The MAC MARCH 9 MEETING, BY-LAWS, & MORE

[do_re_milla]

Posted: 3/1/04 at 5:39pm

I know of several people who were contacted directly by the MAC Board of Directors and asked to run for a member-at-large position. (It is likely that there were others as well). Those people do not want to run.

I feel that MAC president Barry Levitt’s post is an example of why I do not want to entangle myself in the way this current Board of Directors behaves and works. With only 3 membership-elected board members, there wouldn’t be enough weight to change Board rulings. The MAC Board of Directors’ unwillingness to put themselves up for election speaks of their lack of respect for membership’s ability to chose their own leadership.

Carefully-written, manipulative by-laws that were approved by the MAC Board of Directors obstruct the democratic process that some members are trying to restore to MAC membership. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT THE VERY BY-LAWS THAT BARRY LEVITT IS QUOTING WERE NEVER PRESENTED TO THE MEMBERSHIP FOR ITS APPROVAL, WHICH MAKES IT HARDER FOR THE MEMBERSHIP TO REGAIN THEIR RIGHTS. It is unreasonable for every by-law to be examined in detail unless we are given the opportunity to vote on the by-laws, which we were not. His post confirms the MAC Board of Directors’ insistence on protecting themselves from facing election at any cost. This again disenfranchises the dues-paying membership. The membership has waited since Sept. 2003 for another meeting in which to work on these crucial issues. We are finally having a meeting now & their by-laws are attempting to keep this meeting from being productive as we need it to be.

In order for new blood to come forward, those who have been sitting on the board allowing this kind of attitude need to step down or stand for re-election. To the best of my knowledge only Barry Levitt, Audrey Lavine & Chelsea Hudgins have been on the board for less than 4 years.

The manipulatively worded by-law that Barry Levitt quotes can be interpreted as deliberately worded so as to put obstacles in the path of the membership to regain its voting right. It is crucial that the membership understand the process of what needs to happen in order to successfully accomplish getting our vote back. Barry writes that “items of business that can only take place at the annual meeting include: removal of a board member or officer, amending the bylaws, and reinstating the membership's right to elect the entire board.” In order to regain the right to vote for the full board with term limits, we must do the following:

AT THE MARCH 9 MEETING, A MOVE MUST BE MADE & PASSED BY QUORUM TO PUT ON THE AGENDA OF THE NEXT ANNUAL MEETING, THE VOTE TO CHANGE THE BY-LAWS SO THAT THE MEMBERSHIP ELECTS THE FULL BOARD OF DIRECTORS WITH TERM LIMITS, AND THAT THE MEMBERSHIP WILL BE NOTIFIED THAT THERE IS A PROPOSAL TO DO SO.

Please note that a non-quorum already voted at the last annual meeting that it wanted the Board itself to vote on changing the by-laws to reflect this proposal. Because there was not a quorum present, the Barry Levitt said the Board would take it under advisement. The membership has not been notified of the Board of Directors voting on this proposal.

Milla Ilieva, a dues paying MAC member
March 9 meeting