[Businessmtg] Alternate path to Steering Committee service

[Jerry]

Biz-Pals,

I offer the following amendment to the motion which covers the content of the original motion in a form which clarifies when this procedure would become authorized:

"When any Steering Committee (SC) seat remains unfilled for lack of qualified volunteers for two (2) succeeding Business Meetings, resumes for vacancies will be accepted from volunteers who do not meet ASP's requirements for prior ASP membership or service. Should such volunteers stand for ASP service positions:
• The SC will interview and vet said volunteers as it sees fit, and recommend all candidates who are approved by a unanimous SC vote to the Business Meeting for resume review and voting.
• All other requirements and procedures involving the election of officers by the members in the Business Meeting apply."

(end of suggestion)
- - - - -

MY NOTES:
Three of the current motion's bullet points would be made redundant or become unnecessary:

• "That the Steering Committee (SC) is authorized to solicit volunteers for service on the SC,"
[because every ASP member is already able to communicate with other ASP members to suggest that they stand for office (SC members included) no authorization is required];

• "That the SC may recommend candidates to the BM by unanimous vote..." [because this is covered in bullet #1 of the suggested amended motion.]; and

• "That candidates recommended by the SC may not meet ASP requirements for prior membership or service ...." [because this is covered in the text of the suggested amended motion.]

The suggested text would add a two BM window for qualified volunteers to stand for any vacancies. I don't feel this period would place undue burdens on other SC members. I do think that it would be prudent to have this retroactive so any approved motion would enact these procedures immediately.

In service,
Jerry
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On March 8, 2023, at 10:38 AM, Lynne <lynne at asp-afg.org> wrote:



Hi everyone,

ASP is operating with only one of five elected trusted servant positions 
filled by an elected member. The Founders, Anne and Steve, are pitching 
in to help keep ASP running. However, this means that Anne is doing 
double duty as the Greeter Chair and the Group Representative and I am 
doing double duty as the List Administrator and the Secretary, and Steve 
is filling in as the Treasurer. There has also been a chronic inability 
for ASP to have a full slate of elected Steering Committee members. All 
of this goes against several Al anon principles listed below. We 
urgently need new tools to increase the pool of eligible applicants to 
the steering committee. We are getting burnt out doing all of these jobs 
with just the three of us.

Tradition 7: Every group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining 
outside contributions.
Concept 4: Participation is the key to harmony.
Concept 10: Service responsibility is balanced by carefully defined 
service authority and double-headed management is avoided.

The current requirements for election to the Steering Committee is one 
year's prior service at ASP in an appointed service position (Daily 
Chair, Greeter, Recording Secretary). Candidates are elected by the 
membership of the Business Meeting and must not be a member of AA.

The Steering Committee previously brought a topic to the business 
meeting in January about lowering the ASP service requirement for the 
Steering Committee positions from 1 year to 6 months. That is not being 
discussed now (it will be discussed later in this meeting if there is 
time), but is just an example of ways that we are trying to make service 
on the Steering Committee more accessible to widen the pool of eligible 
applicants.

What we are proposing now is that the Business Meeting give the Steering 
Committee the authority to waive the ASP service requirement on a 
case-by-case basis. What that means in practice is that if someone is 
interested in applying to serve in one of the Steering Committee 
positions, but that person does not meet the current ASP service 
requirements, the Steering Committee could decide to interview that 
candidate via a Zoom call to discuss the position and their previous Al 
anon and ASP service. If the Steering Committee UNANIMOUSLY agrees, we 
would bring the application to the next Business Meeting for 
consideration. The Business Meeting would still elect all Steering 
Committee members. If the Steering Committee does not unanimously agree 
to support waiving the ASP service requirement, then that candidate 
would still be able to apply for the position once they have acquired 
that ASP service experience.

The discussion of this topic is now open.

Hugs,

Lynne
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