POLL-Are term limits for our trustees a good idea?

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Do you think term limits for our trustees is a good idea? Please vote here.

YES
80
66%
NO
41
34%
 
Total votes: 121

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C J Murray
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POLL-Are term limits for our trustees a good idea?

#1 Post by C J Murray »

This poll is about an institution, not about individuals. It is NOT an attempt to criticize individual Trustees or the Trustees as a group. This poll attempts to determine the opinion amongst the general membership as to wether they prefer a Trustee be able to hold office for decades or if they see advantages to allowing a steady rotation of fresh eyes to confront the ever changing challenges of governing the Porsche 356 Registry. Which situation makes the club more agile? Is it better to have your Trustee hold office for life or is it more beneficial to the club to take advantage of the great breadth of talent that our members possess? Forget the individual personalities of current Trustees that you like or dislike. Are term limits generally, positives and negatives considered, a good idea for an organization of 7000 members who are governed by 7 Trustees?

My answer to this question is an emphatic yes in favor of term limits. I believe that a steady rotation of new Trustees will change the perception that the Trustees are too autonomous and non-communicative or that Trustees are living on the largess of their control of the dues income of the 7000 members. These negative perceptions ultimately contributed greatly to a major divide within the club a few years ago where I took a strong position of support for the Trustees. At that time I also expressed a need for more open Trustee communication and a need for some new blood. Very recently the Trustees proposed and passed a series of bylaws amendments that included a 50% lengthening of the Trustee term. Frankly, based on all of the discussion over the past few years I was very surprised that the Trustees didn’t do the opposite by imposing term limits upon themselves. Two terms for POTUS seems like a logical starting point for serious discussion about our Trustee terms.

Unfortunately comments made on the bylaws thread viewtopic.php?f=1&t=41286 prompted attacks from 2 sitting Trustees. It would be nice if this thread be kept more civil. Do you think term limits for our trustees is a good idea? Please vote here. Comments are encouraged but not required to actually vote so your opinion may remain anonymous. To have your vote counted you must choose yes or no and submit your vote. Thank you.
Last edited by C J Murray on Fri Jun 03, 2016 12:16 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Gary Carriveau
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Re: POLL-Are term limits for our trustees a good idea?

#2 Post by Gary Carriveau »

Yes, I believe that Trustee term limits can be a good idea.
The change has to be crafted in such a way that a balance is found between stagnation in the Trustee ranks vs. change for change sake.

Gary
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Adam Cultraro
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Re: POLL-Are term limits for our trustees a good idea?

#3 Post by Adam Cultraro »

Term limits are among the most American of institutions. If Washington thought it was a good idea, so do I.

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Jerry Henning
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Re: POLL-Are term limits for our trustees a good idea?

#4 Post by Jerry Henning »

I believe term limits for trustees is a good idea, if it is done with thought. The current trustee positions are for three years (recently voted for in the bylaw changes), and I believe that a trustee, if willing to serve, should be allowed to serve for a maximum of three three-year periods, for a total of 9 years max. Afterwards, they should depart their position, but should be allowed to run in the next trustee election the following year (the membership can decide if they are suitable for re-election).
I have a problem with mandatory short term limits - I have seen it destroy some clubs to which I have previously belonged. The short cycling of a good trustee has been known to cause chaos in the internal governance of the club.
So yes to term limits, but the limit should be reasonably long.

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Curt Dansby
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Re: POLL-Are term limits for our trustees a good idea?

#5 Post by Curt Dansby »

C J Murray wrote:Very recently the Trustees proposed and passed a series of bylaws amendments
I am sorry to register a further callous and insensitive attack, but please steel yourselves.

The trustees proposed the by-laws changes- The membership, via vote passed the changes. All bylaws changes must be voted upon by the membership, trustees cannot make autonomous changes to the bylaws.

KTF
Curt

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Craig Richter
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Re: POLL-Are term limits for our trustees a good idea?

#6 Post by Craig Richter »

Term limits are not among the most American of institutions, and Washington does not think they are a good idea...
 

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Craig Richter
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Re: POLL-Are term limits for our trustees a good idea?

#7 Post by Craig Richter »

My above post is only a knee-jerk response to another member's observation on American politics... of course your views may vary. Blame it on the time of year.

Getting quality volunters willing to do all that (unpaid) work is hard enough, so keep 'em on the job as long as they want. The new/current limits seem fine to me...
 

Adam Cultraro
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Re: POLL-Are term limits for our trustees a good idea?

#8 Post by Adam Cultraro »

Uh, "Although nothing in the original Constitution limited presidential terms, the nation's first president, George Washington, declined to run for a third term, suggesting that two terms of four years were enough for any president"

Before anyone flames me for starting a political discussion, this is relevant to the thread at least tangentially; if the President of the United States has to jet after two terms, certainly, our trustees must be compelled to do the same.

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Jim Alton
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Re: POLL-Are term limits for our trustees a good idea?

#9 Post by Jim Alton »

What is the pattern of longevity among trustees?

Maybe term limits are a wonderful idea but if it's atypical for trustees to serve more than a few years there's littl need to impose term limits.
 
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Vic Skirmants
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Re: POLL-Are term limits for our trustees a good idea?

#10 Post by Vic Skirmants »

Jerry; excellently stated. Maybe rational minds will agree.

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C J Murray
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Re: POLL-Are term limits for our trustees a good idea?

#11 Post by C J Murray »

Jerry Henning wrote:but should be allowed to run in the next trustee election the following year (the membership can decide if they are suitable for re-election).
This defeats the purpose of term limits. POTUS doesn't get to sit out a term and then run again and for good reason.
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Jerry Henning
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Re: POLL-Are term limits for our trustees a good idea?

#12 Post by Jerry Henning »

Perhaps, but we aren't trying to run a frickin' country here.
If we have them sit out for a period of time before they run again, it gets rid of the often quoted complaint of not being able to de-throne an incumbent trustee.
If the membership wants them back in after their time-out, they will do it with their votes.

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Vic Skirmants
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Re: POLL-Are term limits for our trustees a good idea?

#13 Post by Vic Skirmants »

"If the membership wants them back in after their time-out, they will do it with their votes."
Yep

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C J Murray
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Re: POLL-Are term limits for our trustees a good idea?

#14 Post by C J Murray »

If you don't limit the number of terms then you can't call it "term limits". Your proposal will not deliver the benefits of term limits.
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Thomas Frisardi
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Re: POLL-Are term limits for our trustees a good idea?

#15 Post by Thomas Frisardi »

I am new to the Registry, so I have to start by confessing ignorance about the dynamics of this group. However, I have served as a volunteer in local government, both in elected and appointed positions, for 17 years, so I have a pretty good idea of how volunteer led organizations behave.

I believe that having experienced leadership is too important to any institution that relies on volunteers to place short term limits on the volunteer leadership. The comparison with the President of the USA does not convince me, among other reasons, because the Presidency of the United States is not a part time volunteer job. However, I would support term limits for Registry trustees, if doing so helps this group to patch over the differences that have caused so much unhappiness of late. I like Jerry's take on it, but I would go to a twelve-year limit. It takes three years to learn the job in a part time position, then three more to figure out how to do it well. The following six years of a twelve-year term would be where the club gets the greatest benefit.

So, I am voting yes in the poll, but with some misgivings.

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