[OSGeo Oceania] Call for Feedback Due 23rd Sept - Board Election Process & Timeline

[John Bryant]

Hi, I have another bit of feedback on the proposed election process, I hope
it's seen as a constructive contribution.

Currently, there's an item scheduled for 5 days after the election, that
currently reads:


>
>
> *Meeting to Elect Directors is held Advise board of due diligence,
> acceptance of consent forms, vote to ratify appointment(s)Accept
> resignations of outgoing directorsCurrent Chair, Deputy Chair, Secretary
> and Treasurer step down*
>

The "Meeting to Elect Directors" is mandated in the constitution
<https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kZD8pcW2efjLEY7ih3rzcWpe7X0hEG2A/view>
(s. 78), which says it *must be held as a General Meeting* (ie. all members
are invited to attend and vote on the business of the meeting).

The proposed process says this meeting will take place a few days after the
election, to vote on the appointments. But running both an election and
then a separate General Meeting could be quite onerous, and shouldn't be
necessary. The constitution was written so that *the election itself* could
be this General Meeting, with the membership resolving to appoint the
people who win the election as directors. The 2019 election process was
planned in this way, based on professional advice.

*Why this is important*: The Meeting to Elect Directors is the instrument
that empowers the OSGeo Oceania membership to choose the directors of the
organisation. It dictates the timing of directors' terms (s. 75), and when
"Officers" (chair, etc) must step down (s. 80). If the process of
implementing this meeting is too onerous, it uses volunteer resources, may
become difficult to execute properly, and (worst case scenario) could cause
conflict or disenfranchisement if the process isn't clear, or isn't
followed.

I'm proposing the process be adjusted so that the election itself is
included in the Meeting to Elect Directors, and the results of the election
are treated as the resolution of the meeting, so a separate General Meeting
isn't necessary. If others agree, I'm happy to try and make more specific
suggestions.

Cheers
John


On Wed, 9 Sep 2020 at 17:58, Hamish Campbell <hn.campbell at gmail.com> wrote:

> Dear OSGeo Oceania Members,
>
> Our proposed November 2020 election process and timeline for appointing
> directors to the board requires your review and feedback.
>
> You can review and comment directly on the Google Doc
> <https://docs.google.com/document/d/1td2oDBssX_33yIFN1h0UgSvkoUa8MckZiix7nsIdmcs/edit?usp=sharing>.
> We also welcome feedback on the OSGeo Oceania mailing list by replying to
> this email. Feedback to the board must be received by midnight on
> Wednesday, September 23rd.
>
> The board will review the feedback and finalize the election process and
> timeline in early October.
>
> Thank you for your contribution!
>
> On behalf of the OSGeo Oceania Election Group
> _______________________________________________
> Oceania mailing list
> Oceania at lists.osgeo.org
> https://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/oceania
>
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