USGenWeb Revision News

Article VI Discussion

2005-05-14T07:59:00.000-04:00

Ok, so if you can't figure this out, the current and proposed article is listed in the last post.

So here we go.

So section 1 seems harmless enough, except that we seem to be just adding and adding rules and policies. I just don't see the reason.

Section 2: Jumping out at me is committee's. We currently have one committee going that seems to be going nowhere with it's charge. Not that I really have anything against a committee, but I do think that these committee's should include just us plain old members as well as any AB members. We already know that not all AB members actually listen to their regions membership, because they don't ask them.
Then there is the maintaning of the mail lists........should there be clear directions for the coming NC to not put the passwords up on the internet?

Section 3: Didn't we just go over this? Well, with the exception that no NC has carried out the tasks of "encouraging" the EC to actually make a priority out of coming up with an alternative plan for elections so that we no longer need to rely on Indiana Univ.
But hey, why not repeat this a couple of more times?

Section 4: Of course, if the NC is the babysitter of the mail lists, then why wouldn't the NC make sure the National page is always up to par? Eh, doesn't really matter.........took them long enough to find the left over eagle logo on one of the National pages, after their own deadline....

Section 5: Well, ok, so this is a good thing to have in place, however, it isn't clear enough, and I just hate the idea that they can randomly remove any link without proving to the membership that there is reason. There should be a posting of some kind of exactly "what" the violation is. So we don't need to go into name specifics really, I mean, there are enough savey folks here who will be able to find the "violator" in less than an hour. But, the discussion on BoardL about "what" is in violation, could actually help other folks out. I mean come on, I thought our sites were NOT to solicit money of any kind right? What about those sites who are Ancestry affiliates?
Oh sorry, they must have more important things to do...........like nothing.........

Section 6: Yeah ok, simple.......

Section 7: Alrighty, so I know the intent here. But I prefer the wording like in the next section, so that there is NO doubt as to how, when, who for replacement of the NC. Not clear enough.

Section 8: I pushed for this because it gives the membership the ability to choose their own rep should one have to back out. We chose one in the first place right? Well, we should chose a replacement as well if there is enough time. And I don't want to hear anything about the EC not being able to get up to speed in enough time. They should be ready to fly at the drop of a hat........oh, yeah that's right, they don't have an alternative plan yet......

Section 9: Yeah ok, except I think that excluding MNIG could leave us missing out on someone who could do a fabulouso job!

Section 10: There is that word..........OR.............NOPE, NO WAY...........the AB should NOT have the opportunity to remove anyone on their own!! I heard from over 100 CC's on this, they feel that the people who can remove an elected AB member should only be the ones who put them there!! I have to agree!!! And it should be easier for folks to start a recall, or whatever might be necessary to remove someone who, like the reading there says, "can be removed for: bigoted or grossly offensive behaivor"..........like calling someone the color of jerk possibly and refusing to do their job?

Section 10 does this amendment in..........period. If you like the way the rest of the article reads that is great..........but remember, you will be voting on the entire article, NOT the sections. So if you vote yes for everything but 10, you give the power to remove someone not on the "like" list to the AB.......for instance, the AB will then have the power to remove David Morgan for not playing nicey with them anymore.......they can't do that now, because the current article says they have to come through us first........same with Richard Howland..........anyone notice he isn't allowed to conduct business even though he is an elected official? But they can't remove him because they have to go through US............and that is the way it should be.........but they just silenced him because they cannot prove he broke any rules........

Oh, and I seem to remember that someone said during the course of the BRC's work on this that and I am paraphrasing, at the same time making sure you get part of the actual words...."The project has the right to PUNISH it's members"

Even though the article gives specifics on how the AB can remove, it is pointless because they will find a way to remove someone, it isn't like making up charges is something they don't know how to do..........this article gives those folks the power to do whatever they want.

What we need is a NC who isn't afraid to stand up for the little guys, and has enough balls (or lack of them) to actually force the AB to do the job they were originally set up to do.

