On Wednesday, August 17, 2005 10:12 AM MDT, Daryl Lytton <dlytton(a)mindspring.com>
wrote:
The AB, when
deciding what to do in some circumstances where there is no written rule,
often site precedent and then follow the precedent.
Well, there is a written rule, it's in the bylaws, and it's called parliamentary
procedure. And ultimately it's the AB's decision whether they follow precedent or
not, it's not binding on them, merely advisory.
That, my good man, is exactly my point. The SC has decided for us,
against
the established process, and without letting the CCs decide, that the SC
intends to "organize discussion however they want" which is by a committee
selected by the SC.
Again, this is why we need to follow parliamentary procedure. It allows for committees,
but the purpose and manner of selection of the committee must be approved by the
membership.
The Coordinators aren't being given the chance to directly
participate in
making the rules that they'll have to work under. The only Coordinators who
will be allowed to make the rules, will be the ones the SC decides she
wants to make the rules, after which the SC will have "something to present
to all the CC's to vote on." No discussion, just vote.
According to parliamentary procedure, anything that comes out of committee must still be
reviewed, discussed, and subjected to possible amendments by the membership as a whole.
It has been my experience, in observing the USGenWeb from day one,
that
most Coordinators vote in favor of what an SC or SC-appointed committee
wants, which makes an unfair balance or power since it's the Coordinators
who should be making decisions governing their state.
If they are simply rubber-stamping that is an unfortunate situation, but that happens in
any democracy and you can't change that. But I'm sure there are also many others
making considered decisions and still voting in favor. And just because you don't like
the result doesn't automatically mean they are being lead around by the nose.
Our SC says "I was
elected by Ohio CC's to represent the Ohio CC's which is exactly what I
hope to accomplish." Representing the CCs is not making decisions for the
CCs, it's making decisions based upon what the CCs want.
Exactly. Here's an interesting quote I found on line <
http://www.rubberpaw.com/leadership.html>. We can equate the "chair" to the
State Coordinator:
"In a properly-run organization that follows any standard parliamentary code
(Roberts, Sturgis, Jefforson, Parliamentary Common Law), the person with the least power
is the chair. The chair is someone who relinquishes political power so he/she can be a
coordinator, a facilitator to help the people express their goals, debate their goals,
come to a common conclusion, and enact those goals. Most usually a chair should not vote,
should not express opinions on an issue, etc etc.. Thus, the ideal chair is someone who
the most people think is most likely to be serving the needs of the organization.
"Democracy turns the idea of a leader on its head under the assumption that an
interested, caring group is better at making and carrying out a decision than a single
person. And yet the chair retains all the symbolic power of the leader. He *is* the
organization, precisely because he has given up power to be a medium through which the
organization can express itself."
I'm not sure I follow you here? Isn't that what Sturgis is
all about?
Yes, but Sturgis only applies to the AB's decision-making. We need to make our own
decision about what will be "accepted parliamentary procedure" for our group.
From what I read Sturgis is actually a good choice, being more modern and easier to read
than Roberts' Rules of Order.
To be blunt here, neither you nor Sandy are following parliamentary procedure. I don't
see anything sinister in this in either case, you're both trying to move along our
process of self-organization. But I think there would be a lot less squabbling if we
agreed on a common set of rules instead of simply claiming that it's one way or
another. Anything before that is getting ahead of ourselves.
Scott
Guernsey Cownty