PNB Elections Committee

August 27, 2007

Proposed Agenda

 

1. Amend & Approve Agenda (10 min)

2. Review and Approval of Minutes (7/23/07) (5 min)

   (Minutes outstanding: 5/20/07, 6/3/07, 6/17/07)

3. Special Reports

   A. Elections Supervisor (10 min)

      (Peters will be in transit and might not connect, he has sent a brief report via email)

   B. Update from Director members on any PNB motions relevant to the committee's work (5 min)

   C. Committee Report to PNB (1 min)

4. Subcommittee Reports

   A. Campaign Finance Reform Subcommittee (Birden) (5 min)

       (No subcommittee motions)

5. Workgroup Reports and Issues

   A. Technology Follow-up (Williams)

       (No report)

   B. Staff Lists (Lederer) (5 min)

       (No workgroup motions)

   C. Tabled Motions on Composition of Staff Lists Workgroup (20 min)

 

 (Gatewood Substitute to Birden Motion)

 Resolved: that future meetings of the staff lists workgroup be

 webstreamed and that efforts be made to broaden the input

 through public email lists.

 

 (Birden Motion)

 Whereas, Article Seven, Section 6.C of the Pacifica Foundation Bylaws

 requires meetings "open to the public and to all Members, with the

 exception of those meetings dedicated to, or predominately regarding,

 personnel, proprietary information, litigation and other matters

 requiring confidential advice of counsel, involving commercial or

 financial information obtained on a privileged or confidential basis

 or relating to a purchase of property or the use of engagement

 of services whenever the premature exposure of said purchase or

 sale or, in the LSB's sole opinion, may compromise the legitimate

 business interest of said radio station or the Foundation,"  and

 Whereas, the same section of the Bylaws states that "No person shall

 be required, as a condition for attendance at any public meeting or

 to publicly comment, to register his/her name or to provide any other

 information, " therefore be it

 RESOLVED, that all meetings including teleconferences of the

 Elections Committee and its subcommittees, workgroups, and other

 organized meetings of its members shall be webstreamed or, if

 webstreaming is not possible for technical reasons, teleconferences

 shall be open to members of Pacifica.  Members of Pacifica other

 than members of the Elections Committee and those appointed or

 elected to a work group or subcommittee who are joining a

 teleconference may take part in the deliberations if such

 participation is approved by a majority vote of the EC members on the

 call. No member taking part in the deliberations after such

 approval shall be required to register his or her name or provide any

 other information in order to participate.   Be it further

 RESOLVED, that all such workgroup and subcommittee meetings shall

 be publicly  announced at least five days in advance, with the

 announcement to include instructions for interested parties who wish

 to listen to the webstream or the teleconference.  

 

   D. Membership Lists (Roberts) (10 min)

   E. Motion on Teleconference Phone Systems (Birden) (5 min)

 

5. Unfinished Business

   A. Motion that Directors report PNB actions regarding election

       matters to the Elections Committee (Birden) (5 min)

       (Possibly mooted)

6. New Business

   A. Recommending Subsidiary Amendment to the Language of a Proposed

       Bylaws Amendment Previously Noticed (Goodman) (20 min)

       (Time sensitive)

 

  WHEREAS, Amendments have been proposed to Article Four, Section 8 of

  the Pacifica bylaws that, if approved by the membership in November

  2007, could allow an interpretation that delegates elected by the

  membership in that same election are disqualified for violation of

  new term limits,

 

  AND WHEREAS, the amendment currently proposed for Article Four,

  Section 7 of the Pacifica bylaws specifies "seated in 2008" in

  reference to delegates to be seated in December, 2007, says that

  term limits are to take effect immediately, and allows an

  interpretation that newly elected delegates may be subject to the

  new term limits in a manner that would immediately disqualify them

  from seating,

 

  AND WHEREAS, The Rules of Order allow subsidiary amendment to

  proposed bylaws amendments where the change in text is within the

  scope of the original notice,

 

  BE IT RESOLVED, That the PNB Elections Committee recommends that

  each Assembly of Delegates and the Pacifica National Board, in their

  September 2007 meetings, replace the proposed language for amendment

  of  the bylaws section on the transition election to remove such

  ambiguities, as follows: 

 

    [Art. 4] SECTION 7.  TRANSITION ELECTION

    If bylaws amendments establishing four-year terms are approved

    by the membership, they shall take effect immediately for those

    delegates elected for seating in December 2007, and the previous

    bylaws term limits of no more than two consecutive 3-year terms or

    6  consecutive years shall no longer apply.  The terms of the

    Delegates elected for seating in December 2006 shall remain

    three-year terms.

