[Businessmtg] Newcomer packets

[ASP Secretary]

In response to Susie:

I am allowed to solicit comments as part of a straw poll; this was decided
on in a past business meeting in the last year. I could have easily asked
the webmaster to stand up another formal poll on the website to do this -
and then everyone's opinions would have been secret except to the webmaster
and myself. I chose not to take that course because we currently have
another poll going on and I felt it would be confusing. So my soliciting
comments that may be private are perfectly within the bounds of my duties
as Secretary. *We are not voting on this issue.* I am merely trying to see
if there is a majority opinion that we can work with.

Further, I have been part of this business meeting for 5+ years, and I have
never seen a trusted servant make a report to the business meeting. The
reports are out on the website. Given past precedent, I didn't see a need
to put a treasurer report on the agenda, and the treasurer did not request
that it be put on there - nor anyone else. Since the report was submitted
to the business meeting, and there was a question, I will give a 48 hour
comment window once we are done talking about the issue at hand; I feel
that this is sufficient given that the treasurer's report wasn't on the
agenda.

The agenda is sent to the members of the recovery meeting so that they know
what the business meeting will be addressing. It is again sent to the
business meeting at the start of the meeting so that they know they will be
addressing. Adding additional items after the fact both places an
unexpected duty on the business meeting as well as possibly leaving someone
out who wants to address that issue. Anyone can request an item be put on
the business meeting. We don't ever want to be in a position as a business
meeting that we address something "in secret" - because after the business
meeting starts, no one else can join.

Susie, I am sorry that you feel the Steering Committee is hiding things
from the business meeting. I have never seen anything on the website that
said I needed to make a report to the business meeting and was unable to
find any reference to it on there. There are many people on the Steering
Committee, and while we do not agree on everything, the number of people on
there would prevent any hidden issues or agendas. Our trusted servants have
a lot of Al-anon experience behind them, and do not hesitate to speak up.

If anyone in this group feels that the Steering Committee is hiding things,
I would suggest that the best way to monitor the Steering Committee is to
be on it, and would encourage any member of the business meeting to
consider becoming a trusted servant. It is a great way to give service and
I can add my ESH: it definitely had me practicing my program.


Laura

On Mon, May 15, 2017 at 8:56 PM, Susie Q <susie.q.dilly at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hi Apryl,
>
> When everyone discusses the issue in the meeting, then everyone gets to see
> what's going on. No secrets and that's healthy.  Secrets are not healthy.
>
> But, when the chair solicits private comments for consideration, those
> comments are 'secret'. The process is no longer transparent and healthy.
> Since the the chair asked for private comments, it just seems to me that
> she could be attempting to control the outcome.
>
> The website says the Steering Committee is supposed to report to the
> Business Meeting. I mentioned that earlier and some others have also
> commented on it, yet it's not on the agenda. But no response from the
> Steering Committee about my request for a report. Makes me wonder what's
> going on.
>
> Susie
>
>
>
> On Mon, May 15, 2017 at 5:28 PM, Apryl Schneider <aprylkae at hotmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> > Hi Susie. Why do you believe the chair is attempting to decide the
> > direction of the topic? I think there may have been a miscommunication
> :).
> >
> > Thanks!
> > Apryl
> >
> > > On May 15, 2017, at 3:33 PM, Susie Q <susie.q.dilly at gmail.com> wrote:
> > >
> > > I'd like to see this be tabled, but available to the Newcomer committee
> > for
> > > future recommendation(s).
> > >
> > > But, I have to question why the Chair would solicit private responses
> to
> > > this. That sounds horribly inappropriate for the Chair to decide the
> > > direction of a topic bases on private (secret) discussions.
> > >
> > > Susie
> > > _______________________________________________
> > > The ASP Instruction page is http://asp-afg.org/members/
> asp-instructions/
> > >
> > > The ASP web site for ASP members is http://www.asp-afg.org/Members/
> > >
> > > For assistance with other ASP issues, contact the List Administrator,
> > at  list_administrator at asp-afg.org
> > >
> > > _______________________________________________
> > > Businessmtg mailing list
> > > Businessmtg at asp-afg.org
> > > http://www.asp-afg.org/mailman/listinfo/businessmtg
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > The ASP Instruction page is http://asp-afg.org/members/asp-instructions/
> >
> > The ASP web site for ASP members is http://www.asp-afg.org/Members/
> >
> > For assistance with other ASP issues, contact the List Administrator, at
> > list_administrator at asp-afg.org
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > Businessmtg mailing list
> > Businessmtg at asp-afg.org
> > http://www.asp-afg.org/mailman/listinfo/businessmtg
> >
> _______________________________________________
> The ASP Instruction page is http://asp-afg.org/members/asp-instructions/
>
> The ASP web site for ASP members is http://www.asp-afg.org/Members/
>
> For assistance with other ASP issues, contact the List Administrator, at
> list_administrator at asp-afg.org
>
> _______________________________________________
> Businessmtg mailing list
> Businessmtg at asp-afg.org
> http://www.asp-afg.org/mailman/listinfo/businessmtg
>