[Businessmtg] FW: Linda's Question #5

[Steve Rankin]

Hi Linda,

Regarding your questions on Item #5:
5/ Would it be more advantageous to the Board to keep the Web Master
position separate?  Later in #7 it states that the Web Master's duties are
minimal.  If this is true, I wonder what would be a good reason to then
create a separate position of Recording Secretary to handle it.  What would
be the difference between that and just keeping Web Master?

Forgive me if I answer the first question with the obvious rhetorical
question. . . if the Board thought it would be more advantageous to keep the
Web Master position, why would be recommend eliminating it?
​I repeat - no one likes a Smart Ass.

xoxoxoxo (thank you, Steve.  Good job, as usual)


We recommend eliminating the ELECTED Web Master position because the duties
are minimal, and we suggested replacing the ELECTED position with an
APPOINTED position that served under the direction of the Secretary.  FYI,
my personal thoughts were to roll the Web Master position into the Secretary
position, period.  The ladies suggested creating an assistant to the
Secretary position, and I'm going along with it because I do see advantages
to it.  

This new position would be an official service position, but just like the
Greeters are selected by the Greeter Chair, are trained by the Greeter Chair
and serve at the pleasure of the Greeter Chair (yes, the Greeter Chair has
the full authority to terminate the service of a Greeter at their
discretion.  And just like the Greeters, the new appointed position would
have neither voice or vote nor any presence at all on the Steering
Committee.  What serving in this position would do is qualify the member for
service on the Steering Committee after one year of service as the
Secretary's assistant.  

We recognize that it takes just as much time and effort to find and elect
someone to the Steering Committee that has nothing to do as it does to find
and elect someone that has a lot to do. 
We also recognize that many if not most members that might consider a
position on the Steering Committee are more likely to pick a position that
has little to do than one that has a lot to do.  
We recognize that members that do serve in tertiary service positions do not
make themselves available to serve in any of the critical positions later.  

The reality is that it only takes 2 people on the Steering Committee to keep
ASP functioning.  The List Administrator and the Greeter Chair.  No offense
to our Treasurer, but ASP has gotten along fine for about half of its
history without a Treasurer.  ASP has never functioned without a List
Administrator and a Greeter Chair.  

Adding additional positions and people to the Steering Committee
accomplishes nothing for ASP.  There are two results from attempting to do
so, and we've seen both of these results before:

1.  The Business Meeting becomes devoted to the election of new officers to
the Steering Committee exclusively.
2.  Members of ASP qualified to serve on the Steering Committee invariably
serve in non-critical positions and never advance or rotate into one of the
two critical positions.  

Hugs,
Steve