[LCC] Your Position on ARRL Matters

[w5wz at w5wz.com]

David Norris, K5UZ
Ed Hudgens, WB4RHQ

Gentlemen:

As an ARRL Life member, a member of the ARRL affiliated NELARC
(Northeast Louisiana Amateur Radio Club), and a charter member of the
ARRL affiliated Louisiana Contest Club, I have some questions that I'd
appreciate your response to.


1. What is your position on the recent "disqualification" of the SE
Division Director and the subsequent non-election of his successor ?

2. What is your position on the recent censure of Dick Norton, N6AA ?

3. What is your position on the upcoming proposed changes to ARRL
Governing Documents?  There are listed below 16 specific proposed
changes that need to be responded to individually.  You may also wish to
address the "why" some of these changes are needed.


In the Articles of Association,
- Removing the ability of the Executive Committee to present items for a
vote by the full board of directors in between board meetings by mail or
e-mail;

- Requiring compliance with the League's new code of conduct for
directors as a condition of eligibility to seek election as a director,
vice director or officer;

- Providing the board with the ability to remove from office or apply
"other appropriate sanctions for cause" directors, vice directors and
officers (more details are in proposed changes to the by-laws);

- Two new articles limit any financial liability of current, past and
future directors and officers for "breach of duty" to the amount of
compensation received for serving on the board (which is zero), and
provided that the League will cover their legal expenses in fighting
such claims, except in cases of knowingly violating the law; receiving
or helping someone else receive "improper personal economic gain,"
"conscious disregard" of his/her duty as a director or officer, or a
"sustained and unexcused pattern of inattention" that constitutes an
"abdication" of the person's responsibility as a director.




In the By-Laws:
- A new provision allowing the board of directors, by majority vote, to
revoke individual memberships "for cause ... after affording the member 
an
opportunity to respond in writing;"

- Removing a specific dues rate from the By-Laws, instead stating that
the dues shall be an amount set by the board of directors (effectively
making it possible for the board to raise dues by a majority vote rather
than the two-thirds to three-fourths vote required for changing the
By-Laws);

- Eliminating the current provision allowing a life membership to be
transferred to a surviving spouse after the death of the primary member;

- Removing the right of vice directors to attend board meetings, except
by invitation of the directors;

- Several changes to make language more gender-neutral;

- Prohibiting initiating recall elections for directors during the first
6 months of a three-year term of office or after June 1 of the term's
final year;

- Adding a provision permitting the full board, by majority vote, to
rescind or reverse actions taken by the Executive Committee between
board meetings;

- Providing for the Ethics and Elections Committee to determine whether
candidates for office are in compliance with the board's conflict of
interest policy and code of conduct;

- Incorporating the board's conflict of interest policy and code of
conduct into the By-Laws;

- Allowing the board to remove from office - by 2/3 vote - any officer,
director or vice director "for cause" by revoking that person's ARRL
membership; after providing the subject of such action with an
opportunity for a hearing prior to the board vote;

- Allowing the board to reprimand or censure a member in lieu of
removal; but in this case, "No advance notice or opportunity to be heard
shall be applicable to the censure vote."

- Prohibiting current, future and past board members from taking the
League or any of its officers or directors to court as a result of
disputes among board members or between a board member and the League as
a whole; rather, any disputes would be required to be submitted to
binding arbitration; and "As a condition of service or continued service
as an Officer, Director or Vice Director, all Officers, Directors, Vice
Directors and candidates for such office will expressly waive any right
to sue anyone acting on behalf of the Corporation in court either during
their term of office or thereafter."



4.  What is your position on a second, separate, motion that proposes to
make the president and three vice presidents full voting members of the
board of directors (currently, the vice presidents have no vote and the
president votes only to break a tie). The officers would not be able to
vote on their own elections, however.


5. In addition, the motion would make the president a full voting member
of all board committees (currently the president is a non-voting
"ex-oficio" member), and would allow the president to appoint one vice
president as a voting member of the executive committee. The vice
presidents are currently non-voting members of that committee, which is
responsible for making policy decisions in between full board meetings.



Sources
http://www.arrl.org/files/file/2017%20Board%20of%20Directors/Minutes%20of%20Special%20Board%20Meeting%20ARRL%20Board%20of%20Directors.pdf
http://cqnewsroom.blogspot.com/2017/12/changes-proposed-to-arrl-governing.html



Respectfully,
Scott Dickson, W5WZ
W5WZ at W5WZ.com