Page 2 - June 2018

The Prez Sez
I write these comments as your duly elected President a few days after the Annual General Meeting and a few days before I leave for over a month of bicycle riding throughout Europe.
First, I want to thank all of those who worked so hard getting things together for the AGM. There is a lot of work going on behind the scenes and much of it is done by volunteers. This includes all of those congregants who met with us and provided feedback on the process over the course of the last year (Bylaws Committee as well as Nominations Committee, now known as the Leadership Committee). We did everything we could to be transparent and to hear what you had to say – as well as to incorporate, when appropriate, your suggestions into the final product. It’s a never ending process (and often thankless).
Second, I want to congratulate our new Board members, Diane M and David W, and thank our outgoing Board members, Brad A, Wendy C and Cheryl R. It is an honor and a privilege to be able to be of service to your congregation. I want to give a special shout out of thanks and appreciation to Cheryl for her dedication to our congregation and for always being willing to step up and take the lead whenever and wherever necessary.
Having said that, I don’t think I’m alone in sharing that I came away from the AGM feeling blindsided and short-changed. I felt we had done everything we could with the Bylaws and that they would go through without further discussion. I was really looking forward to having a positive and productive congregational discussion on where we are going (what’s really important – engagement and endowments). I was hoping someone would come up with another great idea like Sue M did at the February Coffee Talk for a weekly Happy Hour. I was excited to discuss ideas to increase membership or for a capital campaign that could eventually cover free religious school tuition for our members and/or eliminate the need for annual fundraising just to balance our budget. Instead, we got bogged down arguing about a relatively minor change to a committee’s power (we put it on the same level as all other committees) that might never even become an issue. Rather than building momentum for our visionary discussion, people were upset and distrustful. It’s like we shot ourselves in the foot and we need to stop doing this. We have limited opportunities to have these discussions. We need to be coming together at these meetings instead of finding ways to tear ourselves apart.
For those of you who weren’t there, the issue was whether the Board could approve or disapprove of a person on the election slate (does the Board endorse each candidate or not). The Bylaws Committee, and later the Board, as well as those who participated in the process that took almost a year, agreed that it was appropriate for the Board to have input on the slate presented to the Congregation - and the Bylaws still provide that anyone who is qualified and present can be nominated from the floor.
For some reason, this became a divisive issue. I really don’t know where this fear of the Board having “too much power” comes from and I think it’s unfounded and needs to stop. The Board is elected to manage the congregation and this includes oversight of every committee. The irony is that those who appeared to be the most upset about the Board having power over the Nomination Committee went ahead and disregarded their slate (and months of hard work) by nominating people from the floor. Although I don’t have a problem with the concept of nominations from the floor (the Bylaws Committee did not seek to change that provision), I think our congregation works better by honoring the vetting process we have in place. Nominations from the floor create a level of uncertainty and, in many ways, discourage people from agreeing, in advance, to serve. It also leads to people running against someone rather than for a seat on the board. Despite the nomination process being well publicized, few people stepped up.
Although I want to thank everyone who came to the meeting, I want to point out that a relatively large segment of our congregation did not attend. The business that gets conducted at our meetings affects everyone. I don’t know if people don’t care; if they think we are doing just fine; if they weren’t available; or if it’s because they just don’t want to listen to people argue about things that probably don’t matter that much in the long run. I’d like some feedback (positive or negative) so we can figure out how to get more people engaged. There are times when we just need to show up and be counted. Those who were there were heard.
Since Brent J was elected Treasurer, his Trustee position will become vacant on June 1. According to the Bylaws, the Board will appoint a successor to fill the unexpired term. If you are interested in filling the remaining year of that term, contact Rebecca K.
It will probably be on the July or August Board meeting agenda.
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Sivan / Tamuz 5778 ◆ June 2018