically a community development corporation (a non-profit that develops affordable housing). But if that is what strider/sheclown think is needed here, perhaps they should legitimize their own organizations, and become the Springfield CDC.

[uptowngirl]

So Zoo I assume you agree Barbara Sweet should cease and desist any further work on SPAR's behalf because she does not live or EVEN work here, also her time is up.

btw, while I let me membership expire (since I have no say now), I do volunteer time to SPAR and other organizations in the neighborhood as well as live here (two homes owned actually).

[downtownparks]

Basing eligibility to join in regards to living or working in the community is a bit of a red herring. Certainly if someone like Tony Allegretti wanted to sit on the board, I personally would be cool with it. I can think of any number of Springfield boosters who don't technically live or work here that I would have no problems serving on the board.

That said, there is the issue of tracking of board terms. There doesn't seem to be any positive control over that, and its causing some serious discrepancies in regards to when terms began or end.