Update on Board of Directors election

[xny89]

Good afternoon CCA’ers,

This is an update on the Board of Directors upcoming election scheduled to occur at our February 11 club meeting. You’ve seen previous posts about the need for an off-scheduled Board of Directors election due to the resignation of current club president/treasurer as well as an open at-large seat. Several club members have announced their interest in volunteering to fulfil these roles, as follows.

President

Carol Shin – CCA Forum name - duraace571

Ross Martinez – CCA Forum name - Papas cichlids

Treasurer

Mark Kaprow CCA Forum name – Mark K

At-large

Scott Seronello CCA Forum name - seronels

Each candidate will provide a short biography that will be posted to the Forum shortly.

Voting will occur at the February 11 meeting. Only club members from 2022 and 2023 may vote, and only in-person, at the meeting. People may sign up for membership at the meeting.

Questions and comments can be directed to Abby Siegel at xny1989@hotmail.com

See you all on the 11th.

 

[xny89]

Candidate Bios received thus far:

Carol Shin:
"My name is Carol. Most of you know me as the lady with the bettas. I am running for President of the club. I have been in the club for a while now and have a true love of the hobby and of all fish. Just to give you a little bit of background about me and my qualifications: Professionally, I have led several global divisions of major corporations with more than 600 employees under my purview, mostly focusing on customer service and relations. I’ve been personally promoted twice by two different CEOs of publicly-traded global Fortune 500 companies. From this experience, I have learned how to achieve goals under tight timelines and cultivate relationships. Educationally, I graduated from Yale Business School and understand how to run operations for large organizations. Personally, I currently run over 50 tanks with fish from various locations and also supply local hobbyists and stores with imported betta fish. I’m also a Director of PVAS and am taking the lead on organizing the next “Catfish Convention.” If elected, I will try my best to assist the club in any way possible. Kim has done an amazing job and I appreciate all she has done."

Scott Seronello:
"Scott Seronello has been keeping and breeding African Rift Lake cichlids on and off since 2001, specializing in Lake Tanganyikan cichlids. He was previously a member of CCA from 2011 to 2014 while stationed in Maryland with the Army. Since being medically retired in 2021, he has spent most of his time raising cichlids.

Since he can no longer work in a traditional career, Scott hopes to use his abilities as a scientist, leader, and organizer in the Member at Large position to expand donors for events and assist the CCA in whatever ways possible."

Others will be posted when received.

 

[xny89]

Mark Kaprow:

"CCA member since 2009. Also member of Potomac Valley Aquarium Society, American Cichlid Association, Ohio Cichlid Association, Greater Chicago Cichlid Association and James River Aquarium Society. Board member of PVAS since 2019. Lifelong interest in cichlids. I don't have any special qualifications for the position of treasurer other than wanting the Capital Cichlids Association to continue as a viable club and a willingness to learn and fulfil the requirements of the position."

 

[xny89]

Ross Martinez has decided not to run for the President position.

 

[JLW]

I don't think it is any real secret that CCA is a club in trouble right now. We have ten board positions, and only three people running. The club is in need of help if it is to continue for the next year, and onward. I've been a member of this club for over a decade, and I really love CCA. I don't want to see it fail. It's for that reason that I have decided to run for CCA President.

As president, I plan to work to create events, including regular meetings, that will draw in new members and bring back old ones. We will bring in attractive and interesting speakers. I will work with my many aquarium industry connections to increase sponsorship of the club. It is also my goal to work with other area clubs, sharing resources and ideas, both in the immediate local area and in the regional area. CCA has a fantastic social media presence which has been grossly underutilized, and can be expanded upon and grown.

At a more internal level, this club needs to increase communication between its leadership and membership. Over the past couple of years, this communication has been severely lacking. I plan to run this organization in an open and clear way. I will work to streamline the running of the club, bringing it into a modern age, and create an organisation that abides not only by its own bylaws, but the actual laws.

 

[Becca]

Good afternoon CCA’ers,

This is an update on the Board of Directors upcoming election scheduled to occur at our February 11 club meeting. You’ve seen previous posts about the need for an off-scheduled Board of Directors election due to the resignation of current club president/treasurer as well as an open at-large seat. Several club members have announced their interest in volunteering to fulfil these roles, as follows.