Feedback?
Paulette

2005-05-14T07:14:00.000-04:00

Morning all,
This is a long one, sorry it has taken so long to get back to it. I will post here the current, the proposed and then another post for discussion.

CURRENT
ARTICLE VI: DUTIES/QUALIFICATIONS OF ADVISORY BOARD
Section 1. The Advisory Board shall perform the duties prescribed by these Bylaws, and by accepted parliamentary procedures.
Section 2. The National Coordinator is responsible for the day-to-day administration of The USGenWeb Project and serves as the public representative for the project. The National Coordinator shall preside at all meetings of the Advisory Board, serve as an ex officio member of all sub-committees, and maintain the national organizational mail lists (i.e., State Coordinators, Advisory Board, and any appropriate sub-lists).
Section 3. The responsibilities of the Advisory Board shall include: addressing any problem issues as they arise, aiding the state projects upon request, overseeing elections, advising and mediating, if necessary, any grievances or appeals, and appointing a Webmaster to maintain the national website.
Section 4. It shall be the responsibility of the Webmaster and the Advisory Board to ensure that the national website is in compliance with the stated bylaws of The USGenWeb Project.
Section 5. The Advisory Board shall also have the responsibility to remove links from the national website, as appropriate, to websites which fail to meet the established guidelines/standards for The USGenWeb Project or to websites which display inappropriate content. Coordinators of any websites found to be in non-compliance shall be notified of such and shall be given a period of two (2) weeks in which to bring their website into compliance. The two-week time limit shall be flexible based on justifiable reasons presented by the website coordinator.
Section 6. The Advisory Board shall also be responsible for administering the domains, usgenweb.com, usgenweb.net and usgenweb.org, over which The USGenWeb Project membership has control and for which the members are the official lessees.
Section 7. In the case of a vacancy in the office of National Coordinator, the Advisory Board shall elect an Acting National Coordinator from its membership to serve until a special election can take place within 90 days.
Section 8. In the event a board member is unable to complete his/her term, the Advisory Board will appoint a replacement to serve until the next scheduled election.
Section 9. Nominees for National Coordinator shall have the following qualifications: at least one year (the twelve months immediately preceding an election) of continuous service and current activity as a member in good standing, and eligibility to vote within The USGenWeb Project. Qualifications of nominees for State Coordinator Representative, Local Coordinator Representative, and Special Project Representative are the same with the addition that their service shall have been as a State Coordinator, Local Coordinator, or one of the various positions associated with the Special Projects, respectively. "In good standing" is demonstrated by responding promptly to email, actively supporting researchers' efforts to find information, maintaining their website with appropriate, up-to-date content, and serving as a good example of the guidelines and standards of The USGenWeb Project.

