AGM and Proxy votes

Thank you, Dan! That's exactly what JCNA needs. I'm sure you contributions will be extremely helpful. Whatever our differences may be on one particular issue, we hopefully all share the goal of seeing JCNA grow and prosper as an organization.

Steve

Dan email me (use the contacts page (http://www.jcna.com/contacts.php)). and I'll add you to the list.

Perhaps you'd be willing to volunteer some of your time to work with them to help grow JCNA ...

Okay - D L

Edited on 2008-04-24 9:48:21

Mr. Lokun,

Actually, the issue of membership and decentralization of JCNA was on the AGM agenda this year and at least the past two prior years. There is a national membership committee, now being chaired by Lou Karis, if I recall correctly, previously chaired by Doug Ingram, that has looked into that issue and at ways of increasing member participation and attracting new members. Perhaps you'd be willing to volunteer some of your time to work with them to help grow JCNA.

One point of history -- if you look at the last issue of Jaguar Journal, there were a couple of letters/memos from the earliest days of JCNA regarding its formation. What is clear from those documents is that our founders intended JCNA to be an amalgamation of independent local clubs. They never wanted control to be centralized. Many of us recognize that this has caused a problem with regard to growth, as all membership recruitment has been essentially left to the local clubs.

If you have thoughts regarding that issue or how to fix it going forward, or other ways to help JCNA grow, expand and be relevant in the 21st Century, please volunteer and become active with the membership committee or other club committees. Posting on this website is certainly helpful. But unless you become active in JCNA governance, things won't change. The only paid employee of JCNA is our Executive Director. All the rest of us volunteer our time and spend money out of our own pockets to attend Board meetings, AGMs and other events around the country (contrary to popular belief, Board members do NOT get reimbursed by JCNA for our travel or room and board expenses).

I think this discussion probably warrants another thread. Hopefully, more people will be motivated to volunteer and become active. It is the only way things will ever change around here.

Steve Weinstein
Northeast RD and GC

JCNA seems to be unable to gain group advantage from its large numbers and so falls back to local proactivity. Should be on the next AGM agenda?

Regards,

D. Lokun

Edited on 2008-04-23 9:06:27

Hi, Dan,
I don't know what committee it went to or what happened, but nothing about it was mentioned at the AGM. We will continue to contribute to our chosen charity here in our own locale. Our beautiful "live" Jaguar, Maya, is one of our worthy causes.

George: I thought I did those things.
I also thought I might attend and I also thought Ginger C. might run with it ...

Regards,

D. Lokun

Folk I started this thread because I thought a healthy discussion of the Proxy situation in JCNA would be healthy. I did not intend for it to become a place for personal attacks because of differences of opinion. I see a forum in the true ancient meaning but with modern values. Attacking someone personally will never bring about progressive change. I have had some rather harsh (or funny) comments made to me about this issue but at least they were sent to e-mail. So please stop the personal comments and debate the subject on merit even when it gets frustrating that some folk may not seem like they are responding (perhaps there is a reason and perhaps not). Steve W for one is much needed in JCNA and while I may not always agree with his opinion I can not question his sacrifice to the club. So please move this up a few notches or it is without meaning. BTW my phone number is on MENSA--when they are stumped on a problem they call and after I give my response they go in the opposite direction for the answer (:-)

Yowza All,
Members, if you disagreed with the recent ruling on trailers AND you Club's proxy was given to another without sufficient instructions on your Clubs opinion you should immediately: express your displeasure in written form to Mike Cook at the Jaguar Journal
seriously investigate how your Club "lost" their ability to give their opinion
take the necessary steps to assure that it never happens again the next
the elections locallly and nationally come around.

Message to Steve W/Counsel for the JCNA , this issue reminds me of lyrics. Much like the Don Henley song ...."Lawyers clean-up all details..this is the end of the Innocence"
You're non-responsiveness makes you "tits on a bull" useless, Thanks for ALL your help in this matter. I expected a lot more from you.
Could you please explain exactly what your purpose/mission statement is regarding your duties with the JCNA. I'm sure you have enough of my messages on your answering machine if you want to call. For future reference.... Not sure but I think Viagra only works if you still have those two round things called testicles, so save your money.
TaTa for now, Bob Lovell

Drive them when you can , and have some fun, is not only my idea,
Re the Omar Kyan, ( the following lines )

"The bird of life has but a short way to fly,
And lo , the bird is on the wing" .

This is from a translation of the book by Edward Fitzgerald I believe, seems just awhile ago I read it

Dan did it go to a committee? Did you send it to your regional rep? There was no mention of it and if in fact it was filed some one should have reported on it one way or the other.

I am attending our local show ... maybe more than one in NC ... probably in Class D08A ... will see if there are any problems in 2008 ..... I dont think any XJS / XJ-S models will be trailered ...

What happened to the charity drive motion .... it was submitted per the By-Laws ... did it die off without a wimper?

Regards
D. Lokun
90 XJ-S, et al.

You already know what I'm going to say so I won't even bother saying it...

Have fun driving the cars.

Daniel

Mark I ws looking at that section but I would also ask you look at the paragraph above it concerning proxy voting philosophy in a true democracy.

