Terry, please pass this along to the appropriate individuals.

The recent Chapter meetings seem to be in disarray and it appears as there is a political battle going on among the board / officers (whoever they are).

Some observations; at the request of the chair, the membership at the December meeting, voted unanimously to continue the Chapter, a vote which seemed to fall on deaf ears as the threats to disband the Chapter continue. It was also recommended from the floor that Chapter correspondence continue to be circulated via email, this also seems to have been disregarded? There was a request from the floor that the meeting be paused and that an immediate discussion be held with the new proprietor of Sideliners with regards to moving our meetings back to that location, also ignored by the chair.

I understand the concern that the general membership seems less than enthusiastic about our Chapter, but can we really blame them?  I have only been a member of 390 for a couple of years but I have generally felt that the meetings and events were crafted for the "insider few" and while I never felt unwanted at the meetings there was never any effort to acknowledge, or identify, who was in attendance - maybe something as simple as nametags. The lack of regular officer or committee reports at the meetings, assuming there are committees, leave those of us who are new or "occasional" members without knowing what is going on - which can make it difficult to want to get more involved.

Many decisions appear to be made unilaterally by the board without input or when appropriate a vote from the membership. While a strong board can be an asset they must not forget they represent the entire membership.

I hope these comments are accepted as they are intended, not as criticism but as suggestions from a well-meaning member.

Respectfully,
Will Kahabka – Delavan
willk1@charter.net