remaining constituional issues?

Hi Jake and All,

I will get together a revamped constitiution, but I would like to discuss some of the points made above.

A) Term Limits -- So many clubs and fleets that I have belonged to have thrived due to the efforts of a few good people. And the longer you can keep those folks there and working, the better off the organization will be. A good example is CABB. We really have no officers. I think the last elected officer was a good friend named Dan. Dan held the reins for about 5 or 6 years until his business grew so big he became totally involved it that and stopped sailing altogether. He was never replaced, but another friend, John, just sort of took over about 5 years ago and CABB has thrived from the efforts of these two people.

If you start replacing folks after each year, nothing will get done. If this were some honorary position where the officer did nothing but put a title before his/her name, then I could see the point of a yearly election -- sort of popularity thing!

This should not be the case with NAMSA -- there is a tremendous amount of work to be done and it will never get anything accomplished if everyone is replaced each year.

If not two years, it should be four years. We need dedication, not grandeur.

B) Exclusion of carpetbaggers: I am pretty sure that Steve meant that we did not want NAMSA jerked around by business interests, or not controlled by such as Hobie, Performance, etc. I don't think I offer a threat to NAMSA since I was the one that has been instrumental in re-instating it. While the intention of Steve's idea is clear, perhaps that does not really need to be in the constitution. Maybe that could be in goals or definition of the organization.

C) Newsletter and the magazine: Mary doesn't want the magazine in total to be the newsletter because she wants to be free to criticize NAMSA if she feels it is deserved -- I am sure many of you have read some of her editorials about other organizations in the past. She will not relinquish that freedom of speech.

She will, however, offer any number of pages of the magazine dedicated to NAMSA's Newsletter -- perhaps you have seen a version of that in Sailing World for the US Sailing newsletter. (In that case, US Sailing was struggling putting out their own slick magazine at a great expense, so Sailing World now dedicates a few pages to US Sailing. However, in my opinion, Sailing World is not doing a very good job of it. I know Mary would do it justice and be sure there is a strong presentation for NAMSA, rather than a few token paragraphs)

We will definitely need a newsletter, although as Jake is saying that is not the paramount issue facing us at this time.

In another post (hopefully today) I will try to encompass all the thoughts so far in a revised constitution.

Thanks,

Rick

Term Limits: I think maybe a 4 or 6 year max would be good. Like Rick says it's best to have someone in office for a while to get things done.

Exclusion of "financially invested" people from holding office. I don't know who we are trying to exclude so I would be against this proposal. Names I can think of that would fall into this catagory are Jay Glaser, Rick, Mary, Randy Smyth, Greg Thomas, Kirk Newkirk.... and a few other high class individuals that would only help to have involved with NAMSA. I just don't see a good reason to exclude anyone.

Use of Catsailor Magazine: I agree we can keep this on the back burner for now.

Mike Hill

H20 #791

FWIW:

Re: Term limits: In my suggestions, I hoped to get across that I would like to see the term length be more-or-less optional, that is, if someone got into office and found the job to be more onerous than expected or if other obligations create conflicts with the position, they should be able to opt out without any grief from anyone else they 'copped-out.'

Conversely, if someone gets into an official position, and they like the job, are good at it, and are liked by the membership and other officials, why, they could stay as long as they wanted. I suppose I'm not looking for a term LIMIT as much as a term RENEWAL cycle. Maybe that makes my position a bit clearer?

re: carpetbagging. I should think that in an organization with many people and with a REQUIREMENT that the officers be ACCOUNTABLE to the membership that any such behaviour would come out in the wash. Let whoever wants to join, join.

re: newsletter. The only issues I can see with that are logistical. Who writes the articles and produces the layouts? If it's Mary, does she really feel like doing that? If it's someone else, we coordinate deadlines and format with Mary, yes? But what if NAMSA wants to be monthly? What happens during the bimonthly issues of CatSailor?

And no-one ever spoke to the issue whereas that if we should offer NAMSA memberships through Catamaran Sailor, what does that do to Rick's dues structure ideas? Am I confused, or does the offering of NAMSA thru CatSailor mag confuscate the attempt to offer NAMSA memberships through organizations? I say this because last weekend I talked to some CCC guys who seemed to like the idea of the double membership through one payment.

sea ya

tami

Ok let defend what my intent was in the "exclusion" provision -- it was fairly clear in the document but, not in my post.

