A group of HCA voting members presented a proposal February 27 to change the HCA Constitution and Bylaws to eliminate the Executive Committee (EC) and require the full Board of Directors to meet monthly. This proposal will be discussed at the April 21 HCA Board meeting, which is the first full board meeting scheduled since it was presented.
The Bylaws and Constitution specify a process for making changes to them. The Constitution states that it may be amended only after recommendation by the Board of Directors and by a two-thirds vote cast of the voting members…” In other words, if this proposal is to be put to a vote, it must first be recommended by the board.
The board takes this proposal very seriously and wants to fully understand why the changes have been requested. For this reason, board members have been calling all those who signed the letter submitted with the original request. These phone calls are being made simply to listen to and gather information from members, not to present arguments against the proposal. At this time, neither the EC nor the full board has decided whether or not to recommend that the proposal go to the voting members for a decision.
If the board decides to bring the proposal to a vote, the proposed changes will be printed in the May issue of Heisey News and then placed on the ballot for the June election, which will occur during the HCA Convention. Voting members who are not attending the convention may request an absentee ballot by contacting the National Heisey Glass Museum, as outlined in the April issue of Heisey News.
Background information
HCA’s Executive Committee consists of the president, vice-president, treasurer, secretary and either the immediate past president or a board member selected by the board to serve as member-at-large on the EC. The EC meets monthly.
The role of the EC is outlined in HCA’s Constitution, which states, “The Executive Committee shall have general administrative authority and such power as voted by the organization. The committee shall transact business as may be necessary between regular meetings. The committee shall consider all matters concerning the well-being of the organization and present all recommendations to the Board of Directors for action.”
Although the Constitution gives the EC fairly broad authority to transact business, in recent years the actual practice of the EC has generally been gathering and sifting through information on day-to-day concerns of the museum and the organization and then presenting the information and recommendations to the board for further input and consideration. The full board meets four times per year and in special meetings as needed.
Posted – April 12th 2022