[Businessmtg] Motion #4 Update Discussion - Amended

[Jerry]

Biz-Pals,

In my comments on Motion #4 (below) I stated that the GR position would need to be elected by the entire ASP-AFG membership. I'm afraid my noggin was basking in the warmth of how the many F2F meetings I've participated in over many Areas and years elected their GR's - within their general recovery meetings, not in separate business meetings.

As others' experiences have expressed it is not uncommon for groups to elect GR's in their business meeting. So I amend my statement(s) which claimed GR's should be elected by an entire membership and accept that our GR's (and any assistant GR's) could be elected in our business meeting.

However that would, to my mind, make it necessary for ASP-AFG to make many and clear announcements that the Business Meeting will be electing it's first GR (and AGR?) and any members who wish to stand for this position will need to attend that BM to do so.

I also wish to apologize for my many typos in my initial comments. I didn't take the time to proof things before I ran out the door to an engagement. :-(

Biz-Hugs,
Jerry
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-------- Original Message --------
 Subject: [Businessmtg] Motion #4 Update Discussion
 From: "Jerry H." <logmark at comcast.net>
 Sent: Saturday, July 10, 2021, 5:30 PM
 To: logmark at comcast.net
 CC: ASP Business <businessmtg at asp-afg.org>

Biz-Pals,

First I want to say that I'm grateful the World Service Conference (WSC) has finally agreed that Tradition 4 applies equally to any grouping of relatives and friends of alcoholics which comes together for mutual aid under the Al-Anon banner.
non 

As to the Motion #4 sections currently on the table:

Tradition #4 recognizes that each Al-Anon Family Group (AFG) is autonomous in its acts and decisions "except in matters affecting another Group of Al-Anon of AA as a whole."

It is difficult to predict if any decisions ASP may make now or in the coming months and years could conflict with the decisions the new Electronic Group Area's will form about its service structure somewhere down the road. One could relatively, safely presume that the Electronic Area's will most likely follow the service structure outlined in the Al-Anon Service Manual (SM) for face-to-face AFG's.

Assuming for the moment this would hold true, ASP AFG's current service structure may need some additions and subtractions.
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Discussions:

PART 1, ITEM #1
Group Representative:

The duties of the Group Representative (GR) include, among other things, representing the Group at District and Area Assemblies where they have voice and vote on matters discussed there. The GR is also the first link in the chain of communications between the Group and the WSO.

Worth noting:
~ The GR is elected from and by the entire Group Membership, not from or by any Group committee or sub-committee.   
~ The GR attends District Meetings and Area Assemblies. The GR is eligible to stand for their District's office of District Representative (DR.) Elected DR's also become eligible to stand for the office of Area Delegate to the WSC at their Area's Assembly. If elected to these "higher" positions members generally step down from their previous office which then need filling.
~ Groups may also elect an Alternate Group Representative (AGR) who fills in for the GR at meetings when the GR is unable to attend, and who is tapped as the Group's representative at Al-Anon Information Services (AIS) meetings.

Now I offer this brief outline not as definitive, but to point out the ASP-AFG's current lineup of service needs and positions does not parallel those of the standard F2F group. Until the Electronic Area assembles the elected GR's and goes through the process of solidifying our new Area's structure ASP won't know for sure how our current structure will integrate with our Area's.

What we DO know is that our Area will have some sort of Area Assembly where structure will be worked out and that ASP's interaction to that Assembly will through an elected Group Representative.

As Al-Anon meetings' GR's come from and are elected by the ranks of their ENTIRE group membership, ASP needs to plan on some means of setting eligibility requirements and/or limitations, announcing the candidacies of those who stand for the position, allow for candidates' to introduce themselves to the group, and hold an election process (which hopefully could be contained in a 7-day period to limit the number of days topic meetings may be affected.)

NOTE:
Currently ASP's List Administrator (LA) is the group's principle contact with the WSO administration arms. Under the most likely Electronic Area service structure that duty would pass through the new Area's service structure:

Group to GR
GR to DR & Area Assembly
DR to Area Delegate & AWSC
Delegate to WSC & etc.

Clearly there is a conflict between these two senarios. Concept 10 calls upon us to assure that there is no double-headed management. I suggest we consider sorting ASP's current service responsibilities into the group's technical requirements to function under the LA position and the group's Al-Anon service requirements under the standard Al-Anon practice of GR representation.

As such:

I propose and support ASP-AFG creating the position of Group Representative, granting to that position all the authority of decision, voice and vote, as currently afforded to F2F GR's, in any and all Al-Anon Electronic District meetings and Electronic Area Assemblies.

I propose and support ASP-AFG creating the position of Alternate Group Representative, permitting that person to substitute for the GR when the GR is unable to fulfill their duties or attend service meetings. 

I further propose and support the GR having a full membership In ASP-AFG's Steering Committee, and the Alternate GR's eligibility to take that seat when and if the GR is unable to participate in the SC's business.


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PART 1, ITEM #2
Webmaster rolled into Secretary:

As explained this seems to come from joining to service positions which purportedly have light workloads. There also is a past history of positions with seats of the Steering Committee going unfilled for want of members' stepping onto service. Some discussions have suggested that combining "light workload" positions would solve the problem of finding members to stand for vacant positions.

On principle I am against shrinking the number of members we have on our Steering Committee. The problem may be difficult to solve, but deciding to eliminate a seat on the Steering Committee (thus the variety of input each seat provides) seems to me to be more destructive to Al-Anon Principles than holding an empty seat and trying to encourage members' service to the group.

Running efficient Business Meetings and appointing and overseeing Topic Meeting Chairs seems to me to be key to ASP-AFG's ongoing success. I would rather a technical function like website updating be place under another technical responsibility - perhaps eventually under the List Administrator position, particularly if the new Group Rep position were to assume some of the current LA's duties should it evolve into a more technical job than authoritative.

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PART 1, ITEM #3
Founders

I have a reluctance to grant Group Conscience responsibilities to a limited number of people. Tradition #2 asks us to submit to one authority - "...a loving God as He may express Himself in our group conscience."

I recognize that ASP-AFG's Group Consciences have been made in times past and worded in fashions which may make alternative interpretations of their intents possible when read by newer and uninformed members. The input from experienced members are critical at such time, but should not limit current members from changing past intents through discussion and vote.

When disputes over intent of the wording of existing Group Consciences arise input from all experienced members of a body should be listened to, BUT decisions should not be by the few, but by the many. General Warranty #2 suggests that no member shall be placed in unqualified authority over other members. Giving this authority of decision to those in our Founder positions parts with this principle.

I can not support it.

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I'm assuming that other topics will be discussed in future weeks and months and I look forward to the input of others and the ability to voice my supports and concerns.

Service hugs,
Jerry
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