The intent is to exclude "financially vested" persons from being a director or officer that has a "control" position inside NAMSA. It does not prohibit them from being on "advisory boards or committees". The reason I feel that this is important is that it allows persons or companies to help NAMSA without controling NAMSA.

One way that you can raid a business is to buy a small ownership position in a company in order to get a board of directors seat. Once you have this you can over a period of time manuever the company into doing what you want to do. Now this example was a for profit company. However, people with a financial bias to gain from the organization should not be allowed a postion in which they can gain.

I agree that NAMSA needs the support of people like Rick, Mary, Kirk, Randy, etc.... However, how they do that is important for the "purity" of the non profit organization. There are other ways that these people(all whom I respect) can gain from the organization on a professional level.

The directors and officers control the organization for the members (not themselves) this is paramount. If we do not make this a constitutional issue than we could see a similar manipulation that has occured in other class associations in the past and present.

I agree that catsailor needs to be Mary's baby. I appreciate that she is willing to give NAMSA a printed voice inside her magazine. Additionally, Namsa could have a on-line forum/news letter that would also be available. Maybe Mary could contribute to this also in the form of written articles. Namsa would then link to catsailor in order to have reciprical traffic (an important tool in advertising to outside parties - right Rick?)

I agree with Rick about letting someone stay as long as they want to. We can make a provision in the charter that states that the position can be challenged every "x" months, years whatever.

Thank you Rick for putting all of this together your effort is appreciated.

Steve

Rick - Glad you're back and hope you are feeling well!

Looks like we all agree on the term limits - free flowing and voluntary.

Carpetbaggers: 5.b.ii. - Any officer serving on either Board or any Committee may be removed from office by a simple majority vote of the officers and Rules Committee membership for willful and unjustified gross acts detrimental to NAMSA or its general membership. This would mean that for any company to control NAMSA, they are going to have to control a majority of the offices - not very likely. The majority should still be able to prevail in the event someone with foul intentions should come about. Personally, I feel pretty good about this now.

Catsailor - well, while the discussion is out here. I agree that Catsailor should remain an entirely separate entity from NAMSA. Regarding the newsletter, perhaps NAMSA could merely rent some space in the magazine and 10 issues per year should be plenty for a newsletter. The magazine should continue to be available to anyone that wishes to subscribe - but NAMSA members could either automatically receive a subscription or perhaps have an "add on option" at a discount (at least an electronic newsletter option would need to be available in this case). NAMSA could then pay for the additional subscriptions to the Magazine to compensate for Rick and Mary’s costs. NAMSA would be benefiting greatly from a system such as this: 1) Newsletter included in a publication that already has printing and distribution structure 2) Members would be receiving an entire magazine devoted to this sport 3) distribution of our information and happenings to non NAMSA members.

I agree on the carpetbagger thing -- there are ways to control that without botching up the constitution.

On the magazine, you make some excellent points. The idea of renting space is exactlly what we had in mind, and at a discounted rate, of course. Mary already does this for regatta flyers (the normal cost per page is $199, but give non-commercial regatta organizers a rate of only $75.) This does not allow for profit, but then we don't make much on the magazine anyway -- low income, lots of sweat!

As for how do folks get on the subscription list? Our biggest costs are printing and distribution, as you can imagine. Text, etc are free, since we do not pay ourselves (another labor of love.., sometimes hate). Now, somehow US Sailing includes a subscription to Sailing World. At one point the Multihull Council tried to negotiate with US Sailing that multihull sailors would get a comp copy of Catamaran Sailor Magazine, but that never left the ground. But something of that nature is certainly possible.

Actually, it would be great if all the NAMSA members could get a subscription to CS as it would give them a lot more in the form or stories, articles, info, etc. than a simple newsletter.

But again, this can be handled in the hopefully near future.

In still another post, I have taken suggestions by all and rewrote the constitution.

Thanks

Rick

Jake,

Your proposal makes sense and is easy. For clarity, are people eligible for multiple postions? If so I feel that dual hatting should not be allowed between these "boards".

Just a thought.

Everything else looks great.

Steve