PROPOSED

ARTICLE VI DUTIES AND QUALIFICATIONS OF THE ADVISORY BOARD
Section 1. The Advisory Board shall perform the duties prescribed by these Bylaws, by the parliamentary authority, and by adopted standing rules and policies.
Section 2. The National Coordinator (NC) is the principal administrative officer of The USGenWeb Project with decision authority subject to approval of the Advisory Board. The NC serves as the public representative for the project and presides at all meetings of the Advisory Board. The NC shall serve as an ex officio member of all committees and maintain the national organizational e-mail lists and any appropriate national sub-lists. The NC shall appoint a Recording Secretary and Parliamentarian to the Advisory Board to serve for the term of the NC or until relieved. The NC is authorized to appoint "special committees" deemed necessary or when directed by the Advisory Board. The appointment of "special committees" shall be subject to confirmation by the Advisory Board. A simple majority vote of the AB shall confirm the appointment.
Section 3. The Advisory Board is responsible for promptly addressing and resolving national issues, intervening in state issues only upon breach of USGenWeb bylaws. Duties of the Advisory Board include appointing a Webmaster to maintain the national website, appointing and overseeing all standing committees including, but not limited to an Election Committee and a Grievance Committee, and appointing special committees as necessary.
Section 4. It shall be the responsibility of the Webmaster and the Advisory Board to ensure that the national website is in compliance with the stated bylaws of The USGenWeb Project.
Section 5. The Advisory Board is authorized to remove links from the national website, as appropriate, to websites which fail to comply with the bylaws, rules or policies of The USGenWeb Project or to websites which display inappropriate content. Coordinators of non-compliant websites shall be given a 14 day "Notice to Comply". During the 14 days covered by this notice, the coordinator may request extension, subject to approval of the Advisory Board.
Section 6. The Advisory Board shall be responsible for administering internet domains registered to The USGenWeb Project.
Section 7. In the event the National Coordinator cannot serve out his or her term, the Representative At Large shall serve as interim National Coordinator. If the Representative At Large cannot serve in this capacity, the Board shall choose an interim National Coordinator from among its membership. If there are more than six months remaining in the National Coordinator's term, the Advisory Board shall conduct a special election within 30 days to select an NC to serve until the National Coordinator chosen at the next regular election takes office.
Section 8: In the event a board member is unable to complete his/her term. If 12 months or more of the term exists for the vacating member, a special election shall be held for replacement within 30 days. If the remainder of term is less than 12 months, the Advisory Board shall appoint a replacement within 14 days to serve the remainder of the term.
Section 9. Nominees for National Coordinator and Representative at Large shall have the following qualifications: at least one year (the twelve months immediately preceding an election) of continuous service and current activity as a member in good standing, and eligibility to vote within The USGenWeb Project. Qualifications of nominees for State Coordinator Representative, Local Coordinator Representative, and Special Project Representative are the same with the addition that their service shall have been as a State Coordinator, Local Coordinator, or one of the various positions associated with the Special Projects, respectively.
Section 10. Any elected Advisory Board member may be removed from office for cause by 2/3 majority action of the AB, or, by a recall vote initiated by petition of constituents (if 100 votes elected, 51 petitioners shall cause a recall vote). Cause for removal by the AB is limited to continued, gross, and willful neglect of the duties of office. Causes for removal by constituents may include, but is not limited to, the following offenses: gross dereliction of duty, excessive failure to participate in Advisory Board votes, ethics violations, or conduct characterized by a lack of fairness and good faith such as disparaging, bigoted or grossly offensive behavior that could be injurious to the project, its members or representatives. The petition must be posted on the BOARD-L mailing list at least thirty (30) days before the vote takes place. Any vote to remove an officer must be preceded by a presentation of facts showing cause for removal and shall allow for rebuttal by the officer in question before the vote takes place

Round Two

2005-04-20T20:00:00.000-04:00

Hi folks,

Lets move on.....I have sent more invites out and Big Thank you to Margie Daniels for her help with the emailing......

I got side tracked with the issue over on the Discuss list regarding posting info on living persons, and should there be a cut off year for it, and/or should there be a guideline set up for it. I pushed for the AB members to put this question to vote for the membership. It is important that you folks know how you could be limited if a year limitation is set for posting of information. You should also be aware that even though we are morally minded for the greater part in this organization, that if a *rule , or * guideline is set up, then it will be yet another rule we have to live under. I would tell you to go and join the conversation, however........because a few people on the list were baiting others, the list administrator, Tina Vickery, (and it is Mrs. Vickery by the way in case you address her .......don't use Ms.) sent everyone to their room for 24 hours.........(the entire list was moderated) and on her permission to come back to the list, she used the same demeaning tones with all of us in both cases that folks were using before she moderated it. Then when called to the table today on her behavior......you can imagine the holier than thou tone she roared to then. Then of course her posse had to come out and start in .........apparently, she can do no wrong in this project.........SORRY! In any case, I unsub'd from her list of dominion so that I could concentrate on this ..........however, there are other lists out there where you can speak your mind......as soon as I get the addy's for them, you will have them too......I understand that there are regional lists being started up for CC's in each region, and then there is the CC list.........remember though, they are the renegade lists.........you might be able to speak your mind and no one will send you to the corner.....

On to the next amendment........

