[NCARC] Formal NCARC Board response

[Eugene Bentz]

Board Response for 22 March 2012 Email
 
The elected and approved NCARC Board has thought it necessary to write an appropriate response to the e-mails that have recently been sent out throughout the club. Below are some of the explanations to the questions:
 
1.    A special closed board meeting to discuss resignation of two board members per NCARC By-Laws, Part 3, section 3a was held on Thursday 22 March 2012.  Since it was to go over only the sensitive personnel issues and was only a closed meeting the club did not have to be notified, per the By-Laws.
 
2.    All current members of the board were contacted and scheduled to be at the meeting.  The two persons who had resigned were not informed because they were not current members of the board at that time. As mentioned earlier, this was a closed meeting for board members in good standing only.
3.    As required by the by-laws, the results of the meeting will be posted on the NCARC website Member’s Only page and there will be a comment on the homepage directing members there as there is after every board meeting.
 
4.    The President and Station Trustee replacements and changing the FCC documentation will be addressed at the next regular board meeting and brought to the next club meeting.
 
5.    After Bill Abbott, WB0ZVE, was elected as member-at-large, he realized that while he was a member of the club, he was not for the required year.  The accepted action in he chose was to “Offer” his resignation so the board and/or club could make the appropriate decision. The board determined that at that time there was no way to verify whether a member had belonged to the club for the requisite time.  In this case the board decided to refer it to the club’s general membership. The members present at the club meeting voted to retain him.
 
6.    There was “no hostile take-over”.  All of the actions taken had been in response of actions of the two former board members. The actions were not initiated by the current upstanding board members; they simply had to respond to the events that had occurred, as is the responsibility of a non-profit board.
 
7.    There were no efforts to curtail anyone’s 1stor 2nd Amendment rights.  No one said in any way that open or concealed carry was wrong or discouraged.  In these personal response emails Willie Williams, W5WIW, said that it made him uncomfortable in this case and might have intimidated people. This is not a problem with or for the person carrying a weapon; it is a problem of the person that felt that way.  All people have a right to their own feelings.  They did not or will not be acting on those feelings in any way to inhibit a member’s Constitutional Rights.
 
8.    Willie Williams, W5WIW, did indeed make the original motion to fund the linking system and still backs that project.  As a routine obligation of the board all projects and assignments are reviewed each month and reviewed for unexpected problems.  If there are issues it is the duty of the board to offer suggestions or take action to get projects/assignments back on track.  This can come in the form of finding more people, funding more items needed, setting new goal dates, or just tabling things until the next meeting. The board repeatedly discussed the non-completed linking project after being prodded by many club members as to the status and functionality of the budgeted project.  The board asked as noted in the minutes that a project description and details be drawn up to be shown to the board and then the general club membership.  Continual push back was provided to do that which made the issue difficult to get resolution.
 
9.    Due to the recent vote on the interest of the purchase of a voting receiver the board decided to also back the purchase of the voting receiver controller. Since this project was over the $250 project expense and was not an Emergency Purchase, as per the By-Laws, The Technical Committee chairman wrote up a Detailed Project Pan and presented it to the board for inclusion in our budget.  The Board authorized work to proceed as soon as the current linking project and major problems are completed.
 
10.  The board in no way “stripped” anyone of their voting rights on the board.  The club membership requested a review and rewrite of the NCARC By-Laws back in summer of 2011.  A volunteer committee was formed. The committee reviewed the by-laws and gave their suggested revisions to the board of directors who passed a motion to accept the revised document and to have it presented to the board at the next club meeting.  The new recommended By-Laws were reviewed at the next meeting.  A motion was made, seconded, and passed to accepted the revised document and put it into effect immediately.  A motion was also made and passed to retain whatever officers were still in effect under the new by-laws and to elect additional people for any new board positions.  That motioned was carried in the subsequent month.
 
The board would like to note that all comments, suggestions, recommended changes to the actions or doings of the club be brought to the board directly as to not cause interference or negative impact to the club membership as a whole.  It was not the intent to drag the resigning individuals through a public display as was done in these e-mails but we have to respond publicly to each of these statements.  The Board is open to discussion and will be willing to provide more details or explanations to anyone who requests it.  The board e-mail address isboard at ncarc.net.
 
Respectfully Signed,
 
Members of the NCARC Board of Directors