D-V VP on nomination proceedure

[Red Scholefield]

FYI


Here is the text of a letter sent by AMA Vice President – District V, Jim McNeill to some club Presidents regarding proposed changes to the nomination procedure.

Page one of two pages was a letter from JM on AMA letterhead. It read:

TO: Some of the AMA Chartered Club Presidents in District V
FROM: Jim McNeill, District V Vice President
SUBJECT: Your involvement in our election process

Our Board of Directors is constantly seeking new ways to improve
our election process. specifically, how to place qualified
applicants on the ballot. Currently we use a "NOMINATING COMMITTEE"
for this purpose. The Nominating Committee is constantly accused of
using "The good old boy" system when selecting applicants. This is
not true but the criticism never ends.
A new idea is to use AMA Chartered Club Presidents to select who
shall be placed on the ballot at election time. The process would be
simple. AMA Hd'qrs will mail you the qualified candidates at the
appropriate time and you pick who will go on the ballot for
elections. You mail you selections back to AMA Hd'qrs.
My purpose in writing you is to see if you would be willing to
take the time to study the enclosed qualifications of prospective
candidates, pick the ones you think best, and return the ballot to
AMA. To see if you would take the time to get involved.

I'd like to hear from you. My address is at the top; my E-mail
address is: AMA@SCOTT.NET; my phone # is 205 322-2127

I know many of you personally. What do you think???

All due best wishes, Jim McNeill



Page two of the letter was a copy of an email from JM to the
executive council dated Sep 24, 2004. It read:

Subject: nominating committee procedures

Our Nominating Commettee procedures have come under fire lately from
some members accusing the Committee of using "Good Old Boy" tactics,
where friendship and favoritism manifest partiality. We know this is
not true but the criticism continues. Suggestions to change our
method of placing candidates on the final ballot include: Using
Leader Members to pick the candidates that go on the ballot. It is
possible for a candidate to juggle the Leader Member process
slightly by getting some of his friends to become Leader Members.

An alternate method under consideration might be to use the AMA
chartered Club PRESIDNETS to decide who will go on the ballot. A
Club President has been voted into his office by his members, it
would be impossible for anyone to juggle Club Presidents. Advantages
using this method might include getting the Club Presidents involved
in our voting process and we might also get many more voters to
respond at election time.

This suggestion is a brilliant idea, I cannot take the credit for
it. Dave Brown suggested it to me. I am placing it on the Nov agenda
for discussion.

Jim McNeil Dist V VP

*******
Red S.
AMA 951

[Bud Morrison]

Makes a ton of sense to me! This in my opinion may help to get club members more involved in AMA overall and not just in the election matters. Wonder how far the idea will go.
Anyways, Nice to see you posting here Red.

[Red Scholefield]

Originally posted by Bud Morrison
Makes a ton of sense to me! This in my opinion may help to get club members more involved in AMA overall and not just in the election matters. Wonder how far the idea will go.
Anyways, Nice to see you posting here Red.

Somehow my gut feel tells me this is not the prime intent (particularly of Jim McNeill).

The EC has just a bit of egg on their face after the District VIII nomination fiasco (repeating the same shenanigans that happened in D-V two years ago). Anything they can do to give the impression that they care will help. Acting as Dave Brown's toady, McNeill brought it before the EC. His own "original" thoughts are more focused on how he can stay in office and punish those that are trying to get him out. If the minutes that come out of the meeting are factual and not doctored you will see this.

Next year will be an interesting year to watch the manouvering that McNeill must do to retain his seat.

Watch very closely. McNiell expresses concern that having Leader Members involved in the nomination process might be tainted as candidates might have their buddies named as leader members. From the first post in this thread McNeill states:

"Using
Leader Members to pick the candidates that go on the ballot. It is
possible for a candidate to juggle the Leader Member process
slightly by getting some of his friends to become Leader Members."

However I think you will find that in changing the proceedure for appointing Leader Members he is proposing that all must be approved by the District VP rather than just aquire enough signatures from AMA members or Leader Members and bypassing the VP.

Leaving it up to Club Presidents - greatful for having been made the umpteenth club of the month in McNeill's monthly MA column certainly will have no influence on how they vote in the nomination process. And ONLY the District VP can make these awards.

How dumb are we?:confused:

Red S.
AMA 952
District V

[easytiger]

God. This is such a perfect example of how incorrigible these internet anti-AMA cranks are.

They whine that the nomination process is corrupt. So Dave Brown comes up with a totally different process wherein the EC is no longer part of the nomination process. Perfect. Problem solved.
But NNNNNOOOOOOO...to these people, it's naturally some part of some giant conspiracy.

You just can't win. It's a total waste of breath.
And it's NOT about their concern for the future of the AMA. It's TOTALLY personal. Nothing more.

