John:

I am also sorry I did not meet you in Lancaster.  I asked around about you and just never got together.  I should have left a message for you in your room, but I did not.  After you read this you'll understand that was a major goof on my part.

Overall I enjoyed the meeting and getting to talk to the different members and vendors.

I got a smaller version of the "Ollie in the closet drill" with the board on Firday morning.  It was interesting and somewhat enlightening. (SP)?   As a result of the meeting I think I got myself excluded from participating in any of the meetings/discussions that the members of the by-laws committee had during the time we were in Lancaster.

When I signed up as an alternate Andy said I could put in ideas, make comments go to the committee meetings in Lanacaster, but I would not be able to vote unless someone did not show up.  As you know I did all that in the time before the meeting.  On Thursday out at Landis Zimmerman's I talked to Andy and told him I would be available whenever he wanted to get together.  He did not know it at that time but I knew that one of the committee members from California would not be there due to illness in the family.  I was pretty sure I would get to become a member and get to vote.  Later than night Andy saw me in the lobby and told me what I already knew and asked if I was ready to become a full member.  I said I was just let me know when they were meeting.

Then Friday morning the board, Terry and I had a 45 minute discussion in the first room where the chapters had set up their displays.  Andy was there for some of it, but not all the time.

After that I did not see Andy until Sat just before the members meeeting.  He saw me and asked where I had been since he had been looking for me to work on the bylaws, but since he could not find me he had had to get someone else.  I asked if he had left a message in my room and he said no because he did not know my room number.

Needless to say I was some sort of mad at that point.  I had my computer with me and when I had found out that I would be able to vote I had used your ideas and numbers to markup a map and I had revised language in the bylaws.  He told me how much trouble they had had typing up changes etc and we could have done it on my computer as they met.  Man I was so torqued at the meeting I could hardly see straight.

Then when they made that half hearted presentation at the meeting I was really upset.  Second graders could have done  better.

So to answer your question I was not very impressed by the work of the bylaws committee.

I've stayed off the web for awhile, but I'm going to make some comments on here in the near future.  I've just kind of been waiting for my copy of the magazine to show up. 

I sure did appreciate your input and after reading this I guess now you know why I goofed by not leaving a message for you.  When I worked for DoD I traveled the world and whenever I wanted to talk to someone in the hotel and I could not find them I'd call their room and leave a message.  Smething I should have done for you and something I think Andy could have done if he wanted to.

Bill Brandt

[quote:ek9bi6y5]Hi Bill,

   I just wanted to check in with you. Sorry I didn't get to meet up with you at the get-together. I was wondering what your take was on what the by-laws committee came up with and presented to the membership? I'm not sure that the idea of regional directors got much consideration. I know people don't like change, but somtimes it's needed. The only reasoning that I got was that if directors were spread out they wouldn't want to spend the time and money to attend the board meetings. That was kind of weak! I would hope that someone would know that going into the position. 

I think that Andy Blackwood walked into a hornet's nest that he didn't know was going to be there when he volunteered for chairman of the committee. 

   I had a guy call me last night that had heard there were troubles in the club. Another person told him I had went to the get-together, and he wanted to know what was going on. He has been a member for a long time, I think he said his # was 420. He was also in favor of more directors. He thought that having one from each chapter would be too many, but that the members needed more representation. He said he had never liked the idea of the president appointing the board. I told him that the proposed change of the by-laws would now have all directors eclected by the membership, he thought that was a good start. 

   I just wanted to get in touch with you. I felt like you and others had good input on the by-laws and yet not much survived the committee. 

                       Thanks, John Hume[/quote:ek9bi6y5]