CFC Governors to Decide - Legitimization of Ont. Regional Election of CFC Governors

[Egidijus Zeromskis]

Bob,
You need to elect 10 governors but you have only 8 candidates.
How do you imagine the election is held in your case? Please provide all relevant details.

[Bob Armstrong]

Hi Egis:

Excellent question ! I guess it depends on what the CFC Handbook authorizes. I don't see the Handbook clearly answering that question. I think it is ambiguous, and that sections conflict that might give possible answers. I'd need to go through the whole Handbook again to see if there is any clear answer.

What is clear, is that the OCA could not just go ahead and appoint for the vacancy, if there is no authorizing legislation at the CFC level providing for that. It may be that the positions would have to be left vacant, until the Handbook was amended to solve the problem.

Bob

Bob

[Egidijus Zeromskis]

You should think more out of box (i.e., handbook). The current system is not perfect. However it works as the members who wants to be governors (assuming they want to improve the CFC) they became them.

If you know who are not worth to be one of them, you should loudly say that during the GTCL annual meeting (scheduled on May 2) and please have a replacement.

[Bob Armstrong]

Hi Egis:

You must distinguish between the " system " and the " quality " of those elected. I have not criticized one CFC Governor individually and personally - though there are clearly those deserving criticism - we had a 25% voting rate on motion 2009-05 on rescinding the 2008 CFC AGM CFC Fees Motion. Someone is not doing their job of voting !!

But totally aside from the quality of the candidates issue, the imperfections of the system do have to be addressed, and should be addressed. Failing to do so will come back to haunt us ! The legislation must be clear.

For example, in this thread - either the CFC member in Ontario elects the CFC Governors or the OCA Governors elect the CFC Governors. That is a clear question. It is either one or the other. But is the legislation clear?

Well Ontario says it is - it says the OCA Governors do the electing. But so do B.C., N.B. and N.S. say it is clear - there all CFC members present at the provincial AGM elect ALL the CFC governors for the province. So we have the provincial affiliates running in different directions on the same issue on the alleged fact that the CFC Handbook is ambiguous on the point.

Well, then, let's clean up the CFC Handbook, so the provincial affiliates, in particular, Ontario, know the rules.

Bob

[Egidijus Zeromskis]

there all CFC members present at the provincial AGM elect ALL the CFC governors for the province.

What would requirements for eligible elections?
% of members?
only who comes?
e-mail?
phone calls?
s-mail?
proxies?

[Bob Armstrong]

Hi Egis:

How you measure the performance of a governor is not easy.

Votes on Motions, comments in the GL's, posts on the Governors' Discussion Board, posts on the CFC Chess Forum are all measurable. E-mails, telephone calls, letters etc. are all not measureable.

I just feel we have to do something because we clearly have " dead wood " among our governors, and have to replace them.

As to the AGM electing the governors - it seems that the current system of whomever shows up gets to vote, seems to work. I put notices in the Scarborough Community of Toronto Chess News & Views for the AGM. Maybe the executive could post a notice here and on ChessTalk. E-mails to members would be great, but as far as I know, there is no list of members' e-mails. And the one's the CFC has, as I understand it, they won't give out because of privacy/confidentiality concerns. Same probably goes for snail mail addresses ( and postage is expensive ). Telephone calls to members requires numbers and volunteer callers - both problems.

Bob

Bob

[Garland Best]

Hi Egis:

For example, in this thread - either the CFC member in Ontario elects the CFC Governors or the OCA Governors elect the CFC Governors. That is a clear question. It is either one or the other. But is the legislation clear?

Bob

Ok then question:

If the OCA constitution is written such that it states that the regional affiliates ELECT their CFC governors, based on X governors per region, and that at the OCA AGM they simply RECORD the list of elected Governors from each region, is that constitutionally Ok in your eyes? Cause as far as I can tell, that is what really happens in Ontario. As far as I can tell, that meets the meaning of the CFC's constitution.

[Bob Armstrong]

Hi Garland:

Perfect !

That is exactly the OCA Bylaw wording changes that is incorporated into my motion to be filed " legally " shortly, with Michael von Keist, the OCA Secretary. If my ( by Governor Kerry Liles, on my behalf ) motion is passed at the OCA AGM, then I think everything at the OCA will be in line with the CFC Handbook and meet the constitutional requirements.

Bob

[Bob Armstrong]

I had tried to file 2 motions by e-mail ( to legalize Ontario regional election of CFC Governors ) with Lyle Craver, CFC Secretary. He, at the objection of CFC Treasurer, Chris Mallon, refused to accept the motions, despite having a moving and seconding governor, and filing on their behalf and with their permission.

I can now advise that Governor Kerry Liles has come to my assistance and now filed the 2 motions on my behalf. Lyle replied:

" Thanks, I have inserted your text into the GL draft and have sent it on to David Lavin. "

Lyle, previously, when I tried my abortive attempt to file, had threatened that if I did get my 2 motions legally filed, he would request that David Lavin, CFC President, rule them " out of order " ( he made a legal argument to support his position, which I don't accept ).

I assume from his reply to Kerry, that he has abandoned this intention, since he makes no mention of it.

In any event, should he reassert his position, Kerry has already asked:

" As well, on the “ illegal “ first filing of the motion, you indicated your intention , if the motion be properly filed, which it now is, to ask David Lavin to rule the motions out of order. I would ask that you please give me advance notice of any such request to David, so that I may prepare and submit to him argument on why the motions should NOT be ruled “ out of order “ ".

So it is Kerry's and my hope that these 2 motions will now be allowed to go to the CFC Governors for vote. Note that these are considered " Constitutional " amendments under the CFC Handbook, and so we have asked that they eventually be referred to the CFC AGM in July in Edmonton.

Bob