As you well know we've asked you not to make personal attacks against others at this site. Edited for content by moderator.

[Bud Morrison]

Red,
I feel the combination of moving the nominating duties away from the EC along with instituting life time term limits for all AMA offices including President. Would very much help in injecting new blood into the upper workings of the AMA.

[Red Scholefield]

Originally posted by Bud Morrison
Red,
I feel the combination of moving the nominating duties away from the EC along with instituting life time term limits for all AMA offices including President. Would very much help in injecting new blood into the upper workings of the AMA.

Term limits are a wimpy way out of a problem caused by a membership that doesn't take the time to study the issues and know the candidates.

When you look at the number of EC positions that go unchallenged in each election I don't think term limits are a good idea. You would lose some very good people. Don Mathewson, VP District II is a good example.

I agree, the present nominating proceedure is somewhat less than democratic when it is controlled by the very people running for office (one of whom has vowed never to give up that office), but when some complained to Dave Brown about the problems with Jim McNeill in District V - not appointing a Frequency Coordinator, appoining non-AMA and non-Leader Members to key positions in violation of the by-laws, inactive AVPs etc. etc. etc., He made a very key statement - "the people in District V elected him!"

Bottom line: IT IS THE MEMBERSHIPS RESPONSIBILITY TO TAKE CARE OF SUCH PROBLEMS. There are too many unintended consequences in legislating them away.

And to easytiger:

Everything Jim McNeill has done or will do is focused on one objective . . . . . . keeping his seat on the EC and as much of his EC budget money as he can for his campaign tours. Ask any past EC member what he has really contributed. Why is he the ONLY VP that has not appointed a frequency coordinator for his district? Why does he think it is better to have club presidents (many who are coerced into the job) participate in the nomination process rather than Leader Members (that sought the position and demonstrated an interest in the AMA)? He can "buy" club presidents - club of the month awards are cheap! Why do you think he wants to change the Leader Member appointments to require a VP's approval. Maybe these are hard questions for you to figure out, but hopefully the members of District V can and will take care of the problem in 2004.

Red Scholefield
Leader Member
AMA 951

[easytiger]

No insult intended, but what you moderators don't understand yet is the whole THING is a "personal attack."

Red and Horrace, well, it's ALL personal. It has nothing to do with the greater good of us all and AMA, it has everything to do with personal issues.
Look at how things degenerated into attacks when you give Horrace his head.
Look at Red above....

Notice the complete personal attacks on the current DV VP? The one who the members of his district elected, then re-elected again?
It's a COMPLETE personal attack. Red says that he is corrupt, etc, etc....

At some point, you guys will understand that this is totally personal, has nothing to do with the AMA, and the whole thing has been going on for years, and it's a handful of people that KEEP any useful dialogue about AMA from happening online.
Again, no insult intended by this, I say it because I want you guys to really understand...I have been watching these same people for years now, and I know what they are really all about by now.

[Bud Morrison]

Red,

I thought the leader membership nomination idea was already swept under the rug more or less. While I thought it was a good way to handle nominations. I didn't really see it get to much support.

[Red Scholefield]

Originally posted by easytiger
No insult intended, but what you moderators don't understand yet is the whole THING is a "personal attack."

Notice the complete personal attacks on the current DV VP? The one who the members of his district elected, then re-elected again?
It's a COMPLETE personal attack. Red says that he is corrupt, etc, etc....


1) If we, the members of District V that have been watching Jim McNeill for the past 3 or 4 terms, have said anything that is untrue then Mr. McNeill with his two law degrees would have taken some action.

2 We can back up everthing we have said about Jim McNeill and his performance as a District VP - all one has to do is just look at his list of Assistant AVPs - who they are and how they are distributed, he is his own frequency coordinator. You can see the motions he has put before the EC designed to punish his opponents - motions fortunately the rest of the EC did not support. You can read his puerile column every month in MA for clues.

3) When a setting AVP violtates the intent of the AMA by-laws it certainly is an AMA issue for some of us.

4) As for really understanding . . . understand this. McNeill was elected by a tiny plurality in the last election with 42.5% of the votes. . . 53.5% OF THE D-V MEMERSHIP WANTED HIM OUT!

YOU MAY THINK YOU KNOW WHAT MCNEILL'S OPPONENTS ARE ALL ABOUT, BUT IT IS CERTAINLY OBVIOUS YOU HAVE NO IDEA OF WHAT HE IS ABOUT OR THE NEGATIVE IMPACT HE IS HAVING ON THE AMA AND DISTRICT V.

Red S.
Leader Member
District V

[Don Sims]

And with that said, it's time to close another thread. :(

I wish you both would just get along, state your case in a civil manner, and remind yourselves that this is a hobby we all love when posting at this site.
Don