The LookOut Letters to the Editor
Speak Out!  E-mail us at : Editor@surfsantamonica.com



There is Only One Wilmont Board

August 24, 2012

Dear Editor,

Once again, you mischaracterize the relationship between the only Board of Directors of the Wilshire/Montana Neighborhood Coalition and the group of people trying to take over our organization in your description of the events of Monday, August 20 ("Rival Santa Monica Neighborhood Boards Square Off," August 22, 2012).
 
This is especially surprising after your article in the LA Weekly and the articles about SMRG in which you discuss the actions of Miramar opposition. In the LA Weekly article, you described the connection between the Huntley, Burnside & Associates, and the group that disrupted our June 9 Community Meeting, forcing us to adjourn ("Michael Dell's Miramar-Geddon," July 26, 2012).

After we adjourned, they conducted an “election” for which they had brought their own ballots and ballot box. As has been repeatedly pointed out, including on June 9, this process has no standing. It was not a valid election. Therefore, they were not legally elected to anything.

After the actions of June 9, the Wilmont Board, working through our attorney, terminated the memberships of everyone whose name appeared on the ballots brought to our June 9 Community Meeting. We also terminated the memberships of people we were able to identify as their key supporters.

Their termination notices explicitly prohibit them from making any claim to represent the Wilshire/Montana Neighborhood Corporation, either as a member of the Board of Directors or as an ordinary member of our organization. This action was legal under our Bylaws.

They are not the “new board.” Mr. Kargl, who you quote, is not entitled to represent himself as either a member of our Board of Directors or as a member of our organization.
Monday evening, we had reserved a room at the Ken Edwards Center for our Board meeting. I have attached our agenda. Note the civility code.

Robert Gurfield entered the room, walked to the head table, at which Board members were seated, yanked a chair out from under our Secretary’s broken foot, and used it to seat himself at the head table. His action caused her pain.

Of course I was upset. Jeanne Dodson also seated herself at the head table. Neither of them would leave the table when we requested them to do so. Both of them claimed to be Board members. Again, this is explicitly unauthorized use of our corporate identity as well as deliberately provocative behavior.

Almost immediately, someone in the audience started repeatedly bellowing “Point of Order!” At that time, Betty Mueller had not arrived so we did not have a quorum. (She was out of town on June 9, so she did not experience the disruption first-hand.) We had known there was danger of not having a quorum as several Board members were out of town. We had decided to meet even in the absence of a quorum so we could work on our Annual Meeting, at which we will have a valid election.

We have a lot of work to do. When it became clear that we could not quell the cacophony enough to conduct our business, I asked my Board to move for adjournment, which they did. We voted to adjourn until 7pm Monday at which time we will continue the meeting as a conference call, and I adjourned the meeting.

All of the Board members and a few others left.

Other attendees refused to leave the room. They continued to use the room without authorization. The building staff was unable to get them to leave the room.

You seem to be unclear on some aspects of Roberts’ Rules of Order and other methods of conducting meetings. Salient points include:

• The Chair owns the floor. The Chair may permit others to speak, or not.

• June 9 was a Community Meeting. It was not our Annual Meeting. As Chairperson of Wilmont's Board of Directors, I am explicitly empowered to make that designation. It was announced, repeatedly, that it was not a business meeting. No business, including elections, is permitted at such a meeting.

• August 20 was a Board Meeting. No one was authorized to bellow “Point of Order.” I was the only person in the room with authority to conduct that meeting or any other Wilmont meeting. Other attendees blatantly violated the Civility Code printed on our agenda as well as rules of conduct for meetings.

• The Chair is authorized to adjourn a meeting, preferably with consent of the electors. At the June 9 Community Meeting and at Board meetings, the only electors are the voting Board Members. As Wilmont Chair, I have the authority to adjourn the meeting. On June 9 and on August 20, I did not “try to adjourn” the meeting. I did adjourn the meeting.

When you refer to the people trying to take over the Wilshire/Montana Board of Directors as “the new board” and the legal members of the Board as “the old board,” you are assisting their unauthorized use of our corporate identity.

Sincerely,

Valerie Griffin
Chairperson
Board of Directors Wilshire/Montana Neighborhood Coalition


Lookout Logo footer image Copyright 1999-2012 surfsantamonica.com. All Rights Reserved. EMAIL