President

Carol Shin – CCA Forum name - duraace571

Ross Martinez – CCA Forum name - Papas cichlids

Treasurer

Mark Kaprow CCA Forum name – Mark K

At-large

Scott Seronello CCA Forum name - seronels

Each candidate will provide a short biography that will be posted to the Forum shortly.

Voting will occur at the February 11 meeting. Only club members from 2022 and 2023 may vote, and only in-person, at the meeting. People may sign up for membership at the meeting.

Questions and comments can be directed to Abby Siegel at xny1989@hotmail.com

See you all on the 11th.

Do the bylaws state only those present in person may vote? I'd like to vote but my kids have a wrestling match and basketball game that day.

 

[xny89]

Do the bylaws state only those present in person may vote? I'd like to vote but my kids have a wrestling match and basketball game that day.

Becca,

thanks for asking. I hate to the be bureaucrat here, but unfortunately, it's clear in Section 3.4 that the election involves "members preset"

3.4 Elections. Elections shall be held during the month of October of the calendar year. A new Board of Directors shall be selected by majority vote of the members present. Members’ votes are based on the type of membership they purchase. An Individual membership gets 1 vote. A family membership gets a maximum of 2 votes and both of the people voting must be present at the election. Family memberships must reside under one roof. There are a maximum of 2 votes per household even if there are multiple types of memberships in the same house.

 

[xny89]

I don't think it is any real secret that CCA is a club in trouble right now. We have ten board positions, and only three people running. The club is in need of help if it is to continue for the next year, and onward. I've been a member of this club for over a decade, and I really love CCA. I don't want to see it fail. It's for that reason that I have decided to run for CCA President.

As president, I plan to work to create events, including regular meetings, that will draw in new members and bring back old ones. We will bring in attractive and interesting speakers. I will work with my many aquarium industry connections to increase sponsorship of the club. It is also my goal to work with other area clubs, sharing resources and ideas, both in the immediate local area and in the regional area. CCA has a fantastic social media presence which has been grossly underutilized, and can be expanded upon and grown.

At a more internal level, this club needs to increase communication between its leadership and membership. Over the past couple of years, this communication has been severely lacking. I plan to run this organization in an open and clear way. I will work to streamline the running of the club, bringing it into a modern age, and create an organisation that abides not only by its own bylaws, but the actual laws.

 

[Becca]

Becca,

thanks for asking. I hate to the be bureaucrat here, but unfortunately, it's clear in Section 3.4 that the election involves "members preset"

3.4 Elections. Elections shall be held during the month of October of the calendar year. A new Board of Directors shall be selected by majority vote of the members present. Members’ votes are based on the type of membership they purchase. An Individual membership gets 1 vote. A family membership gets a maximum of 2 votes and both of the people voting must be present at the election. Family memberships must reside under one roof. There are a maximum of 2 votes per household even if there are multiple types of memberships in the same house.

It also says October, but the club didn't have elections then, did it?

Such a reduced board also violates all of Article VI, which details the number of BOD members.

It strikes me as odd to bend some bylaws (that were voted on and be approved by members) and not others.

 

[xny89]

Josh, Josh Josh!!!

You have been a force for the CCA since I've been involved with the club. I'm in agreement that we need to find ways to get more people involved with the club, old and new. But, let me get a fact or two straight here. You've stated

We have ten board positions, and only three people running

We've been very specific about what's happening to cause the need for this election. We need to replace the 3 positions that are or are about to be vacant. That's what this election is for. There should be a regular election in 8 months for all the positions (we don't have to get into the two-year terms here).

In our announcements, we made it clear that we wanted people to respond before February 1, 2023 so we can get information about the candidates to club members to give ample time prior to the election. We have. << this is my personal opinion. you should have met that scheduled date If you did, we wouldn't even be having this discussion. Well, maybe we would. There are insinuations in your statements that scream for response.>>

You stated:

. I don't want to see it fail.

None of us do. We have always asked for volunteers - and I know you have volunteered on many more things than I even know. Your ideas for improvement are welcome.

you stated:

At a more internal level, this club needs to increase communication between its leadership and membership. Over the past couple of years, this communication has been severely lacking.

