MINUTES – BOARD OF DIRECTORS –DISTRICT 9
SAFETY HARBOR HOTEL AND SPA
DIRECTORS PRESENT WERE:
Roberta Birdt (243), Carol Clifford (128), Bette Cohn (102), Bud Dean (128), Harriet Eaton (128), Martha Easter (128), Betty Grandoff (128), Val Habicht (243), Craig Hemphill (128), Phyllis Kaplan (128), Michael Kassay (102), Janet Laudenslager (128), Charles Miner (240), Bob Parlin (Unit 128), Jayne Thomas (128), Virginia Waterfield (219), and Larry Westholm (219).
NON-VOTING PRESIDENT:
Jeff Overby
DIRECTORS ABSENT WERE:
Muriel Altus,
Marshall Hall,
ADVISORS PRESENT WERE:
Shirley Seals, District 9 Director, Ellie Hanlon, Disciplinary Chair, and Patty Johnson, Director-in-Charge.
ADVISOR ABSENT WAS:
Steve Warner, Recorder.
INVITED GUEST WERE:
Liz Dennis, Editor SUNSHINE BRIDGE NEWS and Doug Drew, former President of ACBL.
The meeting of Board of Directors of District
9 was called to order by Vice President Bette Cohn at
APPROVAL OF BOARD
MINUTES FROM
Minutes were approved as presented.
The winning A, B, and C GNT Teams have each
been sent a check for $1700 to help defray the expenses of competing in the
National event in
Our Total Assets as of
The tournament is up from the past year. The players are enjoying the upgraded chairs.
VICE PRESIDENT REPORT: Bette Cohn
Doug Drew was asked to address the board regarding the interpretation of the by-laws. Doug has spent 41 years in the service of bridge and ACBL politics. He organized the Canadian Bridge Federation, was District Director for many years, and President of ACBL. Doug has studied the by-laws of Unit 128, District 9 and National ACBL and will explain and answer questions regarding the removal of an elected President to the District 9 board.
Doug reported that the question put to him was “Can the Presidential term be terminated when he/she is no longer a Unit representative to the District board?”
Both the ACBL by-laws and District by-laws are specific in this point… and in short the answer is “No”. The President is elected for a specific term of office and continues to serve for that term and until his successor is elected.
The President and any Officer that is elected by a body is a servant of that body and not the body which appointed him. The President probably under these circumstances would not be allowed to vote since the by-laws state you must be an appointed member from the Unit in order to be allowed to vote.
Bette concluded the discussion “The District 9 board elected Jeff Overby to the office of President of the District for a two year term of office. Even though Jeff is no longer an appointee from the Unit 128 board, he cannot be removed from the elected position of President without cause.”
Doug recommended that the Unit 128 by-laws be changed to show the term of appointees to the District 9 board be for a specific time or that the Unit board vote to approve/ratify the President’s appointees.
Bette turned the meeting over to President Jeff Overby.
Jeff apologized to the board for any inconvenience or discomfort that he may have caused this board and asked that the board move on and go forward with all the good things to be accomplished this year.
An e-mail from Marshall Hall to Bette Cohn was read to the board. ”….Congratulations are in order to Liz Dennis on her new position and that anything she needs in the way of support will be provided by me and others. The only goal now is a successful showpiece publication for the Orlando Nationals.”
A policy was adopted that Units will be given a final 24 hour window past the deadline time and then the pages will be filled with other news.
Michael Kassay made a motion that Ellie Hanlon be reappointed as Disciplinary Chair in a non-voting status. Seconded by Phyllis Kaplan.
Motion carried unanimously.
An incident occurred at the Miami Regional in
April 2004 regarding a cell phone penalty. A letter of apology from the offending
party was accepted by the committee. A hearing will be held at the Coral
Springs Regional at
In September ACBL will send each club in
District 9 a poster advertising the Nationals. In a two week period, 27% of the rooms
at the
The cost of the Thanksgiving Dinner is $30 with tax and tip included. The current plan is to sell tickets for the dinner at $20 with a $10 per person cost to the NABC Hospitality Fund.
All Chairpersons have been appointed and are aware of their responsibilities.
NEW BUSINESS:
A By-law Revision Committee was formed consisting of:
Carol Clifford, Virginia Waterfield, Craig Hemphill, Charlie Miner, Michael Kassay,
Shirley Seals and Jeff Overby. A written proposal of revisions must be out to the District 9 members at least thirty (30) days prior to our next meeting. A copy of the current by-laws will be sent by e-mail to the above committee by Shirley Seals.
Motion
made to adjourn meeting by Carol Clifford, seconded by Val Habicht.
Meeting adjourned at
Shirley Seals, Secretary, District 9