[SCCC] Additional link to explanatory message

Sun Dec 31 17:50:39 EST 2023

Thank you Marty and Steve,

For what it's worth, our local RE association is a registered non-profit 501(c)6 - per the IRS 990 forms filed and viewed on GuideStar.org.  Our membership elects the Directors and our primary focus is as a membership and public benefit company.  Our Directors and leadership team are all volunteers and there is no payment to any of us.  

The ARRL which, per those same forms via the same site, is a 501(c)3.  

The only difference I see is in the amount of political lobbying the two are allowed to do, but both are allowed to lobby for the interests of their members.  This is based on the two paragraph description of the two Cs on the IRS website.... but I'm getting into the weeds and probably off topic here.

I did some research online and it's about 50/50 on if 501c3 minutes and even board meetings themselves should be public.  Some organizations say yes, some say no (with exceptions for legal and other sensitive issues), and still others make the distinction between a Board Meeting and an Executive Session, with the Executive Session being entirely closed door and confidential and the general BoD meeting being fully public.  That would be a meeting of only the officers of the organization, not the Board as a whole.  That's probably analogous to how Congress is, with the votes and meetings public but certain special committees being private.

I can definitely see your points, and being that I'm returning after a long absence from ARRL membership and the amateur side of radio (2008 to 2022) I missed the drama and the history.  Thanks for filling in the blanks there!

Given the ARRL seems to have almost as many problems as my national trade union does, I'll side with the limited confidentiality and keeping the votes public and that this seems to be an attack on that Director.

-73
Ryan, KI6BTY

On Sunday, December 31st, 2023 at 1:07 PM, Marty Woll <n6vi at socal.rr.com> wrote:

> Hi, Ryan.
> 
> Thanks for your viewpoint. If you read the current Bylaw 46 (https://www.arrl.org/files/file/About ARRL/ARRL_ByLaws_pdf.pdf ), you'll see that the existing conflict-of-interest policy is pretty thorough. I don't think anyone is arguing that those rules should not remain in place.
> 
> As for confidentiality, my opinion is that a membership organization is very different than a for-profit entity or a trade association in that the members have a right to know how their elected representatives voted on any given issue. Otherwise, they can't tell whether that representative paid any attention to the expressed wishes of the members who elected him or her. Such matters as pending or threatened litigation and personnel matters are appropriately considered confidential, but matters of financial management, operating practices and changes to member-facing programs are valid items for disclosure and discussion. Five years ago, the Board censured our Southwestern Division Director for describing the effects of published Board actions (censure since eradicated after member outcry), and they have taken other actions designed to silence or eject Board members with minority opinions. I have seen it firsthand, and it stifles debate and an open exchange of opinions.
> 
> Sunshine is still one of the most effective disinfectants.
> 
> 73,
> 
> Marty N6VI
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Ryan Huggins [mailto:KI6BTY at pm.me]
> Sent: Sunday, December 31, 2023 12:24 PM
> To: w6ph at aol.com
> Cc: n6vi at socal.rr.com; sccc at contesting.com
> Subject: Re: [SCCC] Additional link to explanatory message
> 
> I have a slightly different take. While I agree that much of this is ill-defined and allows for some serious "gate keeping" and, let's face it, this is one hobby where a lot of people are plenty happy to give you grief if you don't radio the way they radio. Just look at how many put down QRP users, the "not real radio" modes like FT8, EmComm operators, contestors, award chasers, etc.
> 
> I serve on a local real estate association as well as the state's association. I'm starting my fifth year at the local level and first at the state. I've had to sign confidentiality agreements as well as conflict of interest disclosures and we have monthly conflict of interest questions before our meetings start. A CoI is defined for us as any thing where you would receive a direct or indirect benefit, financial or otherwise. Each year at the local level we go through an all day training on how BoDs (in general, not just real estate related ones) are supposed to operate and I've had this training from four or five different instructors and companies by now. Each one has stressed that the activities, discussions, and even who votes on what is confidential and does not leave the meeting. Even to the point in our training earlier this month, where notes taken at the meeting must be turned in and destroyed. The minutes should only reflect that a motion was made, that it was seconded as well as if it carried, carried unanimously, or failed. So I personally have no objection to the confidentiality of the meetings or the votes. That's simply a well-established best practice.
> 
> 
> 
> -73
> Ryan, KI6BTY
> 
> 
> 
> 
> On Sunday, December 31st, 2023 at 10:45 AM, W6PH via SCCC sccc at contesting.com wrote:
> 
> 
> 
> > I have read the entire text of the proposed bylaw change. I encourage everyone to read through the 18 page proposal. There are a number of sections that I find ill defined. The section on confidentiality is not well defined. In my days on a school board any discussions on policy or debates on budget considerations were not confidential and should not be. Confidentiality was restricted to discussion of personnel issues. The conflict of interest is not well defined. Essentially the the Ethics and Elections Committee has enormous power to determine the eligibility of a potential nominee for a director position. It could blackball any suitably nominated candidate for an undocumented alleged conflict of interest because it didn't like that person's views. The constituency has no recourse. The E and E Committee has the power to call for a censure vote for any director it determines to have an opposing view. It could further go to the point of the director being dismissed from the board and not eligible again for any ARRL position. That director would be replaced with an appointee and not necessarily the vice director. I believe there is a hidden agenda in this document to inhibit or hide debate and discussion of pertinent board matters that would be of interest to the membership. This document flies in the face of a membership driven organization. My not so humble comments.
> > 73, Kurt W6PH (Life Member and Maxim Society)
> > In a message dated 12/30/2023 7:15:13 PM Pacific Standard Time, n6vi at socal.rr.com writes:
> > Re. my previous message, here's a link to a plain-language explanation ofthe proposed ARRL bylaw written by Atlantic Division Director Bob FamiglioK3RF: C:\Users\Bob\Desktop\ATLANTIC Div Message from your Director 12-30-2023.wpd(atldiv.org) https://atldiv.org/motion-messge.pdf Please include this link if you forward the original message. Thanks, Marty N6VI _______________________________________________SCCC mailing listSCCC at contesting.comhttp://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/sccc
> > 
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