An Analysis of SPAR Council’s Q&A Session: Internal election and by-law issues

[strider]

Of the last 12 board members elected, 6 were minority, 5 were black.

So this is a positive answer to the question.  The SPAR Council membership elects its board without any apparent racial bias.  To be honest, I would more readily expect issues of the social economic kind.  From what I can tell, the SPAR Council membership has normally elected board members from all of the various  social economic “levels” actually represented by it’s actual membership.

Now to the question AlexS brought up:

24.) Are the minutes to every board meeting, the voting details and even the "minutes" from the special "e-mail" votes going to be readily made public?

The meetings are open, minutes are posted for reading.

Besides the fact that they pretty much ignored two thirds of the question, I personally got a laugh at the “minutes are posted for reading.” comment.  I know that most of the recently posted minutes were posted by AlexS, not the SPAR Council office, so I wonder if the Executive Board who thought AlexS wasn’t a good board member are taking credit for what he did and was part of what they did not like? And I question whether they will continue to be posted at all.

AlexS's post prety much indicates that they won't:

I have asked SPAR through email and posted on the forum to publish the minutes. They are still not posted. Neither is the agenda for the board meeting today.

[RiversideGator]

It would seem that he's interested in knowing if the board is racially balanced. He also has the right to ask. To my knowledge, it's not.

Still no answer to the question why does this matter?

[RiversideGator]

It would seem that he's interested in knowing if the board is racially balanced. He also has the right to ask. To my knowledge, it's not.

Racially balanced? What is with people? Why does race seem to rear it's little head in these threads. I personally want the best person, for any given job or position. Whether it is a SPAR rep. or the US President. I Don't Care what color their skin is. I want someone  that wants to do the best job possible, has the time to afford to their position and can represent the memberships goals.

Exactly. 

[RiversideGator]

What racist policies?  Unless you count trying to make the neighborhood materially nicer as racist, I have never seen or heard anything racist out of SPAR.

BTW, if you are a raging racist, would you even move to a place as racially diverse as Springfield?  Wouldnt you move to far out Clay County or may Idaho.   

[FinnegansWake]

Believe it or not there is (or was) a hard core white supremacist living around the corner from me. And 3 years ago we had a bunch of 2am-techno-party-racists punks living next door. THAT was fun. JSO dispatcher and I were on a first name basis.

But I've never heard nor seen anything racist from SPAR.

Phil

[triclops i]

Phil-
He moved away!

I

[RiversideGator]

Boy, River, I guess all that hilarity was pretty misplaced then wasnt it?

Not really.  You are an endless source of amusement.   

In any event, the central point is I know of no racist policies or actions by SPAR.  You have not cited any either so I assume that I was accurate in my assessment.   

[FinnegansWake]

Phil-
He moved away!

I

Sweet...

Any idea if the house is still lived in? It looks pretty empty.

Really glad you won't have automatic weapons fired by Nazis on the roof this New Year's Eve.

Phil

[nvrenuf]

Phil-
He moved away!

I

Sweet...

Any idea if the house is still lived in? It looks pretty empty.

Really glad you won't have automatic weapons fired by Nazis on the roof this New Year's Eve.

Phil

That New Year's Eve activity is now reserved for residents of Lincoln Court shooting at the Life Flight helo. Good times.

[jbm32206]

It would seem that he's interested in knowing if the board is racially balanced. He also has the right to ask. To my knowledge, it's not.

Racially balanced? What is with people? Why does race seem to rear it's little head in these threads. I personally want the best person, for any given job or position. Whether it is a SPAR rep. or the US President. I Don't Care what color their skin is. I want someone  that wants to do the best job possible, has the time to afford to their position and can represent the memberships goals.

To make this clear, I'm not the one who asked about it being racially balanced, I merely responded to a question....and quoting me, makes it seem that I'm the one concerned about it. I too, prefer to concentrate on having the best qualified, always have believed in that.

[sheclown]

anyway...getting back to the discussion of the Q & A...

[strider]

33.) Why has a group of elected and appointed board members, mostly the executive and Governance Committee, held a hostile take over of SPAR Council?

There is a group of dedicated volunteers, working very hard to do the best they can for the organization, and for the neighborhood which it serves. One has only to look at the accomplishments over the years to understand that SPAR is not only beneficial to the Springfield neighborhood, but is essential to the continued success and revitalization. Other organizations look at us as a model, and ask for help on particular issues.

This statement is true.  There are still a few hard working and selfless volunteers trying their very best.  I do wonder how long they will be allowed to remain on the board as they have already convinced at least one to resign recently.  And no, I do not believe the current SPAR Council is essential to the continued success of Springfield.  Do you?

The present Bylaws were adopted after months of meetings and consultations with a profession board consultant LISC provided free of charge in order to modernize the organization and make its governance more consistent with that of other non-profit community-based organizations. The SPAR Board adopted the bylaws unanimously after much discussion and several amendments suggested by Board members. They were adopted in compliance with State law and the SPAR Articles of Incorporation.

To be honest, if LISC has told SPAR Council to ignore the bylaws and its membership, is it an organization that this community wants to be involved with? I am more likely to believe that the Executive Committee has bastardized the suggestions from LISC into something else that more suits some agenda we do not know about. 

There has not been a takeover, hostile or otherwise; you cannot takeover yourselves. All actions of the Executive and Governance Committees have been consistent with their duties under the Bylaws.

Well, the Governance Committee and the executive board have certainly been consistent.  In not following the bylaws.  In fact, they seems to be making it up as they go along.  And those people do not represent themselves, but rather they have been entrusted with the management of a corporation that has been around long before they came along and should be around long after they are gone. They have broken that trust and have indeed “taken over” the organization.