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October Board Meeting

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Anyone "here" planning/going to next week's Board of Directors open meeting in St. Paul?

[No. I'm not. Dance card's full ;) ]
 
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I wish I could attend, especially since I'd have only a 3 hour drive by car.....it's just too hard to get away with meetings and classes this time of year..... I had hoped to be able to reschedule two of my major obligations and head up to St. Paul for the day, but it's just not in the cards this time....

I wonder when they will announce the newly elected members of the Board of Directors?

Rob
 
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Is there a December AAW Board of Directors meeting scheduled? If so will it be a listen in arrangement again if it is a teleconference?

Curtis

Given that only 16 people dialed in on the last one, after they'd made arrangements for something like 350, plus -0- members showing up for the open "in-person" meeting last month, what looks like a large lack of interest may be precluding going to the time and expense of setting up the the call-in deal. Don't know, however.

Have you e-mailed the Prez or other Board members?
 
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Mark,

I haven't phoned the office or Tom Wirsing, because last time, I believe it was announced here on the forum. I'll call the office next. I was thinking Ed might have the scoop on the meeting or if there is one.

Maybe they should cut the # of ppl allowed to listen in to 30 and save money.
 
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Given that only 16 people dialed in on the last one, after they'd made arrangements for something like 350, plus -0- members showing up for the open "in-person" meeting last month, what looks like a large lack of interest may be precluding going to the time and expense of setting up the the call-in deal.

I can't speak for anyone else, but having to ask, to pursue, to constantly seek out the opportunity to participate might be partly responsible for the perceived "lack of interest." Timing could be a factor, there could be a lot of things.
However, if the BoD took it upon themselves to insure that there was a means of being involved, and if that were announced, or put in a prominent place, more people might feel "worthy" of involvement.
I see Curtis and a few others ASKING about these BoD things. Why should they have to ask? In light of the current concerns about transparency and propriety (by some) wouldn't it look better to everyone if the BoD went above and beyond (or, at least to the logical reasonable minimum, in my mind) to give the appearance of a desire to meet the needs of those rightful and interested parties?
 
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Whenever there is news to announce, it will be gladly volunteered as a posting on the AAW homepage, this forum and on the AAW's Twitter account. However, at this time, there is no news to report on this subject.
 
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Meetings, and contention for the sake of contention

Oh c'mon George. It seems that nothing the board of directors, old or new, can do to satisfy you. Yes you are involved, but please give the constant criticism a rest. It seems to me that you see conspiracy or elitism behind every corner.
Pope
 
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Here we go anytime someone asks that there be some openness or transparency of the working board the bod protectors jump in to put them down. George asks a simple question that a lot of us would like to see considered at the very least. These are not State Secrets that anyone is asking for just things they want to know about without having to pull teeth to find them out.
Bill
 
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Here we go anytime someone asks that there be some openness or transparency of the working board the bod protectors jump in to put them down. George asks a simple question that a lot of us would like to see considered at the very least. These are not State Secrets that anyone is asking for just things they want to know about without having to pull teeth to find them out.
Bill

Ok, Bill, I'm all for such things. But terms like "openness" and "transparency" get to be so overused that they become mere buzzwords with little actual meaning.

Having attended any number of such meetings (not at the AAW), I know that corporate board meetings are usually especially boring except to the people involved. Just what is it that you and Mr. Guadiane want to see or hear about that warrants the expense of the arrangements to the AAW? What is it that you seem to think the Board is hiding from you (and me)? Call-in providers don't do this stuff for free, you know.

If the Board would agree to establish a call-in facility for every meeting, will you, Bill Blasic, pledge to "attend" every such meeting, start to finish, and help pay the cost if you decided you had something better to do?

Looking back over the Agenda and meeting minutes for last September's session, I have to wonder what issue appears to generate such demands and argument. Would, for instance, people want to see a monthly financial statement published? Sounds simple until you realize the time and cost to the AAW to do so. Most every accountant I know charges $5k, minimum for each such statement. Would you propose that the AAW employ a full-time accountant to do nothing more than that? Personally, I think the AAW's got much more important places to spend its limited resources, but I suppose they could increase dues by say $10 a year to pay for such reports.

Curtis asked a simple question, but he really asked it in the wrong place. If he (and you) and others want to have an audio link set up for a Board meeting, make the request directly to the Board. Perhaps they will establish a procedure where the audio link will be set up if at least a minimum number of members request it ahead of time and commit to "attend" the meeting. Were I on the AAW Board, at this point I'd tend to think that, with such low participation by members thus far, publication of meeting minutes meets any reasonable standard for "openness."
 
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Oh c'mon George. It seems that nothing the board of directors, old or new, can do to satisfy you. Yes you are involved, but please give the constant criticism a rest. It seems to me that you see conspiracy or elitism behind every corner.
Pope
I OBJECT your honor, the prosecution is testifying and to material not in evidence.
There is nothing "constant" about my so called criticism. I have made very few posts on this board over the last several months, intentionally. And, I have, with few exceptions opted not to comment on things that I have had a position on, believing that it would A) be to no avail and B) only incite... I'm looking for resolve, for common ground.
If I'm mistaken, please feel free to demonstrate how my concerns are without foundation, and/or demonstrate how I might better have broached the subject.

Just what is it that you and Mr. Guadiane want to see or hear about that warrants the expense of the arrangements to the AAW? What is it that you seem to think the Board is hiding from you (and me)? Call-in providers don't do this stuff for free, you know.

Speaking for myself, I don't necessarily NEED to be "in the room." I want those who are interested to have the access. How much DOES it cost? Is it really too much or just a way of editing the meeting for public consumption, in a way that makes it comfortable? Talking about cost and not quantifying COULD be a dodge. I don't know about anyone else, but if I don't want to come right out and say something, I can think of plenty of ways to obfuscate... I am NOT saying that is what is happening here, just saying that the generalizations about cost don't necessarily add up to "unreasonable expense."
 
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