CURRENT.......................
ARTICLE VI: DUTIES/QUALIFICATIONS OF ADVISORY BOARDSection 1. The Advisory Board shall perform the duties prescribed by these Bylaws, and by accepted parliamentary procedures.Section 2. The National Coordinator is responsible for the day-to-day administration of The USGenWeb Project and serves as the public representative for the project. The National Coordinator shall preside at all meetings of the Advisory Board, serve as an ex officio member of all sub-committees, and maintain the national organizational mail lists (i.e., State Coordinators, Advisory Board, and any appropriate sub-lists).Section 3. The responsibilities of the Advisory Board shall include: addressing any problem issues as they arise, aiding the state projects upon request, overseeing elections, advising and mediating, if necessary, any grievances or appeals, and appointing a Webmaster to maintain the national website.Section 4. It shall be the responsibility of the Webmaster and the Advisory Board to ensure that the national website is in compliance with the stated bylaws of The USGenWeb Project.Section 5. The Advisory Board shall also have the responsibility to remove links from the national website, as appropriate, to websites which fail to meet the established guidelines/standards for The USGenWeb Project or to websites which display inappropriate content. Coordinators of any websites found to be in non-compliance shall be notified of such and shall be given a period of two (2) weeks in which to bring their website into compliance. The two-week time limit shall be flexible based on justifiable reasons presented by the website coordinator.Section 6. The Advisory Board shall also be responsible for administering the domains, usgenweb.com, usgenweb.net and usgenweb.org, over which The USGenWeb Project membership has control and for which the members are the official lessees.Section 7. In the case of a vacancy in the office of National Coordinator, the Advisory Board shall elect an Acting National Coordinator from its membership to serve until a special election can take place within 90 days.Section 8. In the event a board member is unable to complete his/her term, the Advisory Board will appoint a replacement to serve until the next scheduled election.Section 9. Nominees for National Coordinator shall have the following qualifications: at least one year (the twelve months immediately preceding an election) of continuous service and current activity as a member in good standing, and eligibility to vote within The USGenWeb Project. Qualifications of nominees for State Coordinator Representative, Local Coordinator Representative, and Special Project Representative are the same with the addition that their service shall have been as a State Coordinator, Local Coordinator, or one of the various positions associated with the Special Projects, respectively. "In good standing" is demonstrated by responding promptly to email, actively supporting researchers' efforts to find information, maintaining their website with appropriate, up-to-date content, and serving as a good example of the guidelines and standards of The USGenWeb Project.