Louis you are right. But Louis if you think those clubs sought out the proxy holder think again--the proxys were sought out for block voting power.

George, an even larger problem is all those clubs that did not even bother to give someone their proxy. BTW, I was sitting next to Steve who had 25 proxies. If those of us from Florida can make it all the way to Portland, surely, some of those non-attending clubs could have made it to Pittsburgh or at least managed to give someone their proxy. Not all members work, and those that do, can get time off. I am sorry to say, that one of the non-attending clubs this year was one of the Florida clubs.

Thanks Mark--you are right I was only talking about the Proxy portion. I see this issue as a much larger danger to the future of JCNA than any other. With the next AGM scheduled for Mexico city I fast forward to a fe folks sitting with LARGE PRINTED cards of their proxy vote totals. We (JCNA) need to correct this situation but the problem is if voted on what do you think the large proxy folks might lean toward. It is an issue that will parallel term limits.

OK, I didn't forget the By-Laws link. I'll try it without the symbols around it.
http://www.jcna.com/library/bylaws.html

Forgot the By-Laws link:

I did a quick scan of the By-Laws, and there isn't anything in there that requires JCNA to notify anyone of any agenda items prior to the AGM. See Article IV, Section 2. If anyone can find anything that requires prior notification of agenda items please note it. However...

Talk about throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Section 1 of that same article would seem to indicate that the entire AGM was not a valid meeting. To wit:

ARTICLE IV. MEETINGS

Section 1. Annual General Meeting: The annual general meeting of the members shall be held annually. Location will be a regular AGM agenda item and determined by the delegates present at the AGM a minimum of two (2) years in advance by the availability of a qualified host JCNA group.

If you check the 2006 AGM minutes, it was announced that the 2007 AGM would be held in Houston. There is no mention of the 2008 AGM. As far as I can tell, the 2008 AGM was not announced until 2007, only a year prior. Technically, because the 2008 AGM location was not determined per the By-Laws, I think one would have a basis to challenge all the decisions made at the 2008 AGM.

Extreme? Yes. Is it something anyone wants to undertake?

Here's our other only option:

ARTICLE IV. MEETINGS

Section 3. Special Meetings: Special meetings of the members, for any purpose or purposes, may be called by the president or other officer performing the president's duties upon the written request of a majority of the board of directors, at the request in writing of a majority of the members, or at the request in writing of a majority of the JCNA groups as determined by vote of their general memberships. Documentation of the vote shall be submitted together with the request.

Such request shall briefly state the purpose or purposes of the proposed meeting. The business transacted at all special meetings shall be confined to the objects stated in the call. Written notice of special meetings, stating the time, place and object thereof, shall be given by the secretary or other officer performing his or her duties, and shall be printed in the official publication or mailed, postage prepaid, to each of the members at least thirty (30) and not more than forty (40) days before such meeting, at such address as appears on the books of JCNA.

In other words, 8 BoD members could vote to hold a special meeting, we could have a majority of the JCNA membership (3000 members, approx.) petition for a special meeting, or we could have a majority of the clubs (33) petition for a special meeting after a valid vote of their membership per their club By-Laws.

Last, but not least, the true drivers among us, can choose to sit out of Driven Division for a year, and enter Champion or Display instead, so that we make sure that our objections to the new rule are heard at the 2009 AGM, (which wasn't announced in 2007).

While we're changing the AGM announcement rule, which will undoubtedly happen now that it's been brought to everyone's attention, we should work on amending the Proxy rules so a few people with a lot of proxy votes don't trump the rest of the delegates.

I forgot to state the logical conclusion of my previous post.

If it can be shown that the trailering rule was not passed in accordance with the JCNA By-Laws, then the rule is void. So there is a possible way to invalidate the rule.

Here are the By-Laws, for your perusal.

I think what George is referring to is just section 47. It's only one paragraph.

To quote the section I think is applicable...

"Rules that protect absentees cannot be suspended informally by general consent, or formally by a unanimous vote, as the absentees have not given their consent. For instance, a rule requiring the giving of a specified notice of certain motions, as an amendment of the by-laws, cannot be suspended by general consent or by a unanimous vote."

So the question is, did the JCNA By-Laws require that there be specified notice of this rule change. If someone assigns their vote(s) to another delegate via proxy, can that person be considered "absent."

Resolving this question is going to require a detailed reading of the JCNA By-Laws.

D you have written stuff here that was 3 times as long and half as good! You are jaded aren't you? But glad you have graced us with your words. GET BACK into the Jaguar scene--we need folk like you!

It works, but who in their right mind would want to read something that long and boring?

You guys bun fighting at AGM's again? Don't you have anything better to do, like DRIVE THE CARS? That's what they're for, don't 'cha know...

Daniel

Does that work--Thanks "D" I knew you would help out this poor Ludite!

Try chopping the ".47" off the end of the URL line.

Daniel

Must be a Florida thing, but it still does not work for me. BTW, its been cold (for Florida) the last few days, but its supposed to be back to normal by the weekend.

Ginger what???? Just kidding the fat fingers have struck again. Sorry about that so try this as I left out a part---http://www.constitution.org/rror/rror-08.htm.47 Hey how is sunny Fla?

Hey, George,
That url didn't work for me.