I don't want to get defensive here, ah, well, yes I will. The current administration came on just as Covid wrecked our society. In addition, we needed to address other essential club issues. We did. We couldn't have in-person meetings for much of this time. We tried Zoom - we got some people to participate. The Board worked to get relevant speakers and topics for the resuming in-person meetings. We had several swap meets. We advertised on Facebook, on the Forum, etc. We've kept the Forum operational (this was not trivial). We've kept the club financials and taxes intact. And by the way, the outgoing president/teasrurer has DONE ALL THAT. You state "communication was severely lacking." I, for one, would like to know what exactly you're referring to here. Given all the challenges we've faced and solved over the past several years, well, you get the gist.

you stated:

and create an organisation that abides not only by its own bylaws, but the actual laws

What exactly are you insinuating here?

and finally, you stated:

bringing it into a modern age

100% in agreement

Josh, I regret having this out in public

Abby

 

[xny89]

It also says October, but the club didn't have elections then, did it?

Such a reduced board also violates all of Article VI, which details the number of BOD members.

It strikes me as odd to bend some bylaws (that were voted on and be approved by members) and not others.

so what do you suggest?

 

[JLW]

so what do you suggest?

Especially considering the circumstances around the meeting and elections, I would love to see some sort of mechanism allowing for absentee voting as well. Covid is still a thing, there's a lot of disconnect, etc.

I would also like to see each member receive a brand new car. ,) Neither may be realistic at this point.

We've always done in person only voting at precious elections. As the person who ran the elections in many of the previous years, I know it's been sufficient. I don't think it's been an issue before.

There's certainly circumstances to flex things here -- and we have had votes before using the forum.

That said, it's a bit late in the day to consider and implement it, and it may not be necessary. The meetings have traditionally provided us with a fairly representative vote, and it's generally not like we've got a tough cut. Anything we implement now would likely only serve to delay elections.

 

[JLW]

Josh, Josh Josh!!!

You have been a force for the CCA since I've been involved with the club. I'm in agreement that we need to find ways to get more people involved with the club, old and new. But, let me get a fact or two straight here. You've stated


We've been very specific about what's happening to cause the need for this election. We need to replace the 3 positions that are or are about to be vacant. That's what this election is for. There should be a regular election in 8 months for all the positions (we don't have to get into the two-year terms here).

In our announcements, we made it clear that we wanted people to respond before February 1, 2023 so we can get information about the candidates to club members to give ample time prior to the election. We have. << this is my personal opinion. you should have met that scheduled date If you did, we wouldn't even be having this discussion. Well, maybe we would. There are insinuations in your statements that scream for response.>>

You stated:


None of us do. We have always asked for volunteers - and I know you have volunteered on many more things than I even know. Your ideas for improvement are welcome.

you stated:


I don't want to get defensive here, ah, well, yes I will. The current administration came on just as Covid wrecked our society. In addition, we needed to address other essential club issues. We did. We couldn't have in-person meetings for much of this time. We tried Zoom - we got some people to participate. The Board worked to get relevant speakers and topics for the resuming in-person meetings. We had several swap meets. We advertised on Facebook, on the Forum, etc. We've kept the Forum operational (this was not trivial). We've kept the club financials and taxes intact. And by the way, the outgoing president/teasrurer has DONE ALL THAT. You state "communication was severely lacking." I, for one, would like to know what exactly you're referring to here. Given all the challenges we've faced and solved over the past several years, well, you get the gist.

you stated:


What exactly are you insinuating here?

and finally, you stated:



100% in agreement

Josh, I regret having this out in public

Abby

Abby, my goal and point here is not to disparage any individuals. The current board has worked tremendously to drag CCA through the pandemic, and did the herculean task of reforming the club upon the discovery that its legal standing was in question. None of that was easy. I'm not attacking anyone, and certainly not you: you're a great addition to the club and to the board, I love you, man.

 

[xny89]

It also says October, but the club didn't have elections then, did it?

Such a reduced board also violates all of Article VI, which details the number of BOD members.

It strikes me as odd to bend some bylaws (that were voted on and be approved by members) and not others.

Becca, Becca, Becca

you stated:

It also says October, but the club didn't have elections then, did it?

I don't believe we had in person meetings at that time, so we couldn't have had an election

you stated:

Such a reduced board also violates all of Article VI, which details the number of BOD members.

I can't tell you how many volunteers were turned away from becoming board members. The reason is, there were none. In addition, you resigned your board seat.

you stated:

It strikes me as odd to bend some bylaws (that were voted on and be approved by members) and not others.

I just keep sensing that you believe the existing Board is taking some nefarious actions because .............................................................................? Please fill in the blank. I'm drawing a complete blank, having been involved in all the activities of the past several years, to understand your motivation for your statements.

