USA board proposes bylaws changes to improve elections and board effectiveness
Bret Hess
The board has approved the proposed USA Bylaws changes below, and would like to have a club vote on the proposal in one week. If you're a Full/Family or Associate member in good standing you'll be sent a link to vote on the proposal.
Feel free to discuss this and make suggestions before the vote. Before the vote we might make changes based on feedback.
Board elections are coming up. Mike Hendron is retiring as president, and the other elected board positions have been well expired. The board believes the effectiveness by addressing the following problems.
Problem with current setup: There are many barriers to truly open nominations.
Many club members might not know they have support to be on the board, and might politely say, “I don’t need to run if anyone else wants to be in that slot”, so we have fewer choices on the ballot.
The inertia to change board members is too great. Vacancies in the board are temporarily filled by the board until a new election. So when elections are near, because it’s socially hard to say you’d like to be on a board that is already full and that won’t be contested unless someone rocks the boat, board elections are almost always a formality. In effect board positions don’t expire in practice, so we have a board that is less legitimate than it could be.
Problem with current setup: As long as the board is effective, few club members will care who is President, VP, secretary, treasurer, maintenance chairman, and safety officer. Sometimes the board needs flexibility to change the duties of a board member without having to have elections for a particular office. Sinch each board member has an equal vote on board decisions, club members can better focus on finding good candidates to make decisions for the club and serve in general, rather than trying to determine the particular duties (offices) of board members.
Problem with current setup: Voting for specific slots might keep good members off the board. Voter: “Joe and Megan are both running for VP…they both sound great on the board. Too bad I have to choose just one”.
Summary of proposal
1) Change board structure to six elected board members who serve two year terms. Officers are then appointed by the board. The President and VP must be on the board, but other officers may be appointed from the board or other club members.
2) The club elects candidates annually into open seats on the board, not into offices. Voting for board vacancies would be by ranked choice on a single ballot. Nominations would be open for a week, and the support for nominees would be communicated to the club during the nominations week, not just at the end.
New bylaws wording (see detailed 2023 bylaws changes for all the changes clearly marked and in context…some minor changes are not listed here)
Board
The Board of Directors shall be composed of six (6) elected members. In each annual election the Members shall elect Directors for a term of two (2) years to fill each expiring term. Seats 1, 3 and 5 expire on odd years, and seats 2, 4, and 6 expire on even years. When seat numbers are not established or unknown, they shall be established by drawing lotsElection. The annual election of Directors will occur at a time close to the annual meeting.Nominations. Nominations will be requested from Association members holding voting rights (voting members) at least seven (7) days before the election. The Board of Directors may establish a process for gathering and reviewing nominations. Nominations shall be open until 24 hours before electronic voting starts, or until the call for nominations is closed at an in-person meeting. Voting. Election is by ranked choice voting. Each voting member may rank up to six (6) candidates. If not held in a meeting, the election will be open at least four (4) days. A majority of voting members must vote for an election to be valid. The number of nominees equaling the number of open Board seats ranked highest comprise the new Board of Directors effective when the election closes.
Vacancies. Any vacancy in the Board of Directors occurring before an annual election a membership meeting may be filled for the time until the next annual election membership meeting by a majority vote of the remaining Directors. This does not change the expiration year of the board seat.OfficersGeneral. The officers of the Association shall be a President and a Vice President, who shall at all times be members of the Board, a Secretary, a Treasurer, a Maintenance Chairman, a Safety Officer, a Chief Flight Instructor and such other officers as the Board may from time to time create by resolution
Appointment of Officers. Election. Each officer of this Association shall be appointed by a majority vote of the Board at the first Board meeting after the Board elections, and as needed until the next Board elections