Board voting without resumes!!!

[aussie_paul]

I feel it is unfair to have members vote without correct resumes being issued.I met a member yesterday who voted Paul Campbell out and Russel cook in. He had people comfused. I hope Russ will not take offense, and I commend him highly for putting his hand up when the ASRA chips were down BUT I don"t feel he would be a productive board member whereas Paul Campbell has worked tirelessly behind the scenes to keep the ASRA Board going. Others have also but their names are probably more known.What do others think about no resumes?? I feel the resumes should have accompanied the voting slips.Aussie Paul.

[Ken Watson]

I think anyone nominating should be congratulated and i think all their intentions would be good, but I have to agree Paul. It is difficult to vote for people you know nothing of, and in which direction they see the future of ASRA. Even a small statement in the magazine from each may have helped. Perhaps time constraints and urgency prevented this. I think we will be pretty safe with whoever we vote for I hope. Ken

[asra]

I can"t figure out why we voted. Constitutionally, it must be possible to have 8 board members. These blokes put their hands up at a very difficult time, and are to be congratulated. Why insult one of them by not voting for him? Plus, with 8, we have the luxury of being able to have one drop out (if circumstances change for them e.g. wife gets sick, kids get sick, they get sick etc. etc) and still have enough for a working board. If this were to happen to one of the 7, then the other bloke who didn"t get elected will probably have arranged his life in other directions and not be available when required at a later point. I realize that if 15 people were to nominate, then that would be too unwieldy, but 8? If it can"t be done now, it should be the boards first job to bring the odd man in. Cheers.

[asra]

I couldn"t agree with you more Paul.

[Boaty]

I go along with that Paul.

[asra]

Ladies and others,Last years elections were resumed "ad nauseum". The board was also very highly credentialled. But it didn"t do us much good. Most of them "walked", and we were left up the proverbial creek. I haven"t met any of these people that are up for board selection, but I applaud them whole heartedly. They don"t need resumes, university degrees, doctorates in philosophy, or even a gyro flying ticket. They just need to be committed to the ASRA movement. And I am very convinced of that (even old Russ). They are not a "Rocket science" board, they are a breathing space board. Its the breathing space we need because the previous board couldn"t put their differences aside and serve out the term in the interests of the Association and members. Once the new blokes get things settled down, it"ll give interested parties time to put together a game plan for the future boards and direction. We don"t want or need a repeat of the last few months.So Judy, and others, when some-one asks "who are these people?" you can safely say "they are people that have put their hand up to get us through this darkest hour and you need to get behind them". Not all that hard at all, really. If we don"t, then most of us will need to knock the dust off our RAA applications.As for Brian. He is one of those very loyal, straight blokes (with a strong sense of fair play) that you come across occasionally in life. Blokes you could trust with your wallet, your wife, and your chain-saw. There"s plenty of blokes I trust with my wallet (mainly "cause there"s not much in it), theres a few I"d trust with my wife, but there"s very few I"d trust with my chain-saw. He"s one of them.End of story.

[Greg Mitchell]

G"Day Ladies and Gents,Got to pick 7 from 8, dont really need a resumes` from 8 to get a 7 man board.I agree with we would have been better advised if resumes` had been made public and I believe Fred is right in his dismissal of the "gravity" of the issue given the choices before us.I find it curious that Llewella says; "The caretaker Board was clearly advised that this is what should have happened, but it seems they have chosen to keep you all in the dark! I have grave doubts about the legitimacy of this whole election, particularly as other nominees were arbitrarily excluded by this group. Is this Constitutional?" I was led to believe that three possible nominees (resigning board members ) had agreed not to stand for this election so as to allow the ASRA to move forward given the recent unresolved management conflicts. If this is incorrect and people were ARBITRARILY excluded, then there must have been good cause as I understand Mr Mark Reagan is giving advice to the interim board as it moves forward and surely the Barrister can keep it "ligitimate".Llewella we are having a new election because many of "you" resigned.Which candidate would you have us reject...Russell Cook or Brian Reid ???Unlike FW I have met "all bar one" of the nominees and a fine bunch of misfits they is...............They will do us proud.Question...If we can get an 8 member board up but costs determine exclusion of that extra member, then why not have that 8 posi as a psudeo position. That is to say the person is a trainee board member linked to meetings with phone conferencing or video link. Seriously if you can set up a webcam on a PC you can have who ever you want at your meeting. This way all 8 get elected and number 8 gets to contribute with full gusto.Let"s not forget as Judy mentioned the phone is still a great way to have any questions you have answered. Mitch.Still wet and windy

[Dewie]

Don’t forget that tomorrow is the last day that you can post your votes

[Tim]

A little history might be helpful here. Initially the Board were nominated and elected from around the table at the AGM. As the Association grew, the Board became a few main office bearers and a representative from each state. After a few years this system started to show a few cracks when there was considerable disparity between the state rep and the number of members they represented. (In an extreme case, one rep representing 5 members had the same voting power as another rep representing 300 members). The Board officers were chosen from these state reps, which meant that the voting breakdown was not representative of the member’s wishes. In approx 1990 the system was changed to basically that which we use today (one member, one vote), so that every individual member (instead of only the reps) had the option of a democratic vote for their Board. When changing over to the "current" system much research was done regarding the required composition of the Board. The expert advice (from CASA and others) was that the Board should be as small as possible, consistent with the number required to carry out the role of efficient Association management. We were advised that larger numbers found it harder to come to a consenus, were harder to control and were more expensive to convene. Efficient Association management practices suggested a minimum of seven, (an uneven number for voting resolution purposes) four office bearers and three ordinary members. There is nothing to stop us from having more than 7 Board members, apart from the added expense. I recall twice having 8 Board members, once when we had an exceptionally good candidate for treasurer and wanted to include him, and the other time when ASRA found itself without a Secretary after the last elections, and Graeme Monro offered his services at a later date.In normal circumstances, seven is perfectly adequate to run ASRA.I would have to agree with Mitch though - having to choose 7 out of 8 almost negates the need for resumes. As I recall resumes were not supplied at all in the first 20 years or so of ASRA. A person became known through their good deeds or actions at club or state levels.

[asra]

Good post, Tim (from an historical perspective). Level heads are what"s needed at present (as distinct from those heads that are flat on the top). You can learn a lot from history, if you bother to look. The automotive industry is a classic example. Can you imagine what a balls up it would be if manufacturers didn"t learn by the evolutionary process, and completely started from scratch each time a new model was released?Likewise with ASRA. The rules and regs that govern us have been built up over a long period, and would have been made in response to certain situations that may have risen. It is important that the new (and interim) board maintain a steady course. In my experience (which is considerable), quantum leaps have a tendency to produce spectacular crashes (as distinct from the odd success). Some of our rules may not be terribly relevant under todays conditions, but they need to be very carefully examined before any changes are considered.Just on the subject of Resumes, Ian has been a board member over the last few years, and has managed to very quietly put aside the politics of the last year and step up to the plate and hold the organisation together. He is an absolute credit to himself and the Assoc, and has my vote for life (if he wants it) in appreciation. He should have everybody elses, as well. Graeme hasn"t been there as long, but likewise. Jacko? Crikey! If you need a resume for Jacko, theres not much hope for you. Ditto for Chopper. And Russ? Wot would be the point. He can"t be anything like he sounds, or some-one woulda killed him by now