AMENDED
ARTICLE VI DUTIES AND QUALIFICATIONS OF THE ADVISORY BOARDSection 1. The Advisory Board shall perform the duties prescribed by these Bylaws, by the parliamentary authority, and by adopted standing rules and policies.Section 2. The National Coordinator (NC) is the principal administrative officer of The USGenWeb Project with decision authority subject to approval of the Advisory Board. The NC serves as the public representative for the project and presides at all meetings of the Advisory Board. The NC shall serve as an ex officio member of all committees and maintain the national organizational e-mail lists and any appropriate national sub-lists. The NC shall appoint a Recording Secretary and Parliamentarian to the Advisory Board to serve for the term of the NC or until relieved. The NC is authorized to appoint "special committees" deemed necessary or when directed by the Advisory Board. The appointment of "special committees" shall be subject to confirmation by the Advisory Board. A simple majority vote of the AB shall confirm the appointment.Section 3. The Advisory Board is responsible for promptly addressing and resolving national issues, intervening in state issues only upon breach of USGenWeb bylaws. Duties of the Advisory Board include appointing a Webmaster to maintain the national website, appointing and overseeing all standing committees including, but not limited to an Election Committee and a Grievance Committee, and appointing special committees as necessary.Section 4. It shall be the responsibility of the Webmaster and the Advisory Board to ensure that the national website is in compliance with the stated bylaws of The USGenWeb Project.Section 5. The Advisory Board is authorized to remove links from the national website, as appropriate, to websites which fail to comply with the bylaws, rules or policies of The USGenWeb Project or to websites which display inappropriate content. Coordinators of non-compliant websites shall be given a 14 day "Notice to Comply". During the 14 days covered by this notice, the coordinator may request extension, subject to approval of the Advisory Board.Section 6. The Advisory Board shall be responsible for administering internet domains registered to The USGenWeb Project.Section 7. In the event the National Coordinator cannot serve out his or her term, the Representative At Large shall serve as interim National Coordinator. If the Representative At Large cannot serve in this capacity, the Board shall choose an interim National Coordinator from among its membership. If there are more than six months remaining in the National Coordinator's term, the Advisory Board shall conduct a special election within 30 days to select an NC to serve until the National Coordinator chosen at the next regular election takes office. Section 8: In the event a board member is unable to complete his/her term. If 12 months or more of the term exists for the vacating member, a special election shall be held for replacement within 30 days. If the remainder of term is less than 12 months, the Advisory Board shall appoint a replacement within 14 days to serve the remainder of the term.Section 9. Nominees for National Coordinator and Representative at Large shall have the following qualifications: at least one year (the twelve months immediately preceding an election) of continuous service and current activity as a member in good standing, and eligibility to vote within The USGenWeb Project. Qualifications of nominees for State Coordinator Representative, Local Coordinator Representative, and Special Project Representative are the same with the addition that their service shall have been as a State Coordinator, Local Coordinator, or one of the various positions associated with the Special Projects, respectively.Section 10. Any elected Advisory Board member may be removed from office for cause by 2/3 majority action of the AB, or, by a recall vote initiated by petition of constituents (if 100 votes elected, 51 petitioners shall cause a recall vote). Cause for removal by the AB is limited to continued, gross, and willful neglect of the duties of office. Causes for removal by constituents may include, but is not limited to, the following offenses: gross dereliction of duty, excessive failure to participate in Advisory Board votes, ethics violations, or conduct characterized by a lack of fairness and good faith such as disparaging, bigoted or grossly offensive behavior that could be injurious to the project, its members or representatives. The petition must be posted on the BOARD-L mailing list at least thirty (30) days before the vote takes place. Any vote to remove an officer must be preceded by a presentation of facts showing cause for removal and shall allow for rebuttal by the officer in question before the vote takes place.

Ok, I was not present for most of this article......it was done before my tenure..........
So let me just make some notes on what I was involved in.

Section 7. In the event the National Coordinator cannot serve out his or her term, the Representative At Large shall serve as interim National Coordinator. If the Representative At Large cannot serve in this capacity, the Board shall choose an interim National Coordinator from among its membership. If there are more than six months remaining in the National Coordinator's term, the Advisory Board shall conduct a special election within 30 days to select an NC to serve until the National Coordinator chosen at the next regular election takes office.

I pushed for having the membership be able to get back in and vote if the NC vacates with too much term left. I felt that was only right since we elected that person, not someone the AB chooses. So I can take the heat here if is a bad call.

Same with section 8............

Section 10 was a doozy...........I don't think this section is complete ENOUGH.......yep it is long, but when we are dealing with removals of folks, then we need specifics. Just don't have enough here. I supported part of this one. I think I voted in favor of this one, but again, after it was posted to the membership there were lots of other things pointed out.

Again, without this amendment being clear enough, and not containing enough definitions for removals then I cannot support it. It does us the word OR though in section 10..........that word doesn't belong in the bylaws when it comes to removals. There should be a AND in more than one of these amendments.

I would like to hear others opinions on this entire amendment.........like I said, I wasn't there for the whole thing, so I need a time around the learning curve here too.

Lets Get Started

2005-04-07T07:39:00.000-04:00

The jumping off point will be the first proposed amendment......got to start somewhere right?