You have exceptional experience in the aquarium field, and oftentimes you are a unique source of information essential to other members and aquarists (is this a word?). It looks like we have an opportunity to emerge from the Covid debacle and get the Club moving forward. This rancor is neither helpful nor fosters the sense of community that has been built up over the decade or so of Club actions.

Abby

 

[JLW]

Abby, Abby, Abby... Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Marsha, Marsha, Marsha! Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary, I need a drink.

I don't think anyone is making an attack on the club, and comments from members are coming from members who want the club to continue, to succeed, and to do better. There's not any need to take comments on this post as an affront and go on the defensive or launch a counter attack.

It would be wonderful if, especially with an on-going pandemic, we could open up elections to people not in attendance. Heck, we have a person RUNNING who won't be able to make it because he has COVID. Shutting down the suggestion of absentee voting with a "that's not the bylaws" is neither productive nor ingenuous. Clubs can and do bend their bylaws all the time... Bylaws are kinda like the Pirate Code, they're more of "guidelines," and some flexibility is expected -- especially where incredible circumstances exist.

There are other, legitimate reasons for not doing absentee voting. Personally, I think we *should* do absentee voting, but I also see why we *cannot.* It's 3 days before the meeting: there's simply not enough time to implement something without dragging out the election any further, and with an exiting president, that's foolish. Could the Board or Club slap together something allowing absentee voting in the time frame? Maybe -- it would certainly increase involvement and foster that sense of community.

Regarding the rest, I don't believe rehashing past stuff is productive to this conversation, and is only building the "rancor." I don't think anything is served over arguing over open seats in the past, when elections *should* have been held, or volunteers for board (whatever that means).

 

[xny89]

Josh, I felt the need to clear the air about statements made, in public, on this forum by members whose knowledge and credentials that I and many Club members hold in high esteem, that needed to be said, in response to accusing the validity of alot of very hard work performed by a few people. The "why" those statements were made is a different discussion, probably with some beers in hand.

Now, on to the future. I'm in agreement, and this is my personal opinion, that the issue of voting needs to be resolved. In fact, Kim had mentioned that alternative weeks ago, but implementation, well, didn't give it much thought because of the directive of the By-Laws. One interesting point is that I don't remember there being races where multiple people vied for the same position.

We had a process worked out so we can keep the club moving forward with some new people in essential positions. We provided ample notification. As the person responsible for this process, I can attest to the fact that there was no stampede of candidates. A nice, simple, in accord with By-Laws, old fashioned election. Until last night, a week after the nomination period ended and 5 days preceeding the election.. Oppps, defensive again. Sorry. For those of you reading this far, sorry

postscriptum - We didn't start this fire

 

[chriscoli]

I don't think anyone is making an attack on the club

I'll be honest, your post did feel attack-ish.

The new board is trying to find a way to move forward, and fill vacancies to give reprieve to some current board members. This board in particular has really gone above and beyond to serve this club, even more so than past boards. A ton of work has happened behind the scenes and they need a break. Let's help them and move on. I don't really think there needs to be so much judgy-ness and discussion. It's a club about enjoying fish. Let's just be there to support the club this weekend and vote.

 

[JLW]

My intent was not to "attack" anyone, and if that was what was read, it wasn't what I meant. As I said above, I'm fully aware of how much the current board has done to try to keep the club running over the past two years. There are certainly things I take issue with, and that I would like to work with the club and board to correct.

I would point out that the Bylaws do not specify any nomination process; traditionally we have allowed nominations up to the election, and have taken nominations at the meeting for elections.

I'm also not quite sure what we're all arguing about: I think we're all in agreement that electronic / absentee voting "would be nice, but isn't realistic at this point."

 

[JLW]

Hey guys, I got to spend last night in the ER and am having a bit of a medical crisis. I'm not gonna die. I'm okay-ish. I will not be able to attend the meeting on Saturday, and need to step back from this, at least until I'm up and on my feet.

 

[Tangcollector]

Hey guys, I got to spend last night in the ER and am having a bit of a medical crisis. I'm not gonna die. I'm okay-ish. I will not be able to attend the meeting on Saturday, and need to step back from this, at least until I'm up and on my feet.

Josh
I am very sorry to hear about that
Thoughts and prayers for a speedy recovery