West Shore Sportsman's Association - Member being expelled.

[Sam1911]

The ranges remained closed, except for Range 8, the indoor pistol range, trap range, and archery.

Actual ETA on getting ranges opened is now unclear as the new cost estimates were not available at the time of our meeting. The personage giving that report was only able to say that it "might be twice" the cost of previous estimates, now with various environmental (sediment/erosion) controls included, and other details undetermined.

There is a real risk that this Pandora's box these guys have opened up is going to end up with us on a dead end road. There is money to make range improvements. There is not UNLIMITED money to make those improvements. It appears that the promises the President and range committee guys have been making about wonderful improvements (widened and deepened bays, rifle range cut back into the mountain for more yardage, etc., etc.) aren't supported by real cost estimates, and are very likely to be "pie-in-the-sky" pipe dreams outside of the Association's budget by a considerable margin.

When the new Board is seated, we'll have to do some really serious math and soul-searching to decide what to recommend to the Membership about how best to spend the budget we have, to get the most ranges open, and those ranges opened which will serve the greatest number of the membership best. All the while simultaneously figuring out how to write the least intrusive range rules we can to cover conditions on those modified ranges.

A new Board and a new Range Rules Committee will have to work intensely and closely together to pick up the pieces the current crew will leave us with. All while trying to gain back the trust of the Membership and pull this Association back together to move forward.

It's going to be a LOT of work.

[Sam1911]

It's been my experience that those who hold board positions in gun clubs let it go to their heads. They typically have thier own agenda's that may or may not be in the best interest of the club. It's also typical that 2-3 board members are really the ones driving.

In this case the prime mover is someone outside the Board, and a handful of Board members who are friends and relatives of that person follow the script given to them blindly. We are incredibly fortunate that three of our Board members are stalwart guys who have raised the alarm and called us all to action. We owe them a LOT.

(And you're talking to one of them in this thread. Deepest thanks, again, Schnoz.)

The rest are just along for the ride or are ineffectual in their positions. It's rare to have any board members that have any previous business management experience.

The farther into this maze we go the more clear it is that the ONLY experience almost any of the inner clique have that is at all relevant is having hung around shooting ranges for a long time. Business sense, management of people (management, not manipulation), strategy, public relations, consensus building, accountability, transparency, planning, working with government authorities, contracting, and working under rules and bylaws ... all utterly devoid from any of their actions to date. The best way to categorize almost every one of their efforts -- including trying to run Mike Beliveau out of the club or even holding onto their Board seats -- is "sub-amateur."

Children would know to avoid some of the moves they've pulled, or tried to pull.

[daschnoz]

Sam,

Thank you for getting the word out. We 3 could only raise the distress flag. You (and others) have rallied the troops.


I'm going to go back almost 2 months, so stick with me. Once I get to the end, this epic wall of text will all make sense.

Shortly after the new range rules were passed, another BoD member proposed a "Web Committee". He was caught in a lie - proclaiming that these new rules were posted on the web site for over 18 months - when in fact, they were taken down 18 months earlier, and he was included in the email chain stating such. He demanded that this web committee be given administrative access to the club web site, the full membership roster, and access to the computer at the club that is used for administration of the property access card system.

I had my suspicions as to the timing of this proposed committee, as well as the need for the demanded information. If the person holding that information wanted to, that information can be used as a weapon. I have not yet supplied the committee with this information, nor do I have any intentions to do so.

My suspicions have now been confirmed. (Page #2, Post #17 in this thread)

As the Membership Secretary at WSSA, there are cases where I am required to divulge a member's information to either club officers or to law enforcement. These cases are very carefully specified in the WSSA Constitution and Bylaws with the protection of the membership in mind.

However,


I WANT TO REASSURE THE MEMBERSHIP THAT (unless required to as mentioned above) I WILL NEVER DIVULGE ANY MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION TO THOSE WHO WOULD USE IT AS A WEAPON. ONCE I NO LONGER HOLD THIS SEAT ON THE BOARD, I WILL GLADLY GIVE THE INFORMATION TO MY SUCCESSOR. IF THEY WANT THIS INFORMATION, THEY ARE GOING TO NEED TO MAKE THE MOTION TO THE MEMBERSHIP THAT I BE REMOVED FROM THE BOARD.



I am doing MY job as a member of the Board to protect the largest asset that the club has - its membership. Without its members, WSSA does not exist. I have pointed this out to them and they made it quite clear that they don't care about the membership. If we loose members, to them, meh.

I would like to ask current members to please continue to be a member at WSSA. This is a bump in the road. It's a pretty good sized bump, but only a bump. Once we get past this, we can begin the task of making WSSA a fun, safe, and overall, a great place to shoot once again.

Thank you.
-Bobby Kirbos
WSSA Membership Secretary

[DavidTM]

Ok, so what if the Board simply throws the guy out? The existing Board just ignores the by-laws and throws him out. So what? And should any other member stand up and bitch that the Board can't do this, the Board simply throws out those members as well.

Understand this? The Board simply makes a unilateral move to just toss out say....ten or twelve members. So what. WTF are those members, or now former members going to do about it? They can't vote for the next Board in November....they have been tossed out of the Club.

Too bad, tough shit, your out.

Dave

[daschnoz]

Ok, so what if the Board simply throws the guy out? The existing Board just ignores the by-laws and throws him out. So what? And should any other member stand up and bitch that the Board can't do this, the Board simply throws out those members as well.

