Attending:

 

Elizabeth Schiros

 

Deirdre Lauer (A Leading Attorney on the TWDC Bylaws Committee)

 

David Mehring safety [at] TWDC [dot] org

 

Robert Pinkerton

 

Larry Cornett lcornett@en. com

I gave all attending the meeting the latest draft comments on the draft bylaws and the Tremonsters e-mail list announcement

David Mehring was most sympathetic with my concerns

 

Perhaps willing to consider delaying the vote on the bylaws until the January meeting if the needed changes to the proposed bylaws are only half baked in time for consideration at the November 11 meeting

Elizabeth Schiros was the most defensive about the proposed bylaws as they stand:

 

Alleged that the proposed bylaws were designed to maximize community participation.

 

She did not think that attending 3 meetings in a year is sufficient to make a person a member of at least the Bylaws Committee, since they

have met 2 times per month for a considerable time and

consistent attendance is needed to prevent having to repeat previous discussions to bring new members up to speed.

 

Four previous attempts to put together new proposed bylaws were thwarted by delays to address all concerns

Deirdre Lauer mostly listened

The meeting seemed to result in General Agreement on:

 

Need for the proposed bylaws to encourage participation by the Tremont Community thru members having authority and protection against harassment

 

Need for a code of conduct (perhaps including some of my concerns along with some Tremonsters rules for how controversial matters should be discussed) and mechanisms to enforce it

 

Ex officio Board Members being selected by the Committee and not appointed by the Board

 

Concern about any attempt by TWDC to use its influence to micromanage Block Clubs, but David Mehring was at least was open to some minimal standards to assure that residents have authority to fully participate in block Clubs if TWDC is to act as their fiscal agent and provide administrative support

Ask Chris Garland for

 

The form and procedures necessary to submit amendments to the bylaws committee proposal at the scheduled November 11 special meeting on the proposed bylaws (due 14 days before the meeting)-since, allegedly according to the existing bylaws, amendments are not allowed to be introduced from the floor of that meeting

 

The Fiscal Agent Agreement for a relationship between an organization and TWDC

*

 

At the beginning of the meeting, I was given 15 minutes to present my concerns, which I did

 

David Mehring did not attend

 

Elizabeth Schiros is clearly the most hostile of all to the concerns that I raised, although she is the only one who said something indicating that my concerns about resident rights and participation were echoed in the response from block clubs she was at, while someone else at the meeting who was at other block clubs indicated that that was not her experience

 

Allegation that the IRS 501C3 audit program requires a strict top down bylaws structure because of the fiduciary responsibility of the board and because they are concerned that committees might do something that would be detrimental No actual need exists to change the existing bylaws to meet IRS requirements or to withstand an audit of their bylaws, although the IRS might ask for them to be revised to be more specific

*

The TWDC Articles of Incorporation were distributed, without the cover pate. Under the heading THIRD CONTINUED, they are clearly oriented to promote gentrification. and say nothing explicitly about the recreational programs, etc.--which they say are allowed under the last paragraph of that section which allows anything not banned

*

Most Tremont neighborhoods are relatively well to do and they don’t want to make committee membership open to any interested residents because the welfare of a neighborhood may have to be sacrificed for the good of Tremont as a whole, and the people in that neighborhood could pack a committee to prevent it

*

While they are against any requirement for democratic structure or resident participation in block clubs because it would interfere in their internal affairs, they passed a 3 year Term limit on ex-officio board members across the board

*

They may create and post draft contracts on rights and responsibilities of Committee members

*

A copy of the form and procedures necessary to submit amendments to the bylaws committee proposal at the scheduled November 11 special meeting on the proposed bylaws (due 14 days before the meeting)-since, allegedly according to the existing bylaws, amendments are not allowed to be introduced from the floor of that meeting. It appears that the form and procedures are still being written

The Fiscal Agent Agreement

He said he would send me them

*

Clearly, Tremont needs a Residents’ Association that is structured to assure that:

*

Poor residents needs are a priority,

*

All residents who choose to participate have a voice, and that

*

I hope that the Old South Side Community Coalition can become a mechanism that will create what is necessary to bring this about. Many of my suggestions concerning the proposed TWDC bylaws are also applicable to what the bylaws of such an organization should include. I also think that the Resident’s Association should have separate branches for poor residents vs. other residents, in which both would have to agree for a decision to represent the Residents Association as a whole.

The welfare of existing residents is not sacrificed for the purpose of gentrification, etc.

__._,_.___

 

Sincerely,

Larry Cornett

I stayed until about 7:30 because I had a meeting later, and my further participation clearly would not influence their decisions (although it would have been interesting to hear what was said later). I asked Chris Garland for

 

*

*

*

*

9-30-09 7PM MEETING TWDC BYLAWS COMMITTEE MEETING

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

9-29-09 7PM MEETING CONCERNING PROPOSED TWDC BYLAWS @ GRUMPYS