[Nfb-or] [RoseCity] Starting a new chapter

T. Joseph Carter tjcarter at spiritsubstance.com
Tue Sep 13 18:36:10 UTC 2011 

Well, if you really want to pull rank on this matter, this morning I 
spoke with Art briefly and Jason Ewell at length from the national 
office.  Jason called me, so the process was initiated either by the 
national office or by Art Stevenson.  He feels that Affiliate Action 
needs to take an active part along with Art and those of us with the 
grievances (which represent a majority of those who actually attend 
meetings on any regular basis) to find a solution.

This is something the executive board did not do, so it is now up to 
the national office to address the problems you have ignored, despite 
it being brought to the board now on three separate occasions.  You 
did not even act in response to the clear accusation of an attempt to 
commit fraud, so now the national office will have to act.

I have been asked to commit to work with Affiliate Action and with 
Art to resolve the matter, and I've extended that request to the 
others involved, if they are willing to work for the best interest of 
the blind here in three counties and the organization at large.  We 
were not asked to commit to this chapter, because a new chapter might 
be called for.  It's been done before, and with less cause.

So for now, I am going to focus on the work of the NFB as a whole.  
We have three counties full of blind people, and we need to be 
serving them better.  I've been saying that for months, and now is 
the time for less talking about it and more accomplishment.  We have 
the Casey Eye event coming up, and there are a lot more where the 
people there come from, and they have no idea we're here.  It's our 
job to find them and to show them what's possible.  That is where my 
energies will be directed for now.

Art, Jason, and Joanne Wilson will be putting their heads together to 
figure out what to do next.  When they're ready to discuss solutions 
with us, I'll be ready.  I hope the others will be as well.  But in 
the meantime, I've got things to do, both for other organizations and 
for the NFB as a whole.

