Hi Folks,
I spoke with Russ on the phone. He thinks a lawyer looking at our bylaws will
reject anything that would allow us to lose control over our organization. This
is what he means:
Russ thinks ONLY singing members should be allowed to elect board members.
I.e., voting members MUST BE SINGERS. If we were to allow ANYONE to vote so
long as they paid dues (which was MY IDEA, and I see now was a bad idea), then
a group could easily come in and take over just by paying their dues and
overwhelming the rest of us when it came time to elect the Board.
THEREFORE, let's make it clear that THE ONLY VOTING MEMBERS (i.e. board
electors) are Singing Members.
OK. So that's from Russ, and I agree if the rest of you do.
So the implication, it seems to me, is that we do not need to define any other
kind of member in the bylaws.
Sure, folks are encouraged to help us, and that includes financially -- either
with money as they see fit, or even if they wish to make regular payments. And
we would thank them, and we could even call them "Friends of Phoenix Chorale."
But this is all something that can be decided by the Board once we are
incorporated. There is no need to put any of that in the by-laws. The by-laws
section on PC membership would simply state that if you join as a singer, then
you are a Member, you pay dues (except for hardship/scholarship situations),
and you get to vote in the elections to the Board. Period. There's no need to
formalize any other relationship we have with folks. The Board can determine
that from time to time, and it may change as we go forward.
Wouldn't that really simplify the whole discussion about organizational (as
opposed to Board) membership?
Rory
