Home > News
> Bylaws Update
Next Steps On The Bylaws
MEMO TO THE PACIFICA COMMUNITY
FROM: Leslie Cagan, chair of the Interim Pacifica National
Board
DATE: July 27, 2003
Last night, July 26th, I sent a memo to the members of the
Interim Pacifica National Board and the chairs of the five
LABs explaining the steps I am taking in response to the fact
that we have not yet adopted new bylaws for the Foundation.
(A copy of that memo is included below.)
Most importantly, we will NOT be convening the regularly
scheduled meeting of the IPNB in New York City on the weekend
of August 15, 16 and 17th. Instead, there will be a special
meeting of the IPNB members, the LAB chairs and the Foundation's
Executive Director for the sole purpose of coming to agreement
on bylaws language. (More details about the meeting are included
in the memo below.)
I am very sorry that once again I have to inform the Pacifica
community that a scheduled meeting of the IPNB is being changed.
At the same time I hope you all understand that until we adopt
new bylaws it is impossible to move forward on many of the
pressing issues the Foundation and each of the five stations
faces. It is time for everyone committed to Pacifica to help
us develop a compromise that works, one that will allow us
to adopt bylaws, move into elections of local boards and a
new national board and to begin the next phase of re-building
this network. Your support for this emergency process is greatly
appreciated.
MEMO
TO: Members of the Interim Pacifica National Board and the
LAB Chairs
cc: Dan Coughlin
FROM: Leslie Cagan, chair of the IPNB
DATE: Saturday, July 26, 2003
NEXT STEPS ON THE BYLAWS
We are all aware of the present situation. After nearly
16 months of hard work in all five listening areas and on
the national board we still do not have agreement on new bylaws
for the Foundation. It is absolutely essential that we take
collective action as quickly as possible. The Foundation cannot
continue in this "interim" state...it is not healthy
for any of the five stations nor for the national organization.
We must come to agreement on new bylaws and move into the
next phase of re-building Pacifica.
Those of us on this interim national board all agreed, when
we went on the board, to take on the responsibility to make
sure that the Foundation has new bylaws, and that those bylaws
include election procedures for the boards. The LAB chairs
all agreed to participate in this process and to shepherd
the work of their respective LABs through this. We all knew
we had to take on this work, both because it was mandated
in the Settlement Agreement and because it is in the best
interest of the Foundation to have new bylaws.
The various positions related to the most controversial
bylaws issues have been stated, re-stated, argued, discussed
and extensively written about. We all know there are some
major differences within our ranks. But now we are at a critical
juncture: how do we come to agreement on bylaws? It is crystal
clear to me that there will have to be compromise, and, just
to state the obvious, for compromise to work it will require
each of us to be open to modifying her or his position.
I have read the recent emails with ideas about how to proceed,
and I've given a lot of thought to this. This is what I am
planning to do:
1) I will convene a mediated discussion of the members
of the Interim Pacifica National Board, the five LAB chairs
and the Foundation's Executive Director. This session will
be conducted by at least one professional mediator, possibly
two, over the course of two days.
2) The only people in the room will be the national board
members, the LAB chairs, the ED and the mediator(s).
3) Our work will focus on the diversity issues. We will
not be revisiting everything else in the bylaws, items that
we know enjoy broad support.
4) This session will take place on Saturday, August 16th
and Sunday, August 17th, a time that works for everyone.
I am working on securing the professional mediator and will
only change the date if it is impossible for the mediator
to work with us on that weekend.
5) This session will take place outside of the five station
areas. Once the location is in place I will notify everyone,
no later than the middle of this coming week.
6) Any input from LAB members, station management and/or
other staff or programmers, people involved in the five
bylaws committees and the diversity language committee,
or anyone else is most welcome. But that input will have
to come in writing and through a member of the interim national
board or one of the LAB chairs.
7) We will come to agreement on bylaws language. Ratification
of the new bylaws will require approval by at least three
of the five LABs, as well as by a formal vote of at least
two-thirds of the interim board seven days later (which
we will do via conference call).
This session will only succeed if each of us thoroughly
considers where we can make changes in our own positions,
and comes prepared to do so.
This is a dramatic step, I know. But I believe we must give
this our best effort if we are going to succeed. Toward that
end, I will also talk to each of you personally over the next
two days to make sure you understand what I am planning and
that you agree to participate in this process.
Moving forward in this way means that we will NOT have the
previously scheduled meeting of the IPNB in New York City
the weekend of August 15th. Instead, we will discuss budget
and finance issues via conference call (more than one if necessary)
and then convene a board meeting in NYC in Sept. to vote on
the FY04 budgets and conduct other board business.
Finally, I know there was a recommendation that I convene
a conference call to discuss how to proceed on the bylaws.
I decided not to do that, believing it will only slow things
down and could be a very difficult call at a moment when we
need to find ways to work together.
I look forward to talking to each of you. Of course, as
always, please feel free to contact me via email.
Leslie
|
