SPAR revolt?

[AlexS]

I will volunteer to go through the by-laws and articles and help craft ammendments to be submitted. I will also go to all the meetings needed to have the ammendments presented, and take detailed notes on who votes how and what they say.  if SPAR is to be saved and revamped, this would be a critical step.

If we want the suggested bylaw amendments on the agenda for the Oct 13 board meeting, I would need to have them by Oct 9 to get them on the agenda.

[strider]

I remember the older by-laws as being some of the positions and not giving the board total control with the right to appoint rather than elect. I'd like to see those older ones. Do you think if I stopped by the SPAR Council office they'd let me see em?

I am sure they'd let you see them (the 2006 bylaws). Until recently they were posted on the SPAR web site until they were replaced by the 2008 ones which is now posted there. The parts quoted below have been left unchanged from the 2006 version until today.

Ok, so the "will they let me see em?" part was a bad attempt at humor.  It's why I do not make my living as a stand up comic! Otherwise, thanks for posting this.

Article 7 section 3
Up to four positions will be available to allow the Board to appoint members who have specific skills useful to the community or who may not have been available at the time of the election.

Yep, this is actually from the original by-laws and makes good sense.  Appoint the talent you may need when you may need it to supplement the hard working volunteers.

Article 7 section 4
An appointed member may serve a three-year term and be reappointed by the Board or stand for election for an additional term.

First, this also was intended for only those four appointee board slots - for that particular talent when you needed it.  Not appoint four people friendly to your way of thinking.

And to compare to the current:

Section 4. TERMS AND ELECTION OF DIRECTORS. The membership shall elect Directors
at the annual meeting. A Director shall serve a term of three years. To ensure experienced
leadership, approximately one-third of the Directorships shall be elected or appointed in alternate
years.All Directors will be limited to 2 consecutive terms, or no more than 6 consecutive years.
An appointed member may serve a three-year term and be reappointed by the Board or stand
for election for an additional term.

I would think the purpose of the changes are to insure they can appoint the entire board if they wish and not have those pesky elections at all.  Why else change what was actually a pretty good by-law?

Article 7 section 9 (now section 7)
VACANCIES. Resignations of directors shall become effective immediately or on the date specified therein and vacancies will be deemed to exist as of such effective date. The remaining Directors shall fill by a majority vote any vacancies on the Board of Directors and such director so appointed shall serve for the remainder of the term of the directorship so vacated.

So this brings up the question, did the recent appointees occur because someone left and so the new appointees should only be serving until the end of the term of those they replaced?  Oh, wait a minute, they handled this above - no need for elections so it no longer matters!.

I don't think anyone has kept track about who was appointed for special skills and what these special skills were. So it's hard to tell if the 4 board members are used up already.

And this makes no difference what so ever as they no longer have to have elections so who was appointed and why really doesn't matter anymore.  The wording changes made in June 2008 did far more damage to this organization and this community than anything else has in years.  It removed the membership and by default, the entire community, from having any say in what LISC and SPAR Council is planning for this neighborhood.  They have successfully eliminated the community in Springfield, it is now nothing but a future developement of SPAR Council.

I believe Lisa, Gerry and Alex were appointed for vacancies. So was Jack.

And why were thse appointed?  I can make a guess here - please note this is only my opinion and nothing else.

Lisa - while she is somewhat a wild card, she does have close connections to SRG and while she may initially disagree, she may be convinced into going their way.

Gerry - will be SRG, money and power all the way.

Alex - to help apease the masses through this transition. They are hoping they can control him the way they have others.

Jack - again, he will side with the developers on the vast majority of issies.  He did not get as successful as he is without believing he knows better than thou, so he will side with them.

Just think about some of the past issues - all of the appointees mentioned have been on the same "side" as SRG and friends.  Including Alex, who at least came around on some issues when the real facts are given to him. He is the one I look to to help with any transition of power back to the community, if it happens at all.

[uptowngirl]

I will volunteer to go through the by-laws and articles and help craft ammendments to be submitted. I will also go to all the meetings needed to have the ammendments presented, and take detailed notes on who votes how and what they say.  if SPAR is to be saved and revamped, this would be a critical step.

If we want the suggested bylaw amendments on the agenda for the Oct 13 board meeting, I would need to have them by Oct 9 to get them on the agenda.

Well batman when should we all meet at the bat cave? (code word for 3 layers!)

[sheclown]

Let's make it this week.  Let's work on a solid list of concerns with suggestions and try to get Alex to put us on the agenda. 

[uptowngirl]

Wednesday 7:30PM Bat Cave?

[sheclown]

see ya there.

[Driven1]

REVOLT Party!!!

[deportman]

REVOLT Party!!!

Dude, if your all for a revolt, why don’t you go to Pakistan, North Korea may be even Iran.
Let me know how that works out for you.

[alta]

SPAR isn't perfect but the pastures are always greener elsewhere right? 

[uptowngirl]

SPAR isn't perfect but the pastures are always greener elsewhere right? 

Alta i think you missed a post, this is to review the by-laws and articles and see what they said, what they say now, and if there maybe are some improvements that could be made. I wouldn't really call that a revolt, I would call that members doing what members are supposed to have a right to do (normally).

[strider]

SPAR isn't perfect but the pastures are always greener elsewhere right? 

This could be considered a true revolt.  The membership, and therefore the community at large,  lost it's right to a voice and now, the membership and the community of Springfield is going to tell SPAR Council that it won't allow that to stand.  That is the bottom line, and all the other issues about Springfield brought up on this forum and others are details and do not matter nearly as much as this one single thing.  Democracy normally allows you to “revolt” through the election process.  With the power to force change on SPAR Council through elections taken away, the membership does indeed have to "rise up" and revolt.

[gatorback]

Well, most "Organized" "Organizations" have by-laws that protect the organization.  Getting on the board and making changes could be a little difficult if you don't have the backing of you guessed it, the board.

[Driven1]

Organize your community.  Use Community Organizers.  And REVOLT!!!

[deportman]

SPAR isn't perfect but the pastures are always greener elsewhere right? 

This could be considered a true revolt.  The membership, and therefore the community at large,  lost it's right to a voice and now, the membership and the community of Springfield is going to tell SPAR Council that it won't allow that to stand.  That is the bottom line, and all the other issues about Springfield brought up on this forum and others are details and do not matter nearly as much as this one single thing.  Democracy normally allows you to “revolt” through the election process.  With the power to force change on SPAR Council through elections taken away, the membership does indeed have to "rise up" and revolt.

OK I understand, it's just that the word revolt makes me feel very unease.

[sheclown]

Okay, let's say "confrontation" instead of "revolution."