jhelps

Thanks for the advice Jim re criticising ... I always carefully consider what I post (unless I have a cold!!!).

I was a ZD for a bit less than a year (medical emergency in the family caused me to drop the job), and I have seen first hand that of which I speak, the late night phone calls, the meetings in corners,etc

It is well understood that most members do not have Internet access, but that is no excuse for not using that venue as a prime forum for information passage.

"Be sure there really is a problem" ... Couldn't agree more which is why some have repeadidly called for a survey/referendum of the membership be conducted to see what they want. Want some fun? Suggest that course of action on the other forum and wait for the responses!! There will be everything from it is impossible to properly form the questions thereby skewing the answers ... to "have you any idea what that would cost?" to veiled responses which suggest that the membership at large does not know what is best for them!!!

Try suggesting these three questions (Word them anyway you want):

Do you wish MAAC to continue to be the organization representing models who wish to compete internationally by maintaining MAACs association with the aeroclub of Canada at an annual cost of $$$ ?

Do you want any club or other organization which requests funding assistance to present MAAC with a detailed business case before hosting a national or international event with no exceptions and with a complete accounting afterwards?

Do you want to limit the term of members of the the BOD to 3 consecutive terms with a 2 year break in between?

Before you jump on me about my position on any of the above, I have my personnel opinion on each which may or may not go with the mainstream, however if a clearly worded question was answered by the majority against my thoughts I would accept it. The problem is that immediatley after suggesting the above the spin doctoring will begin. Indeed your term "politically correct" usually means big brother deciding what others can say and do regardless of what they really think.

Proxies are a disaster in that they can be used to vote for items raised from the floor at the meeting, indeed proxies and preplanning have been used to push contentious recommendations through AZM's. This is why I suggest that a better corporate model for MAAC needs to be developed.

Calling the ZD and asking for clarification usually results in a response not worth the paper it is written on ("Wait a minute you told me that ... no I didn't ... Yes you did ..."). And then the phone calls would start (He told me this ... No!!! ... Yes!!!)

Anyway don't read fanatical ambition or radical call for change in any of the above. My position is simply MAAC can do better and should try to do so within the limitations of being a volunteer organization. I do however believe that there are some heavily entrenched positions and people that could do with a change. It is going to be really interesting to see what happens when the changes to our bylaws and other rules of procedure start being reviewed to come in line with Ontario law. There will be those who use the opportunity to try and push their own agenda's.

JH