From: Robert Johnson
Date: Thu Aug 1, 2002 8:59 pm
Subject: FWD: [Alliance] Spooner and Robinson --- a one-page synopsis
REPOSTED WITH AUTHOR'S PERMISSION
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Sun, 28 Jul 2002 02:07:29 -0700
Author: Allan Beek
Subject: Spooner and Robinson --- a
one-page synopsis
These two proposals give opposite
answers to four of
the big questions:
(1) Local power (Spooner) vs
centralized power
(Robinson).
(2) Diversity requirement (Spooner) vs
NO requirement
(Robinson).
(3) Seats for staff (Spooner) vs NO seats for staff
(Robinson).
(4) NO co-opting (Spooner) vs national board can
co-opt 50% additional members (Robinson).
Otherwise they are so similar in wording that I
suspect that Robinson (7 pages) is just a
cut-and-paste amendment of Spooner (16 pages).
* Neither requires creation of a local Program
Council.
* Both make all members legal members (which gives
them standing to sue Pacifica).
* They start with nearly identical long paragraphs
on Collaboration, which feel warm but say nothing.
* Both allow the board to kick out a director
arbitrarily.
* Neither requires that agendas be put on the web
before meetings.
* Neither requires that minutes be put on the web
after meetings.
* Both let the board act WITHOUT A MEETING if all
directors agree in writing afterward.
* Both have 3-year terms, 1/3 being elected every
year. (Robinson is not clear about this.)
* But both have national officers serve TWO-year
terms.
Spooner is more detailed, so the following summary
is of Spooner.
* Local board has control. It hires and fires the
station manager. (Purely advisory in Robinson.)
* Each board shall be at least half female and at
least half minority.
* The bylaws give no powers to the national Executive
Director, BUT they set no limit on the powers the
board can give him in Guidelines and Operating
Procedures of the Board.
* The national board is the collection of all 90
members of the 18-member local boards.
* Four members are elected by "listener-sponsors"
every year at each station, two elected by staff.
* Each local board elects its own chairman annually.
* Each local board elects 3 members of the "National
Committee" annually. One shall be the chairman of
the local board. One shall be staff. Two shall be
listener-sponsors. They can be replaced at any time.
* The National Committee handles affiliates, archives,
budgeting, licenses, Guidelines and Procedures.
* The National Committee can make rules binding on
stations unless vetoed by 3 of the 5 local boards.
Amusing minor matters:
* A director is removed for three consecutive
absences, excused or not.
* A local board can choose to use Single Transferable
Vote, but not Acceptance Voting.
* Carol's cover letter says "staff" means union
members, but the bylaws don't say this.
* The diversity rules are contradictory. They MEAN to
say that for listener-sponsor seats,
-- Every candidate is crossed off the list who got
less than half as many votes as the 4th from the
top.
-- The two female candidates who got the most votes
shall be seated.
-- The two minority candidates who got the most
votes shall be seated.
-- Remaining seats shall be filled by the remaining
candidates with the most votes.
-- For staff seats, use the same rules but replace
"two" with "one" and 4th with 2nd.
Comments:
-- Not guarded against legal sabotage: Phony
"subscribers" have standing to sue and tie us up.
-- Poorly guarded against capture from below: A flood
of phony "subscribers" can dominate elections.
-- Guarded against loss of mission to preaching or
popular music: National rules, 1/3 of seats to
staff.
-- Guarded against capture from above: No central
board, "National Committee" members removed at
will. But power of the Executive Officer via
Guidelines and Operating Procedures should be
limited. |