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After reading posts by Pete Reeves and other members, and learning of recent decisions of the AMCA Board, I felt compelled to post this note. For the life of me, I fail to understand the direction that our great club is going in. At the Eustis meet, I learned several things that caused me great concern. Confirmed by Minutes of a Board Meeting printed in our club magazine two issues ago, I learned our club has hired a Lakeland, FL attorney at the rate of $21,000.00 annually. There was no mention as to why the Board felt the need to retain an attorney. Did the Board consult several attorneys prior to hiring the one they did, or was he found through the "good old boy network"? What legal matters could we possibly have that warrant spending $21,000.00 on an attorney? As far as I know, the club is not involved in any pending litigation. If the purpose was to hire an attorney to oversee our corporate matters, one could easily be hired on an as-needed basis at the rate of $175.00 per hour. If the Board feels they are heading in a direction that warrants having an attorney on retainer, then maybe they shouldn't be heading in that direction.
A second concern for me is the trust fund the Board has recently set up, and the new Board they have created to overlook this fund. It was explained to me by a Board Member that this fund has been set up purely so we can provide grants. To whom are we providing these grants and for what purpose? While I may have misunderstood him, I find it quite disturbing that the club sometimes struggles to provide services to its current members, but yet has now set up a new Board to provide grants. The new Board, what will their duties be? Will they have meetings, and if so how often and will their travel expenses be paid for to attend those meetings? Can their business be conducted via email or telephone conferencing to save the club money rather than paying for travel accommodations? These are questions club members have a right to have answered, before the decision is made to simply set up an entire new Board.
Rocky Halter has recently taken over as President, but it is my understanding is that he will only serve until his current term expires. The Board has got to address the question as to why its members do not have the ability to elect its Officers or Directors by majority vote. The current practice of the Board electing whomever it chooses to elect, without an ounce of care for who its members want elected, should end with Rocky's term. The only hope this club has of successfully continuing another 50 years is if its members feel they are being clearly informed of club practices, and their voices are being heard. This is not a dictatorship here, and any other method of running this club only leads to rumor and inneuendo, and I fear in the end will tear this club apart. The opinion of each and every member of this club is valuable. We should all be kept abreast of the direction our club is taking, with open communication and a clear plan for the future; a plan which has been determined by majority rule.
A second concern for me is the trust fund the Board has recently set up, and the new Board they have created to overlook this fund. It was explained to me by a Board Member that this fund has been set up purely so we can provide grants. To whom are we providing these grants and for what purpose? While I may have misunderstood him, I find it quite disturbing that the club sometimes struggles to provide services to its current members, but yet has now set up a new Board to provide grants. The new Board, what will their duties be? Will they have meetings, and if so how often and will their travel expenses be paid for to attend those meetings? Can their business be conducted via email or telephone conferencing to save the club money rather than paying for travel accommodations? These are questions club members have a right to have answered, before the decision is made to simply set up an entire new Board.
Rocky Halter has recently taken over as President, but it is my understanding is that he will only serve until his current term expires. The Board has got to address the question as to why its members do not have the ability to elect its Officers or Directors by majority vote. The current practice of the Board electing whomever it chooses to elect, without an ounce of care for who its members want elected, should end with Rocky's term. The only hope this club has of successfully continuing another 50 years is if its members feel they are being clearly informed of club practices, and their voices are being heard. This is not a dictatorship here, and any other method of running this club only leads to rumor and inneuendo, and I fear in the end will tear this club apart. The opinion of each and every member of this club is valuable. We should all be kept abreast of the direction our club is taking, with open communication and a clear plan for the future; a plan which has been determined by majority rule.
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