[Businessmtg] FW: Business Meeting - Webmaster/Secretary

[Steve Rankin]

Hi Jae,

 

A cat trainer, eh?  I guess my life is too short to attempt try that.  I learned from Al-Anon that training some creatures is none of my business; I learned to place cats along with my ex and daughters in the ‘challenging to train’ category.  My current wife of 38 years is in AA, so I let them train her; I stick to training our dogs that act like they want to learn.  My Rough Collie and Lab are easy, her Bichon Frise not so much.  FYI, our last cat was named Lois Wilson; a very sweet and uber mellow Himalayan.  Our Rottweiler trained Lois to sleep with the Rott and to use the dog door.  

 

Back to the issue of the Business Meeting. . .

1.	While I don’t object to answering questions in the Business Meeting – largely because that helps get everyone on the same page – most are addressed on the website.  There are 3 ways to navigate the website.  The most obvious is the links in the banner on top of the page that take you to key places.  Second is the list of links on the right side of the page that is somewhat more detailed – this is what I use the most.  Third, is the complete index on the bottom of the Business/Members Only home page.  I don’t remember the exact number of pages on the website, but I recall it’s less than 30, not counting the Treasurer Reports.  The real meat is contained in a handful of pages, all of which are linked on the home page.
2.	What happens if the List Administrator resigns?  The Secretary is the first Alternate List Administrator and just like other Alternate positions in Al-Anon service, the Secretary then automatically becomes the new List Administrator and is no longer in the position of being the Alternate, aka the Secretary.  FYI, the Greeter Chair is the second Alternate.
3.	What happened when Sandie resigned as List Administrator in October 2017?  Jerry had just been elected, but Sandie also left ASP completely, so I trained Jerry and assisted with some of the collateral duties as Jerry grew into the job.  
4.	What happened when Jerry resigned as List Administrator in early 2020?  Beverly, the newly elected Secretary, became the new List Administrator.  Beverly was doing a good job as Secretary, but struggling with feeling overwhelmed.  As most of us in Al-Anon can understand, FEELING overwhelmed quickly becomes BEING overwhelmed, which is what happened when she was thrust into the List Administrator job.  Anne O. was next in line as the Greeter Chair.  We discussed the big picture and what ASP needed most, etc.  For a variety of reasons, including because Anne had just initiated a new batch of Greeters, it was decided that Anne would continue serving as Greeter Chair and that I would step in as acting List Administrator & Secretary.
5.	FYI, while some members are concerned about needing more members on the Steering Committee, I am not.  My sole concern regarding the membership of the Steering Committee is that we have the minimum needed for ASP to function.  It only takes two members on the SC for ASP to function:

     List Administrator

     Greeter Chair

The Greeter Chair is necessary to conduct the flow of new members into ASP.  The List Administrator is necessary to run the admin of the rest of ASP.  Everything else that is done behind the scenes at ASP can be easily done by those two people.  We did it that way for 10 years, and it worked very well, so this isn’t just conjecture.

6.	Is it likely that the Recording Secretary Position be considered as an Alternate to the Secretary?  No.  However, having said that, I will note that in the good ol’ days, it was common for one of the Greeters to step up to the Greeter Chair position when it became available.  
7.	Or is it more likely that the Recording Secretary be a temporary position/ on an as needed basis?  That depends on how micromanaged the Recording Secretary position is described in the updated Motion #4.  As it is described in the current draft, it would appear optional for the Secretary to appoint a Recording Secretary.  While I understand the advantages and the desire to create and mandate a Recording Secretary position, I also understand that doing so can easily increase the work load and stress on the Secretary, as the Secretary then becomes responsible for appointing and overseeing someone else.  That’s easily far more challenging than doing 10 minutes of work every couple of months.
8.	Is it necessary at this time to come to a decision concerning the need for a Recording Secretary?  We aren’t making any decisions at this time.  Instead, we are working on developing a consensus.  Ideally, we will make a decision in the September Business Meeting, but that assumes we reach a consensus that we can put into a motion.  
9.	Where is the list of trusted servants and the KBDM?  Both are listed in the Table of Contents on the Home page of the Members Only section.  I think you’ll discover finding things on the ASP website are easy if you always start from this page.

Hugs,

Steve

 

 

From: JDL 
Sent: Wednesday, July 21, 2021 4:52 AM
To: Steve Rankin <steve at serenitysys.com <mailto:steve at serenitysys.com> >
Subject: RE: [Businessmtg] Business Meeting - Webmaster/Secretary

 

Good Morning Steve,

Herding Cats Indeed.  As a trainer of Cats , I have learned, Cats will follow you anywhere, with the right incentive 😊.  People – not so much!  

 

Thanks for the clarification.  I appreciate the time you take to be as clear as possible when you share. 

 

In the event that the Secretary is “thrust” into the List Administrator Position, is a new Secretary sought?  Can the Secretary fill both positions?  It sounds like in the situation you describe the Secretary remained in place and you stepped in as Administrator.  I’m wondering if the Secretary is introduced to the List Administrator Responsibilities on the job or with direction from someone who has held the position?   

 

Is it likely that the Recording Secretary Position be considered as an Alternate to the Secretary or is it more likely that the Recording Secretary be a temporary position/ on an as needed basis?

 

Next Question – As there will be more discussion on this topic, is it necessary at this time to come to a decision concerning the need for a Recording Secretary? 

 

Where can I find a current list of the positions and the members who are serving in those positions?   

 

Can you also please give me direction on how to find the KBDM information on the website?  I’m familiar with KBDM but not with the website.  I find it difficult to navigate and continue to go around in a loop to the same pages. 

 

FYI –  being unclear as to where this post is headed - I’m ok with this conversation being posted to the list.  

 

Your guidance and clear direction has been most helpful.  It has been helpful to see the day to day tasks of the Secretary. 

 

Thank you for your Service,

I look forward to your reply.

 

Hugs in Service,  Jae