 

    If any term limits are approved by the membership in 2007, those

    term limits shall be applied at the next Delegate election in

    2009.  If "No Consecutive Terms" are approved by the members, then

    Delegates elected for seating in December 2006 will not be

    eligible for reelection in 2009, and Delegates elected for seating

    in December 2007 will not be eligible for reelection in 2011.  If

    "Maximum Two Consecutive Terms" are approved by the members,

    then Delegates who were first elected for seating in December 2006

    will be eligible for reelection in 2009, however Delegates who

    were first elected in February 2004 and reelected for a second

    term in 2006 and Delegates who were elected for seating in

    December 2004 (whether or not they had previously been elected for

    9-month terms in February 2004) and reelected for a second term

    for seating in December 2007 will not be eligible for reelection

    to a third term in 2011.  If "No Term Limits" are approved by the

    voters, then Delegates elected for seating in December 2006 and

    December 2007 will be eligible for reelection in perpetuity.  In

    the case of a Delegate seated to complete a term vacated by a

    departed  Delegate, service of two years or more shall be

    considered a term; service of less than two years shall not be

    considered a term.

 

  BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That upon approval of this motion, the

  Committee Chair, with the assistance of the Director members of the

  Committee, shall seek endorsement of this subsidiary amendment from

  the seven Directors who proposed the amendment for which revision is

  sought, and shall then communicate to the chairs of the Assemblies

  of Delegates and the Pacifica National Board the recommendation of

  this Committee and the endorsements, if any, received from the

  proposing Directors.

 

  NOTE:

  The current proposed amendment for this section reads as follows:

 

  [ART. 4] SECTION 7. TRANSITION ELECTION

  If bylaws amendments establishing four-year terms are approved by

  the membership in 2007, they will take effect immediately. In that

  event, any Delegates and Associate Station Representatives seated in

  2008 and in future elections shall be granted four-year terms, and

  any Delegates and Associate Station Representatives serving

  three-year terms in 2007 shall serve their original terms, subject

  to the term limits, if any, approved by the membership in 2007.

  Consecutive term limitations applicable to Delegates shall also

  apply to Associate Station Representatives."

 

7. Adjournment

 

TOTAL ESTIMATED TIME: 101 minutes

 

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To: PNB Elections Committee

From: "Casey Peters"

Date: Sun, 26 Aug 2007 18:45:23 -0700

Subject: NES report to Elections Committee

 

Please accept my apology for possibly not being available for the Monday night meeting.  I will be in transit, riding and Amtrak train, and may not be accessible to telephone reception.

 

Allow me to remind you that the Date of Record for voting membership in the 2007 elections is AUGUST 31 - this coming Friday.  Most stations are hosting membership events on the 30th or 31st,

and those events will double as signature gathering opportunities for

LSB candidates. 

 

Revised lists of Unpaid Staff members should be posted prominently at

each station no later than September 4.  The deadline for contesting those lists is September 15. 

 

I strongly urge anyone who is considering running for a seat on your

Local Station Board or who knows anyone who may be willing to serve on the board to contact your Local Election Supervisor immediately to get a candidate packet

(email addresses: votekpfa@gmail.com ,

votekpfk@gmail.com , votewbai@gmail.com

, votekpft@gmail.com

, votewpfw@gmail.com

)

or download it from http://www.pacificafoundation.org/elections

and spend some time writing your candidate statement (up to 500 words).

 

It will benefit all concerned if you turn in your petitions and other

candidate materials EARLY rather than waiting for the deadline of September 25. 

 

Thank you.