Joseph


On Tue, Sep 13, 2011 at 10:06:56AM -0700, Joyce Green wrote:
>Joseph, I am on the executive board, and I do have a say in 
>development of new chapters.
>
>Joyce
>
>----- Original Message ----- From: "T. Joseph Carter" 
><tjcarter at spiritsubstance.com>
>To: "Rose City chapter" <rosecity at nfb-oregon.org>
>Cc: <artds55 at comcast.net>; <nfb-or at nfbnet.org>; <blindbob at dishmail.com>
>Sent: Monday, September 12, 2011 8:58 PM
>Subject: Re: [RoseCity] Starting a new chapter
>
>
>>Joyce,
>>
>>Not to put too fine a point on it, but it isn't up to you.
>>
>>Half of the officers are ready to walk out.
>>
>>More than half of the members who actually come to meetings are 
>>ready to say goodbye to the NFB.  How can you, who hasn't been to a 
>>single meeting in more than a year, BECAUSE OF JIM JACKSON, just 
>>like the rest of us, tell us that we have to either put up with his 
>>crap (which includes election tampering), or leave the Federation?
>>
>>I'll lay it out right now: There are three options right now from 
>>my perspective:
>>
>>1. Jim Jackson is no longer president of the Rose City Chapter.
>>
>>2. I am in a different chapter.
>>
>>3. I am done, period.  Find a new treasurer, list moderator, and 
>>whatever else.
>>
>>I have done an awful lot for this chapter in two years, and Jerry 
>>and I have together done all of the work of cleaning up after Jim's 
>>messes since DECEMBER.  We are tired of doing it, but we can't oust 
>>him because HE RIGS THE DAMNED ELECTIONS.  You know it as well as I 
>>do, so let's not even pretend it has not happened.
>>
>>How many members need to leave because of Jim's antics before you 
>>and the rest of the board will do something about it?  I will not 
>>serve in this chapter any longer without even the chance of 
>>removing Jim in November. Frankly, I no longer think that's going 
>>to happen, because too many people have already said they will not 
>>come to any meeting so long as he remains in charge of the chapter.
>>
>>Joseph
>>
>>
>>On Mon, Sep 12, 2011 at 07:13:24PM -0700, Joyce Green wrote:
>>>Hello All,
>>>
>>>I seriously question whether starting another chapter in Portland 
>>>is the solution to the friction within the existing one.  We 
>>>cannot have two rival NFB chapters in Portland.
>>>
>>>Perhaps a cooling off time might be advisable, and some time 
>>>devoted to the ongoing problem at convention when the national 
>>>rep is here as a resource.
>>>
>>>Joyce
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>----- Original Message ----- From: "T. Joseph Carter" 
>>><tjcarter at spiritsubstance.com>
>>>To: "Rose City chapter" <rosecity at nfb-oregon.org>; <nfb-or at nfbnet.org>
>>>Cc: <artds55 at comcast.net>; <blindbob at dishmail.com>
>>>Sent: Monday, September 12, 2011 2:04 PM
>>>Subject: [RoseCity] Starting a new chapter
>>>
>>>
>>>>In reply to Nicholas, changing subject line for sanity.
>>>>
>>>>Well, starting another chapter in the Portland area is 
>>>>certainly an option.  It's not one I've been in favor of, 
>>>>personally, but if there's critical mass in that direction, at 
>>>>this point I will participate in the resulting chapter.
>>>>
>>>>To do it, you'd need to get everyone who wants to participate 
>>>>together, draft a constitution that was consistent with the 
>>>>state and national constitutions, pay dues as specified in that 
>>>>constitution, elect officers, and get the new chapter approved 
>>>>by the affiliate.
>>>>
>>>>At that point, the chapter's treasurer applies for an EIN (tax 
>>>>ID number—we're too small to have to pay taxes, but we need the 
>>>>number all the same), and another meeting is held to approve 
>>>>the minutes of the first meeting.  These will be signed by the 
>>>>chapter president.
>>>>
>>>>Then the president, treasurer, and a member of the board open a 
>>>>bank account using the signed minutes and chapter EIN with the 
>>>>three as signers on the account.  The treasurer is listed as 
>>>>the account contact person, and the president receives a 
>>>>duplicate statement.
>>>>
>>>>Somewhere I heard that a new chapter could ask the affiliate 
>>>>for some starting funds, seeing as dues are likely not enough 
>>>>to cover initial expenses and leave much left over for seed 
>>>>money to raise additional funds.
>>>>
>>>>So far as I know it, that's the process, if you and others are 
>>>>serious about doing it.  Based upon my phone conversations with 
>>>>you and others yesterday, it sounds like they might be.  If you 
>>>>want to proceed, I'd suggest starting by determining how many 
>>>>are serious about it, and by keeping Art Stevenson in the loop.
>>>>
>>>>I've copied Art and Chris Morse as well on this message in case 
>>>>I made any mistakes.  I've only ever been part of the genesis 
>>>>of one organization, ORABS, and Vivian Smith and Renee Squier 
>>>>did most of the heavy lifting there since nobody else had any 
>>>>experience with starting anything.
>>>>
>>>>Joseph
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>On Sun, Sep 11, 2011 at 09:49:40PM -0700, Nicholas Johnson wrote:
>>>>>Hey Joseph,
>>>>>My phone battery went out. I have about 4 to6 people who want 
>>>>>to make a new chapter. If you are the President they will 
>>>>>come abord. I dont know enough to start or run a chapter.
>>>>>----- Original Message ----- From: "T. Joseph Carter" 
>>>>><tjcarter at spiritsubstance.com>
>>>>>To: "Rose City chapter" <rosecity at nfb-oregon.org>
>>>>>Cc: <artds55 at comcast.net>; <admin at mainstreetmontessori.org>; 
>>>>><blindob at dishmail.net>
>>>>>Sent: Sunday, September 11, 2011 8:15 PM
>>>>>Subject: Re: [RoseCity] chapter meeting
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>>I knew that new members get that courtesy, and applied it 
>>>>>>starting in September.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>We didn't do the late fee this year.  I brought it up, but 
>>>>>>it wasn't taken seriously.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Joseph
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>On Sun, Sep 11, 2011 at 07:27:08PM -0700, Joyce Green wrote:
>>>>>>>Joseph,
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>Dues can be paid at any time.  However, a few years ago, 
>>>>>>>we had such a problem getting some ongoing members to get 
>>>>>>>around to paying dues, that the chapter approved charging 
>>>>>>>$1 more each succeeding month after Feb. in order to deal 
>>>>>>>with the lax behavior.  It worked.  People all paid by 
>>>>>>>the end of Feb.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>New members who paid dues in the fall were not expected 
>>>>>>>to pay dues again in the new year as a courtesy, but then 
>>>>>>>owed dues in subsequent years.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>Joyce
>>>>>>
>>>>>>_______________________________________________
>>>>>>RoseCity mailing list
>>>>>>RoseCity at nfb-oregon.org
>>>>>>http://nfb-oregon.org/mailman/listinfo/rosecity_nfb-oregon.org
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>-----
>>>>>>No virus found in this message.
>>>>>>Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
>>>>>>Version: 10.0.1392 / Virus Database: 1520/3891 - Release Date: 09/11/11
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>-----
>>>>>>No virus found in this message.
>>>>>>Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
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>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>_______________________________________________
>>>>>RoseCity mailing list
>>>>>RoseCity at nfb-oregon.org
>>>>>http://nfb-oregon.org/mailman/listinfo/rosecity_nfb-oregon.org
>>>>
>>>>_______________________________________________
>>>>RoseCity mailing list
>>>>RoseCity at nfb-oregon.org
>>>>http://nfb-oregon.org/mailman/listinfo/rosecity_nfb-oregon.org
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>_______________________________________________
>>>RoseCity mailing list
>>>RoseCity at nfb-oregon.org
>>>http://nfb-oregon.org/mailman/listinfo/rosecity_nfb-oregon.org
>>
>>_______________________________________________
>>RoseCity mailing list
>>RoseCity at nfb-oregon.org
>>http://nfb-oregon.org/mailman/listinfo/rosecity_nfb-oregon.org
>>
>
>
>_______________________________________________
>RoseCity mailing list
>RoseCity at nfb-oregon.org
>http://nfb-oregon.org/mailman/listinfo/rosecity_nfb-oregon.org

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