Current Article Reads:

ARTICLE V. COMPOSITION OF ADVISORY BOARDThe Advisory Board membership shall consist of: the National Coordinator, four (4) State Coordinator Regional Representatives, eight (8) Local Coordinator Regional Representatives, one (1) representative each from The USGenWeb Archives Project, The USGenWeb Census Project, and The USGenWeb Tombstone Project, and beginning in 1999, one (1) at-large representative. All shall have voting privileges except the National Coordinator who shall vote only in the case of a tie. The regions from which State Coordinator and Local Coordinator Representatives are elected shall be decided by the Advisory Board on an annual basis.

The amended version:

Article V Composition of Advisory BoardThe Advisory Board membership shall consist of the National Coordinator, one Representative at Large, one State Coordinator Representative, one Special Projects Representative and eight (8) Local Coordinator Regional Representatives. All shall have voting privileges except the National Coordinator who shall vote only when the vote determines the outcome of an issue. The following regions shall elect one Local Coordinator Representative;
North East - Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York;
Mid-Atlantic - Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, D.C.;
South East - Kentucky, Tennessee, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Florida;
Great Lakes - Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota;
Plains - Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota;
South West - Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona;
Rocky Mt. - Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Nevada;
Pacific - Alaska, Washington, Oregon, California, Hawaii

First off you will notice that the State Coordinators and the Special Projects have less representation on the board. Does that seem right? My thoughts always went to, "what happens if the ONE rep was not able to continue for a period of time, or had to back out?" You are talking no representation for either of them at that point. This Article does not give way to how that absence will be handled. You will need to see Article VI for that one. We will go there next. There was talk that with two on board, that usually you would have the ability for one to be coming in while there was one other who was "a veteran" who could assist with the learning curve of things when the new one came in. The arguement? Balance. There are ONLY 50 State Coordinators, maybe 50 Assistant state coordinators for the SC Rep. There are only about 30 or so in the Archives, so when you balance those numbers out with the number of Local or County Coordinators which stands somewhere around 3000, then the dropping the number to one rep for the SC and Special Projects makes sense. Does it? Maybe. Depends on what you think representation needs to be in this organization.

The second note has been discussed highly on the Discuss List.

"All shall have voting privileges except the National Coordinator who shall vote only when the vote determines the outcome of an issue."

Well.........where is the definition of the time in which the outcome of an issue is determined? Is it when there are 4 to 3 votes on the table? According to one AB member who was on the BRC with me it is in the event that there is a tie. Well, no, the current article gives that specification, and if the definition then means in the event of a tie........why in the world was it changed then to begin with? Keeping it simple should apply here, as well as the old addage, "if it ain't broke don't fix it" as well as "it should say exactly what it means".

So looking at this article, I see some kind of hidden power to the NC in that there is no definition of "determines the outcome of an issue". IMO, we just don't need an NC with any more power than is already allowed or taken. So even if I agreed with the split of the AB members, I wouldn't agree to this last part. In order for this Article to work, it needs to be rewritten again, and this time, taking into account what the membership feels is the best way to handle it. Not the opinion of Roger Swafford and a group of committee members who don't have that input. While the balance of representatives is not an urgent issue in this article, the last sentence about the NC is. But then when you think about it, to the SC's and Special Project folks in the organization, their representation is urgent. So I am not trying to slight them in any way. Lets say the Special Projects were a totally seperate entity from our bylaws.....they would conduct their day to day business as they need to. The SC's on the other hand, are under this umbrella of the USGW. At a minimum, they should have 2 reps. Split the USA in half and give one half and the other half. Like I said, at a minimum.

I am trying to find my voting record on this one. I cannot remember what I voted. I will try to find it. What I found was, that I may have voted for this amendment to be proposed, and then when the membership got a hold of the outcome when Roger released an update, they broke it up and showed me what I didn't see. We should have released a proposal, then took the input and revised it again before we released it for the vote in July.

I have learned my lesson.......

In the Beginning

2005-04-06T15:10:00.000-04:00

Good day all!

Today is ramp up day.........there will not be a revision update today. Please check back in the next couple of days for the first round in exploring the revisions. If you would like to check out the revisions before we get started you will find them here http://home.mchsi.com/~sagitta56/amendments.htm

See you in a couple days!