[nabs-l] Proposed Amendment to NABS Constitution

[Sean Whalen]

On behalf of Darian Smith and myself, I propose for consideration the
following amendment to the NABS Constitution:

In paragraph 1 of Article IV, strike the first sentence, which reads:

"There shall be elected at the annual meeting of this organization in each
odd numbered year: a President, a first Vice President, a second vice
President, a Secretary, a Treasurer, and two (2) board members and in each
even numbered year, two (2) board members."

And in its place, insert the following:

"There shall be elected at the annual meeting of this organization: in each
even numbered year, a President, a Second Vice President, a Secretary, and
two (2) board members, designated Board Member 2 and Board Member 4, and in
each odd numbered year, A First Vice President, a Treasurer, and two (2)
board members, designated Board Member 1 and Board Member 3."

The result of this amendment would be to have, when all is said and done, 5
board positions elected in even numbered years and four elected in odd
numbered years. A 5/4 split makes more sense than the current 7/2 setup. We
believe that staggering elections in this manner serves the organization
well by ensuring continuity of leadership and offering new board members the
opportunity to work with those with more experience than themselves. An
additional benefit of setting up the elections in this way would be to make
certain that there is continuity in regards to the finances of the
organization, because the President and Treasurer, the two officers with
access to and responsibility for the financial assets of the organization,
would be elected in alternating years, thus avoiding potential situations
where the financial resources of NABS may be in limbo while an outgoing
President and Treasurer are transferring authority to execute financial
transactions to an incoming President and Treasurer.

In practical terms, changing the elections in the way suggested above would
also result in more frequent, but less time consuming elections.

If the amendment is agreed to, much in the same way that Board Member 2 and
Board Member 4 were elected to one year terms in 2009 to be up for
reelection in an even year, 2010, the President, 2nd Vice President and
Secretary would be elected for a one year term in 2011, so that their
elections will be changed to even numbered years as well. By 2012, we would
be in a normal cycle of electing the board on a 5/4 split as proposed above.

We would urge anybody attending the NABS business meeting in Dallas to
support this amendment.

If you have any questions, concerns or comments, please do not hesitate to
contact Darian or me to discuss.

Thank you, and I look forward to seeing many of you in Dallas.

Sincerely,

Sean Whalen