Vote Required on MESA Bylaws Changes

At the Annual Members Meeting held on Saturday, December 3, 2011, in Washington, DC, a quorum of members approved changes to MESA’s Bylaws which will affect the structure of its governance. The proposal now goes to the entire membership for a vote. Members are invited to compare the current bylaws with the proposed amendments. Please note that the changes also include the addition of a sentence and a few minor alterations that clean up incorrect numbering.

Review the PROS and CONS here. 

The Major Changes in a Nutshell

1. The term of the President will be increased to four years: one year as President-Elect, two years as President, one year as Past-President.
2. Elections for president will occur only in even-numbered years. (Annual Board member elections will be held every year.)
3. There will be a President-Elect in odd-numbered years, and a Past-President in even-numbered years, and the two will never occur at the same time.
4. The current number of members on the Executive Committee will be reduced from three members (President Elect, President, Past-President) to two.
5. The total number of Board of Directors members will be reduced to eight from nine.
6. Motions of the Board will be carried by a majority.
7. The required quorum will be five.

Transition Procedure

Should the bylaws changes be approved by election of the general membership, the following transition procedure will be implemented:

The current President, Fred Donner and the current President –Elect, Peter Sluglett, will finish with their normal 3-year terms. In odd numbered years, we will have a President and President-Elect, and in even numbered years we will have a President and Past-President. See the graph.