Understand this? The Board simply makes a unilateral move to just toss out say....ten or twelve members. So what. WTF are those members, or now former members going to do about it? They can't vote for the next Board in November....they have been tossed out of the Club.

Too bad, tough shit, your out.

Dave

Dave,
That's the crux of the issue. You nailed it with The existing Board just ignores the by-laws.

Hit up our web site and grab the WSSA Constitution and Bylaws.

http://www.westshoresportsmen.org/in...A-Information/

The BoD does not have the authority to throw out members. The BoD has only the authority to recommend a member for expulsion to the membership at large. A 2/3 majority of the members voting at that meeting is required to expel a member. The BoD has no authority to unilaterally expel a member.

The simple fact is that they don't want Mike sitting in the center chair and they will do everything they can to make that happen - rules be damned.

[DavidTM]

Dave,
That's the crux of the issue. You nailed it with The existing Board just ignores the by-laws.

Hit up our web site and grab the WSSA Constitution and Bylaws.

http://www.westshoresportsmen.org/in...A-Information/

The BoD does not have the authority to throw out members. The BoD has only the authority to recommend a member for expulsion to the membership at large. A 2/3 majority of the members voting at that meeting is required to expel a member. The BoD has no authority to unilaterally expel a member.

So. So they do it anyway. So what? Who is going to do anything about it? Is someone going to pay an attorney to sue the Club? And who exactly is going to do this? What member has the money to do this and then, why would you want to belong to a Club that can willy-nilly toss out a member because they want to?

Believe me, I don't ask these questions for fun. There is a point to my "madness" here.

Dave

[Hawk]

From their by-laws:

REMOVAL OF AN OFFICER OR MISCONDUCT
Section 1. If a written request urging the Removal of an Officer be signed by a majority of the Board of
Directors and filed with the Secretary stating the reasons therefore, prior to any regular meeting of the
Association, the Secretary shall notify the Officer in question of such charges having been filed and the Officer
shall be given an opportunity to appear and defend himself against such charges. The President or the Vice-
President shall present said request to the Association for vote, and if, by a two-thirds vote of the members
present and voting it is concurred upon, the office shall be declared vacant and the Association shall enter into
an immediate election, to fill the vacancy, on nominations from the floor.
Any Officer serving a position on the Board of Directors or as an Officer of the Association who is removed
from office by the vote of the membership is not eligible for appointment to an office or the Board during the
term for which the recalled member stood.

Section 2. Should any one or combination of Officers or Directors engage in activity described as malfeasance,
or activity contrary to the good of the Association, any Officer or Director has the option to refer the matter
directly to the Association Attorney/Counsel. Association Counsel shall have the authority to investigate the
matter, arbitrate conflict among members of the Board, and suggest remedies to the Board. If necessary,
Association Counsel is empowered to send out notification to the membership at large to inform the Association
of concerns which may require such action.

[Sam1911]

Fortunately, they CAN'T just throw someone out. They haven't gone quite that far over the edge, and the bylaws say that no member, no matter what, shall be denied the right to participate in voting/elections.

They have overstepped much farther than they understand, but they still try to keep up the perception of legality and compliance with the Association rules.

What's baffling is that they know elections are coming next month, and now they know just who is running against them for all the seats, and absent some kind of dark "anti-miracle" they are going to lose every seat in a landslide. They can't watch the members vote UNANIMOUSLY, minus three, against them and still assume they have any support.

[Sam1911]

Section 2. Should any one or combination of Officers or Directors engage in activity described as malfeasance, or activity contrary to the good of the Association, any Officer or Director has the option to refer the matter
directly to the Association Attorney/Counsel. Association Counsel shall have the authority to investigate the matter, arbitrate conflict among members of the Board, and suggest remedies to the Board. If necessary,
Association Counsel is empowered to send out notification to the membership at large to inform the Association of concerns which may require such action.

Yup! How 'bout that?

Violating the constitution and bylaws of an organization of which you are an Officer does carry some serious consequences sometimes...

And I'll leave it at that for now.

[DavidTM]

From their by-laws:

REMOVAL OF AN OFFICER OR MISCONDUCT
Section 1. If a written request urging the Removal of an Officer be signed by a majority of the Board of
Directors and filed with the Secretary stating the reasons therefore, prior to any regular meeting of the
Association, the Secretary shall notify the Officer in question of such charges having been filed and the Officer
shall be given an opportunity to appear and defend himself against such charges. The President or the Vice-
President shall present said request to the Association for vote, and if, by a two-thirds vote of the members
present and voting it is concurred upon, the office shall be declared vacant and the Association shall enter into
an immediate election, to fill the vacancy, on nominations from the floor.
Any Officer serving a position on the Board of Directors or as an Officer of the Association who is removed
from office by the vote of the membership is not eligible for appointment to an office or the Board during the
term for which the recalled member stood.

Section 2. Should any one or combination of Officers or Directors engage in activity described as malfeasance,
or activity contrary to the good of the Association, any Officer or Director has the option to refer the matter
directly to the Association Attorney/Counsel. Association Counsel shall have the authority to investigate the
matter, arbitrate conflict among members of the Board, and suggest remedies to the Board. If necessary,
Association Counsel is empowered to send out notification to the membership at large to inform the Association
of concerns which may require such action.

Ghee Hawk, what are you saying here? Are you saying that the BOD is required to follow their by-laws? Are you saying that the by-laws are some type of controlling document here? Like some type of "Management" document? Something like that? Oh my!!!