AMA Transparency Improvement Proposals
 

I've long been an advocate for much greater transparency as to AMA spending, EC actions, etc. for us members. We provide over 90% of all operating funds, but don't see the budget before it's approved, don't get looks at how money is actually being spent, are not given KPIs that show true health of the organization, don't get a look at issues the EC will vote on BEFORE the votes, and are generally kept in the dark until after the fact.

So the bylaws allow one to submit proposals for EC action. In all cases where I say "publish" the intended meaning is in the members only area. I submitted five individual proposals:

1. Two weeks prior to EC vote, ED publish draft budget, with quarterly updates of actual spend by line item vs. budgeted spend
2. One week prior to EC vote, ED publish agenda and detailed read ahead so members can make preferences known to their VP
3. ED send PDF copy of AMA IRS 990 filings upon request of any member
4. ED publish annually the number of paying members in each membership category at end of preceding year
5. Starting in 2024, ED establish means for members to attend ANY EC meeting virtually (i.e. zoom etc.)

I will be really interested to see which EC members vote AGAINST these reasonable transparency measures.

It looks like the board voted to keep things hidden from members. All five items were forwarded in accordance with the organization bylaws, Article XI, Section 6 (note 1), yet the EC did not even put items 1 through 4 to a vote. Item 5 was modified from what was submitted, without my permission, to allow only leader members to attend virtually.

The fact that board would not even give the proposals a straight up or down vote tells you a lot about their ethics. When they don't follow their own bylaws (Article XI, Section 6), why should anyone trust them?



Note 1: "Section 6. Any bona fide AMA member may initiate a formal request for Executive Council action by submitting a petition to the Vice President from the district in which the member resides. The petition should include a written description of the nature, type, and extent of Executive Council action recommended. The District Vice President shall forward copies of the petition to the President and to the Executive Director, who shall forward copies to all members of the Executive Council. Either the President or any member of the Executive Council may have the matter placed on the working agenda."

They may have considered you to not be a bona fide AMA member; not sincere.

I'm looking for "bona fide" and/or a "sincere[ity]" requirement in the bylaws. And darned if I'm not seeing them. Bottom line, they had no basis upon which to do what they did, except to preserve the status quo, that is keeping members in the dark until AFTER decisions are made and AFTER money is spent.

Hardly ethical. And certainly not a good example of an organization that values transparency.

. . . . . . . . . . .

all other considerations aside,
"bona fide" translates to Dues Paid in legal jargon...

I'm all paid up, and the board knows that.

There's nothing in the bylaws that allow them to NOT being the issues for a vote. What's surprising is the audacity with which they ignore the bylaws. If they'll ignore them for stuff like this, what prevents them from ignoring them on handling of money, disposition of property if AMA goes under, etc.